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.
Harry Worth
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Faces were flushed by their pledges plight
We passed in the hall and I met them well
But as their carriage arrived, I found that I couldn't quite tell them
[Chorus]
It's not very far from tears to mirth
There are not many moments that will capture your breath
She'd never know just what Harry was worth
She'll never know
He walked the wet sands of summertime
Rain beat the window in drummertime
Cruel with his humour
She was quick with her tongue
But though a year had passed
The honeymoon didn't last
Somehow they didn't seem young
[Chorus]
They're on their holidays
But they still find a reason to fight
No matter how long they stay
Can't make the rest of the year right
Five years had passed 'til I happened along
He said, "Do you hear that noise? Well, that once was our song"
I looked in her eyes and saw barely a spark
He laughed too loud then he drank until dark
[Chorus]
She'll never know what Harry was worth
She'll never know what Harry was worth
No, she'll never know what Harry was worth
She'll never know what Harry was worth
No, she'll never know what Harry was worth
She'll never know what Harry was worth
Elvis Costello's "Harry Worth" is a poignant song about the fleeting nature of love and the way marriage and life can fall short of our expectations. The song begins with Costello describing meeting a newlywed couple on their wedding night, noting the flush of their faces and their pledges of loyalty to one another. But, as the song progresses, we see that over time this marriage has soured. The couple fights on holiday, they've lost track of the things they used to love, and the man (seemingly Harry) is drinking himself into a stupor.
The underlying message of the song seems to be about the way we undervalue people and experiences, especially when they are right in front of us. The repetition of the line "She'll never know just what Harry was worth" underscores this point powerfully. Perhaps if the couple had recognized the value of their relationship, rather than allowing it to wither and die, they could have found happiness and fulfillment.
Overall, "Harry Worth" is a moving portrait of the fragility of love and the way in which we often only realize its worth after it's been lost.
Line by Line Meaning
I met them first on their wedding night
I first encountered them at their wedding.
Faces were flushed by their pledges plight
Their faces were reddened by the pressure of their commitments.
We passed in the hall and I met them well
We briefly greeted each other as we crossed paths.
But as their carriage arrived, I found that I couldn't quite tell them
As they were leaving, there was something I wanted to say, but I couldn't quite articulate it.
[Chorus] It's not very far from tears to mirth There are not many moments that will capture your breath It's not very long that you spend on this earth She'd never know just what Harry was worth She'll never know
Life is short and can be full of ups and downs. Even though Harry was valuable, she will never realize it.
He walked the wet sands of summertime
He walked along the wet beach in the summertime.
Rain beat the window in drummertime
The rain was pounding on the windows rhythmically.
Cruel with his humour
He was harsh and unkind with his jokes.
She was quick with her tongue
She responded quickly and sharply.
But though a year had passed
Even though a year had gone by.
The honeymoon didn't last
Their honeymoon phase didn't continue.
Somehow they didn't seem young
They suddenly seemed older and more jaded.
[Chorus]
Life can be unpredictable, and she will never understand the value of Harry.
They're on their holidays
They are on vacation.
But they still find a reason to fight
Even on vacation, they still argue.
No matter how long they stay
Regardless of how much time they spend there.
Can't make the rest of the year right
Their vacation can't fix the problems they have the rest of the year.
Five years had passed 'til I happened along
I didn't see them again until five years later.
He said, "Do you hear that noise? Well, that once was our song"
He pointed out a song and said it used to be their song.
I looked in her eyes and saw barely a spark
When I looked at her, I saw that she had lost some of her passion.
He laughed too loud then he drank until dark
He laughed excessively and then drank until nighttime.
[Chorus]
She will never realize how valuable Harry was.
She'll never know what Harry was worth
She will never understand the true worth of Harry.
No, she'll never know what Harry was worth
No matter how much time passes, she will remain unaware of Harry's value.
She'll never know what Harry was worth
Regardless of any possible circumstance, Harry's true worth will always be lost to her.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind