Born in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington in London, Costello is the son of trumpeter, vocalist and band-leader Ronald (“Ross”) MacManus and record store manager Lillian Costello. His family had roots in Merseyside and he moved to Birkenhead at age 16, with his mother, when his parents separated. While he is better known as 'Elvis Costello', a stage name referring to the legendary Elvis Presley suggested by Stiff Records manager Jake Riviera, he has used many other aliases, including 'The Imposter' and 'Napoleon Dynamite'.
In the early 1970s Costello was a participant in London's pub rock scene with the group Flip City. Then in 1977 along with fellow Pub-Rockers Nick Lowe and Ian Dury he made his first releases on the independent label Stiff, tailoring his work towards the burgeoning punk, power pop, and new wave scenes. From 1980's Armed Forces onwards, however, other influences including soul, country, 1960s pop, and classical music began to re-emerge, and he soon became established as a unique and original voice. His output has been wildly diverse: one critic has written that "Costello, the pop encyclopedia, can reinvent the past in his own image".
His prolific and varied 30-year career has been marked by two constants: sharp songwriting and musical restlessness. The latter has seen him dabble in almost every musical form, from country to jazz to orchestral. This stems from the fact that, at heart, Costello is a fan. His desire to work with his musical heroes has attracted collaborators as diverse as Burt Bacharach and Paul McCartney, Anne Sofie von Otter, Allen Toussaint, Aimee Mann, Bill Frisell, and Brian Eno.
But his most successful partners were his long-term band The Attractions. They comprised Steve Nieve (keyboards), Pete Thomas (drums) and Bruce Thomas (bass). Between 1978 and 1983, this outfit produced a peerless series of albums: This Year's Model; Armed Forces; Get Happy!!; Almost Blue; Trust; Imperial Bedroom and Punch the Clock.
These recordings drew on styles spanning soul, country and western and commercial pop. It was only with 1984's Goodbye Cruel World that Costello started to stumble. An album he concedes was one of his worst, it ushered in a period which produced interesting music but lacked the consistent quality of his halcyon days. Interestingly, although he enlisted the other Elvis's band for King of America in 1986, it was a reunion with The Attractions and former producer Nick Lowe that produced his best album of the late 1980s in the form of the scabrous Blood and Chocolate.
The following albums, Spike and Mighty Like a Rose were uncompromising and difficult solo works, as was the string quartet collaboration The Juliet Letters in 1993. It was only reconvening the Attractions for Brutal Youth the following year that gave his fans another glimpse of what first attracted them to him: punchy, angry pop songs, tightly played by an impeccably taut ensemble.
Since then, Costello has become a career dilettante, true to his inner musical quest, but never again returning to heights he scaled in the early 1980s. Maybe the best work of this latter period was 1998's Painted from Memory. This joint effort with Burt Bacharach matched restrained writing from Costello with stately Bacharach arrangements.
Subsequent career nadirs such as the tune-free North (2003), and instrumental orchestral works such as Il Sogno (2004) led many long-term admirers to conclude that Costello had retained his integrity at the expense of his real musical strengths. However, he has given occasional evidence of his former fire. The ballsy bar-room atmosphere of the collaborative The Delivery Man (2004), suggests that he is still capable of giving his fans what they want, in between his more esoteric experiments.
Elvis is married to jazz vocalist Diana Krall and they have twin sons.
*Upon the film's release, it was noted that the name "Napoleon Dynamite" had originally been used by musician Elvis Costello, most visibly on his 1986 album Blood and Chocolate, although he had used the pseudonym on a single B-side as early as 1982. Filmmaker Jared Hess claims that he was not aware of Costello's use of the name until two days before the end of shooting, when he was informed by a teenage extra. He later said, "Had I known that name was used by anybody else prior to shooting the whole film, it definitely would have been changed ... I listen to hip-hop, dude. It's a pretty embarrassing coincidence." Hess claims that "Napoleon Dynamite" was the name of a man he met around the year 2000 on the streets of Cicero, Illinois while doing missionary work for the Mormon Church.
Costello believes that Hess stole the name: "The guy just denies completely that I made the name up... but I invented it. Maybe somebody told him the name and he truly feels that he came about it by chance. But it's two words that you're never going to hear together." To date, Costello has taken no legal action against the film.
Elvis Costello and Elton John to Make a Television 'Spectacle'
Two of the most respected musicians in the world will collaborate on an extraordinary new television series.
"Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..." is hosted by its namesake and produced in conjunction with Sir Elton John's Rocket Pictures. Elton John will be one of the program's Executive Producers.
The series begain airing in 2008 on CTV in Canada, Channel 4 in the UK and Sundance Channel in the US. FremantleMedia Enterprises, will handle sales of the show to the rest of the world.
Conceived to provide a forum for in-depth discussion and performance with the most interesting and influential artists and personalities of our time, the show fuses the best of talk and music television.
"Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..." is an unpredictable and unprecedented television experience. The series of 13 one-hour programs features everything from intimate one-on-ones with legendary performers and notable newcomers to thematic panel discussions, with a variety of performance elements including unique collaborations, acoustic and impromptu "illustrative" demonstrations of the creative process, and some original interpretations of others' songs by Costello.
Charm School
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Men made into mice
Happy days are here again
And all the drinks half price
A girl with a trick and a man with a calling
Trying to make a living out of your down falling
Trying to make a living out of anything at all
In that charm school
You and I as lovers
Were nothing but a farce
Trying to make a silk purse
Out of a sow's arse
Saying 'why don't you watch me'
Hardly speaking sotto voce
I've got a notion
I've got an angle
Take your dreams and promises
And put them through the mangle
They say it's hell to finance too
And I just want to romance you
In this perpetual nightclub
I'll be yours eternal
Though the hours are long
And the noise infernal
Just one shameful act or sometimes two
We make believe we're making do
The lyrics of Elvis Costello's song Charm School speak about the harsh realities of life and the idea of trying to make a living out of anything, even in the face of adversity. The lines "Men made out of monkeys, men made into mice" emphasize the fact that humans are not always in control of their lives and that they can be reduced to the level of animals. The chorus suggests that the education system has not taught people anything except how to be cruel in the "charm school." The song speaks about the desire to find love and companionship in a world that can be cruel and unforgiving.
The verses speak about the difficult and often fruitless attempts to make a relationship work. The line "Trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's arse" emphasizes the futility of such attempts. The song speaks about the need to pursue one's dreams and to take a chance on love, even if it appears risky. The lines "Take your dreams and promises and put them through the mangle. They say it's hell to finance too, and I just want to romance you" suggest that the singer is willing to take risks in order to find happiness, even if it means living in poverty.
Line by Line Meaning
Men made out of monkeys
Human beings evolved from primates
Men made into mice
Feeling small and powerless
Happy days are here again
Trying to remain optimistic in difficult times
And all the drinks half price
Even though things seem good, they are ultimately fleeting and cheap
A girl with a trick and a man with a calling
A woman who knows how to manipulate and a man who is dedicated to his work
Trying to make a living out of your down falling
Struggling to survive despite facing many obstacles and setbacks
Trying to make a living out of anything at all
Desperate to make ends meet by any means necessary
Didn't they teach you anything except how to be cruel
Wondering if someone was only taught to be mean and not how to be kind
In that charm school
Referring to a place where people were supposed to learn how to be charming and well-liked
You and I as lovers
The relationship between the two people was meant to be romantic
Were nothing but a farce
The relationship was actually a joke or not genuine
Trying to make a silk purse
Attempting to make something high-quality out of something low-quality
Out of a sow's arse
Out of something disgusting or worthless
Saying 'why don't you watch me'
Trying to show off or impress the other person
Hardly speaking sotto voce
Not speaking quietly or in a hushed tone
I've got a notion
Having an idea or plan
I've got an angle
Having a specific approach or strategy
Take your dreams and promises
Taking something optimistic and hopeful
And put them through the mangle
Subjecting them to intense pressure or difficult circumstances
They say it's hell to finance too
Even financial success can be difficult and stressful
And I just want to romance you
Despite all these challenges, the artist still desires a romantic relationship with the other person
In this perpetual nightclub
In a never-ending cycle of partying and fun
I'll be yours eternal
Promising to be devoted and committed forever
Though the hours are long
Despite the heavy commitment required
And the noise infernal
Despite the overwhelming and unpleasant environment
Just one shameful act or sometimes two
Engaging in morally questionable behavior
We make believe we're making do
Putting on a facade of being happy despite the underlying problems
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind