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.
God Give Me Strength
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I'm weak in her wake
And if I'm strong I might still break
And I don't have anything to share
That I won't throw away into the air
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She took my last chance at happiness
So God give me strength
God give me strength
I can't hold onto her, God give me strength
When the phone doesn't ring
And I'm lost in imagining
Everything that kind of love is worth
As I tumble back down to the earth
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance at happiness
So God give me strength
God if she'd grant me her indulgence and decline
I might as well, wipe her from my memory
Fracture the spell, as she becomes my enemy
Maybe I was washed out like a lip-print on my shirt
See, I'm only human, I want her to hurt
I want her
I want her to hurt
Since I lost the power to pretend
That there could ever be a happy ending
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance at happiness
So God give me strength
God give me strength
Wipe her from my memory
I might as well
God give me strength
God give me strength
I might as well
The lyrics to Elvis Costello's song "God Give Me Strength" tell the story of a man who has lost everything in the wake of a failed relationship. He is weak and metaphorically broken, longing for strength from a higher power to endure the pain he is experiencing. He reflects on the love he shared with his former partner and the happiness it brought him, but it was all taken away when she left him. He is helpless without her and struggles with the fact that he can't move on, despite wanting to. He even goes so far as to say that he wants her to hurt, a sign of the pain and anger he feels.
At the same time, the singer is self-aware and recognizes that he is not necessarily entitled to anything from his ex-partner. He acknowledges that he is only human and it is natural to feel hurt and longing after losing someone he loved. The last lines of the song reveal his resignation in accepting that the relationship has ended and there is no hope for a happy ending. It is a sad and profound reflection on heartbreak and the desperate search for inner strength to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I have nothing, so God give me strength
I feel empty and helpless, please give me strength to endure
'Cause I'm weak in her wake
I feel powerless after her departure
And if I'm strong I might still break
Being strong won't guarantee that I won't get hurt
And I don't have anything to share / That I won't throw away into the air
I have nothing to offer and no one to share it with
That song is sung out / This bell is rung out / She was the light that I'd bless / She took my last chance at happiness / So God give me strength
This relationship is over, and it feels like lost hope, so I need strength to move on
I can't hold onto her, God give me strength
I can't keep her close, so please help me cope
When the phone doesn't ring / And I'm lost in imagining / Everything that kind of love is worth / As I tumble back down to the earth
When I think about the love we had, I feel down and helpless
God if she'd grant me her indulgence and decline / I might as well, wipe her from my memory / Fracture the spell, as she becomes my enemy / Maybe I was washed out like a lip-print on my shirt / See, I'm only human, I want her to hurt / I want her / I want her to hurt
If she rejects me, I will have to erase her from my memory and make her my enemy, even though I still have feelings for her
Since I lost the power to pretend / That there could ever be a happy ending
I realized that our relationship was doomed from the start
Wipe her from my memory / I might as well / God give me strength / God give me strength / I might as well
I have to let her go, so I need strength to do that
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BURT BACHARACH, ELVIS COSTELLO, BURT F BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robertnguyen1041
Now I have nothing
So God give me strength
'Cos I'm weak anyway
And if I'm strong i might still break
And I don't have anything to share
That I won't throw away into the air
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So god give me strength
God give me strength
I can't hold on to her
God give me strength
When the phone doesn't ring
And I'm lost in imagining
Everything that kind of love is worth
As I tumble back down to the Earth
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So God give me strength
God if she'd grant me her indulgence and decline
I might as well
Wipe her from my memory
Fracture the spell
As she becomes my enemy
Maybe I was washed out
Like a lip-print on his shirt
See, I'm only human
I want him to hurt
I want him
I want him to hurt
Since I lost the power to pretend
That there could ever be a happy ending
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So God give me strength
God give me strength
@Oliviacaptain
Now i have nothing, so god give me strength
'cause i'm weak in her wake
And if i'm strong i might still brea
And i don't have anything to share
That i won't throw away into the air
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that i'd bless
She took my last chance at happiness
So god give me strength, god give me strength
I can't hold onto her, god give me strength
When the phone doesn't ring
And i'm lost in imagining
Everything that kind of love is worth
As i tumble back down to the earth
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that i'd bless
She took my last chance at happiness
So god give me strength
(bridge)
God if she'd grant me her indulgence and decline
I might as well, wipe her from my memory
Fracture the spell, as she becomes my enemy
Maybe i was washed out like a lip-print on my shirt
See, i'm only human, i want her to hurt
I want her
I want her to hurt
[instrumental]
Since i lost the power to pretend
That there could ever be a happy ending
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that i'd bless
She took my last chance at happiness
So god give me strength, god give me strength
@slee520
Now I have nothing
So God give me strength
'Cos I'm weak anyway
And if I'm strong i might still break
And I don't have anything to share
That I won't throw away into the air
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So god give me strength
God give me strength
I can't hold on to her
God give me strength
When the phone doesn't ring
And I'm lost in imagining
Everything that kind of love is worth
As I tumble back down to the Earth
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So God give me strength
God if she'd grant me her indulgence and decline
I might as well
Wipe her from my memory
Fracture the spell
As she becomes my enemy
Maybe I was washed out
Like a lip-print on his shirt
See, I'm only human
I want him to hurt
I want him
I want him to hurt
Since I lost the power to pretend
That there could ever be a happy ending
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So God give me strength
God give me strength
@seekthetruth1485
Elvis at his best...a soul ripped apart musically. RIP Burt my idol and my mentor.....My Daddy got me this CD...it is ALL pure magic.
@nickrider5220
Possibly my wife's favourite E.C. song, excellently performed, full of emotion...
@gigicalcio
Burt Bacharach was magical❤
@matteoromenghi
Gorgeous song!
The magic touch of Burt Bacharach...
@deanallen927
Burt's chords are unmistakable, they speak like lyrics. Beautiful song.
@andrewdavies1879
Truly music is a language
@Chairmaniac
You see, I'm only human... I want him to hurt...
I'm an emotional wreck every time.
@recipehacker9752
Arguably his best song of all time. I partial to Burt ‘s sound, though. Powerful performance
@mizconti
I cry every time I play/ I hear this 😢RIP Burt Bacharach and goddamn Elvis Costello. What a voice. Could listen to this album on repeat for eternity. So underrated. ❤
@tonyajohnson2191
J cry too. I cry every time