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.
Church Underground
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Came howling out of the wilderness
There beat a cunning and murderous heart
Beneath that calm exterior
"You know my name
You don't know my mind
Don't doubt my eyes
And I've already forgotten
Much more than you will ever know"
And every word that I have spoken is true
Except for those that were broken in two
I'm trying to make peace after a long night of pretend
I need a pawnbroker or moneylender
Why do you do me down, Mister?
Sing "Hallelujah," Sister
Turn up the volume, just to turn it down
The trivial secrets buried with profound
It's enough to put a church underground
It's enough to put a church underground
Deflowered young and then ever since
She's tried to wash off his fingerprints
So every charlatan and prince
Was made to feel inferior
She worked for tips in a ten-cent dance
Said moving pictures might pay perchance
Ten thousand one-way tickets to the sparkling coast
From the blank interior
Everybody's either talking in code
Or getting ready to explode
Then she was singing with five-piece band
But seems that no-one wants this sound
Why do you do me down, Mister?
Sing "Hallelujah," Sister
Turn up the volume, just to turn it down
The trivial secrets buried with profound
It's enough to put a church underground
It's enough to put a church underground
The shaft of fanlight streaked with rain
Poured through the glass, punched through the pain
A holy picture hidden in the midden of that poisoned stitch
Her lonely voice was just a ruin in these riches
She must have been dreaming this all along
Could she be redeeming herself in song?
"I'm no-one's martyred, plaster saint
Below the grease, beneath the paint"
I'm rolling like barrel
Swinging like a gallows
I'm rising up fast like all hell and all hallows
Why do you do me down, Mister?
Sing "Hallelujah," Sister
I'll be damned or purgatory bound
Before those jokers ever understand
It's enough to put a church underground
It's enough to put a church underground
It's enough to put a church underground
The song "Church Underground" by Elvis Costello tells the story of a woman who entered a church, spotlit in a plain print dress and came howling out of the wilderness. Despite her calm exterior, there beats a cunning and murderous heart. She warns the people that they don't know her mind and her eyes betray her past. She reveals that she has already forgotten much more than they will ever know. She speaks the truth, except for those words that were broken in two. She longs for redemption and tries to make peace after a long night of pretend. She seeks help from a pawnbroker or moneylender, indicating her desperation.
The woman speaks about the secrets that are trivial but buried with profound meaning. She believes that these secrets are enough to put a church underground. The second verse reveals that she was deflowered young and has been trying to wash off the aggression of her abuser. She worked for tips in a ten-cent dance and dreamed of one day escaping to the sparkling coast. The woman notes that everybody is either talking in code or getting ready to explode. She sings with a five-piece band but no one wants her sound. The song ends with the woman questioning the motives of people and voicing that it's enough to put a church underground.
Line by Line Meaning
She stood spotlit in a plain print dress
Her presence was emphasized by the spotlight, although she appeared simple in her plain dress
Came howling out of the wilderness
She emerged suddenly from obscurity, with a sense of urgency
There beat a cunning and murderous heart
She had a devious and dangerous nature concealed beneath her calm exterior
Beneath that calm exterior
Despite her outward composure, she was volatile and unpredictable
"You know my name
She is confident in her reputation and identity
You don't know my mind
No one truly understands her thoughts or intentions
Don't doubt my eyes
Her eyes reveal more than she lets on
They betray the past
Her eyes expose the secrets and experiences of her past
And I've already forgotten
She has moved on from things that others may still be holding on to
Much more than you will ever know"
Others will never fully comprehend the extent of what she has put behind her
And every word that I have spoken is true
She is speaking from her heart, with sincerity
Except for those that were broken in two
She has not been honest about everything, and some of her words were insincere
I'm trying to make peace after a long night of pretend
She is attempting to reconcile with herself and others after being untrue
I need a pawnbroker or moneylender
She needs financial help or support
Why do you do me down, Mister?
She is questioning why someone is criticizing or undermining her
Sing "Hallelujah," Sister
She is calling for a celebration, possibly sarcastically
Turn up the volume, just to turn it down
Someone is increasing the intensity only to back away from it
The trivial secrets buried with profound
Superficial and insignificant secrets have a deeper meaning
It's enough to put a church underground
The truth is powerful enough to ruin even the most established institutions
Deflowered young and then ever since
She lost her innocence at a young age and has never regained it
She's tried to wash off his fingerprints
She has attempted to erase the memory of the person who deflowered her
So every charlatan and prince
She sees through the manipulative nature of men who try to deceive or charm her
Was made to feel inferior
She puts others down to make herself feel superior
She worked for tips in a ten-cent dance
She had a low-paying job as a dancer
Said moving pictures might pay perchance
She hopes to earn better wages by acting in films
Ten thousand one-way tickets to the sparkling coast
She dreams of moving to the glamorous west coast
From the blank interior
She is currently in a dull or uninteresting place
Everybody's either talking in code
People are using indirect language to convey their true meaning
Or getting ready to explode
Tensions are high and it feels like conflict is inevitable
Then she was singing with five-piece band
She was performing music with a full band supporting her
But seems that no-one wants this sound
Despite her talent, she is not receiving much recognition or approval
The shaft of fanlight streaked with rain
The sunlight filtered through the rain, illuminating the scene
Poured through the glass, punched through the pain
The light came through the window, penetrating the sadness of the situation
A holy picture hidden in the midden of that poisoned stitch
There is something sacred and valuable concealed within a heap of trash
Her lonely voice was just a ruin in these riches
Her isolated voice is of little importance in a world full of wealth and success
She must have been dreaming this all along
Her aspirations may have been unrealistic or unattainable
Could she be redeeming herself in song?
She hopes to make up for her mistakes or shortcomings through music
"I'm no-one's martyred, plaster saint
She refuses to be a martyr or a fake, perfect person for anyone's benefit.
Below the grease, beneath the paint"
Her true self is hidden beneath her physical appearance
I'm rolling like barrel
She is moving rapidly and recklessly
Swinging like a gallows
Her movements have a sense of peril and doom
I'm rising up fast like all hell and all hallows
She is ascending rapidly like a supernatural force
I'll be damned or purgatory bound
She is willing to face the consequences of her actions in the afterlife
Before those jokers ever understand
She does not believe certain people will ever comprehend her or her music
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind