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.
Clowntime Is Over
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Written to ransom
A point of the fingernail
Says that he`s handsome
Clowntime is over
Time to take cover
While others just talk and talk
Clowntime is over
A voice in the shadows
Says that his men know
He don`t step back as expected
He`s otherwise and unprotected
[Chorus:]
Almost too good to be true
Who do you? why do you? what do you do?
While everybody`s hiding under covers
Who`s making lover`s lane safe again for lovers?
[Chorus]
The song "Clowntime is Over" by Elvis Costello & The Attractions is a politically driven song that critiques the actions of those in power who are more concerned with their own interests than the welfare of the people they serve. The song begins with the line "Tears on your blackmail, written to ransom, a point of the fingernail says that he`s handsome," which suggests that those in power are using blackmail to get what they want and are more concerned with their own appearance and image than with genuine concern for those they represent.
The chorus of the song repeatedly declares "Clowntime is over," indicating that it is time for these leaders to stop being foolish and start taking their responsibilities seriously. The following lines refer to those who are willing to criticize the leaders but do nothing to change the situation, and those who are watching out for the people where others are not.
The final verse discusses a hidden voice that says the men in power are aware of what is going on but are not taking action, and that this lack of action leaves those who need it unprotected. The repetition of the question "Who do you? Why do you? What do you do?" in the chorus emphasizes the need for answers and action.
Overall, "Clowntime is Over" is a song that openly critiques the actions of those in power and calls for them to stop being foolish and start taking the needs of the people seriously.
Line by Line Meaning
Tears on your blackmail
Your attempts to extort or manipulate someone have failed and now you are crying.
Written to ransom
Your threats were put in writing with the purpose of obtaining a ransom.
A point of the fingernail
A small detail that appears insignificant, but can potentially cause significant harm.
Says that he`s handsome
He is flaunting his looks and relying on his charm to get what he wants.
Clowntime is over
It's time to be serious and stop playing games.
Time to take cover
It's time to protect yourself from the consequences of your actions.
While others just talk and talk
While others are all talk and no action.
Somebody`s watching where the others don`t walk
Someone is paying attention to things that others tend to overlook.
Clowntime is over
It's time to be serious and stop playing games.
A voice in the shadows
Someone who is hiding and giving instructions.
Says that his men know
He claims that his accomplices are aware of the situation.
He don`t step back as expected
He does not react in the way that was anticipated.
He`s otherwise and unprotected
He is in a weak and vulnerable position.
Almost too good to be true
It seems almost unbelievable.
Who do you? why do you? what do you do?
Asking questions in order to understand someone's motives.
While everybody`s hiding under covers
While everyone is scared and trying to hide.
Who`s making lover`s lane safe again for lovers?
Who is protecting people who want to express their love without fear?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind