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.
Daddy Can I Turn This
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is a needle and there's a dial
There is a lever I want to lift
And still you treat me like I'm a child
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Will it be very dangerous?
You wash your hands in perfume and spice
I'll tell you when I want your advice
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Is anybody acting your age?
You got a girl you keep in a cage
You give her presents after a while
A birthday cake containing a file
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
The flashing lights go running 'round and 'round and 'round
It spits out money
It tastes like honey
So drink it down
Daddy
It leaves the slightest chemical taste
It could be most unfortunate
Earrings that jangle before they're seen
She slaps your face like a tambourine
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy
Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy
Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy
Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy
The song "Daddy Can I Turn This?" is an ode to rebellion and a yearning to be treated as an adult. The opening lines of the song, "There is a button and there's a switch, there is a needle and there's a dial,” symbolize the many choices and opportunities that adulthood can bring. However, the singer is frustrated by the fact that despite all these choices, their father still treats them like a child. The repeated line of "Daddy can I turn this?" highlights this frustration and a desire to make their own decisions.
The middle section of the song takes a darker turn, however, as the singer questions the actions of their father, asking if "anybody [is] acting your age?" The second verse also includes the disturbing image of a girl being kept in a cage, and the reference to a birthday cake containing a file gives the impression that someone is being kept in prison or captivity. This could be interpreted as reflecting the singer's feelings of being emotionally stifled by their father.
The repeated refrain of "Daddy, daddy" at the end emphasizes the central theme of the song: a frustrated plea to be treated like an adult, even in the face of an overbearing parent.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a button and there's a switch
There are different options that can produce different outcomes.
There is a needle and there's a dial
There are tools available that can affect or measure something.
There is a lever I want to lift
There is an action I want to take which can potentially change things.
And still you treat me like I'm a child
Despite my curiosity and desire to take action, I'm being treated like I'm not capable or mature enough.
Daddy can I turn this?
Can I please take action and explore my options?
Will it be very dangerous?
Is there a risk involved if I take this action?
Or will it taste nice?
Is there a reward that I can benefit from if I take this action?
You wash your hands in perfume and spice
You might be hiding something because you're acting in a suspicious manner.
I'll tell you when I want your advice
I want to take control of my actions and don't need others to constantly tell me what to do.
Is anybody acting your age?
It seems like you're not behaving like an adult.
You got a girl you keep in a cage
You're selfish and controlling in your relationships.
You give her presents after a while
You try to win people over by offering them gifts or favors.
A birthday cake containing a file
You might be using sneaky tactics to get what you want.
The flashing lights go running 'round and 'round and 'round
There are distractions and things that can steal my attention.
It spits out money
There is a possibility of financial gain if I take this action.
It tastes like honey
There is a reward that is desirable and tempting.
So drink it down
I'm encouraged to enjoy the experience and reap the rewards.
It leaves the slightest chemical taste
There might be unintended consequences or side effects if I take this action.
It could be most unfortunate
There is potential for harm or negative outcomes if I take this action.
Earrings that jangle before they're seen
There are things that are merely for show but don't actually have any substance or value.
She slaps your face like a tambourine
There are consequences for actions and people might react negatively when they're being taken advantage of.
Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy
Continued plea for permission, guidance or trust.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind