High Fidelity
Elvis Costello Lyrics


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Some things you never get used to
Even though you're feeling like another man
There's nothing that he can do for you
To shut me away as you walk through
Lovers laughing in their amateur hour
Holding hands in the corridors of power
Even though I'm with somebody else right now
High fidelity
Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?

High fidelity
Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?

There's a new kind of dedication
Maybe you'll find it down the tunnel
Maybe I got above my station
Maybe you're only changing channel

Even though you're nowhere near me
And I know you kiss him so sincerely now
Even though the signal's indistinct
And you worry what silly people think
Who just can't wait to feel so frozen out
I bet he thinks that he was chosen out of millions
I suppose he'll never know about

High fidelity
Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?

High fidelity
Can you hear me? Can you hear me?




Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?

Overall Meaning

The song High Fidelity by Elvis Costello & The Attractions is about the painful experience of seeing an ex-lover with someone else, even though you have moved on with your own life. The singer is still feeling the hurt and unable to get over the past, despite being in a new relationship. The lyrics suggest that the singer is feeling left out and frozen, watching his ex-lover with her new partner. He feels the need to reach out to her through the song, asking if she can hear him and reminding her of the unique and powerful love they once shared, a love that he believes cannot be replicated or replaced. The line, "Maybe you'll find it down the tunnel" suggests that there may be hope for a reconciliation or a new start, but the singer is unsure and remains stuck in his own feelings of longing and despair.


The metaphor of "high fidelity" is used throughout the song as a way to describe the intense and unwavering nature of the singer's love for his ex-lover. High fidelity refers to the ability of a sound system or recording to reproduce sound accurately, without distortion or loss of quality. This metaphor suggests that the singer's love is pure, true, and unwavering, like a high fidelity recording. The song's chorus repeats the question "Can you hear me?", suggesting that the singer is desperate to be heard and to have his love recognized.


Overall, High Fidelity is a poignant and heartfelt song about the pain of lost love and the struggle to move on.


Line by Line Meaning

Some things you never get used to
There are some experiences that remain difficult to process, no matter how many times they happen


Even though you're feeling like another man
Even if you feel like a completely different person than the one you were before


There's nothing that he can do for you
There's nothing that the new person in your life can do to replace what we had


To shut me away as you walk through
To ignore me or act like you don't care when you see me


Lovers laughing in their amateur hour
Young couples with their naive and inexperienced ideas about love


Holding hands in the corridors of power
People in positions of authority flaunting their relationships for all to see


Even though I'm with somebody else right now
Even though I'm trying to move on and be with someone else


High fidelity
A reference to the quality of sound reproduction in audio equipment, suggesting a plea for clear communication and honesty


Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Are you really listening to me and understanding how I feel?


There's a new kind of dedication
Perhaps you've found a new type of commitment


Maybe you'll find it down the tunnel
Maybe you'll discover this new form of dedication if you keep searching


Maybe I got above my station
Perhaps I overestimated my importance in your life


Maybe you're only changing channel
Perhaps you're simply switching to a new interest or phase of life


Even though you're nowhere near me
Even if you're physically distant from me


And I know you kiss him so sincerely now
And I'm aware that you're affectionate with your new partner now


Even though the signal's indistinct
Even though our communication is unclear or difficult


And you worry what silly people think
And you're concerned about what others might say or believe about us


Who just can't wait to feel so frozen out
People who enjoy feeling excluded from intimate relationships and romantic connections


I bet he thinks that he was chosen out of millions
I'm sure your new partner feels lucky to have won your affection


I suppose he'll never know about
He'll never fully understand the depth of history and emotion between us




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@sexxxbucks

ome things you never get used to
Even though you're feeling like another man
There's nothing that he can do for you
To shut me away as you walk through
Lovers laughing in their amateur hour
Holding hands in the corridors of power
Even though I'm with somebody else right now

[Chorus:]
High fidelity
Can you hear me?

There's a new kind of dedication
Maybe you'll find it down the tunnel
Maybe I got above my station
Maybe you're only changing channel

Even though you're nowhere near me
And I know you kiss him so sincerely now
Even though the signal's indistinct
And you worry what silly people think
Who just can't wait to feel so frozen out
I bet he thinks that he was chosen out of millions
I suppose he'll never know about

[Chorus]



All comments from YouTube:

@Dman3827

Finally remembered this song. It was at the end credits of a sopranos episode. Couldn't figure out who sang it. I thought it was that blind guy who sang angel eyes.
Elvis Costello is seriously underated. Never on the radio either.

@jue4353

Love the sopranos for bringing me more new music

@xcalabur18

definitely

@lhooq27

I was just about to write this very thing. As a matter of fact, I credit the episode that used this for opening my eyes to Mr. Costello's brilliance twenty-two years ago. This isn't to say that I wasn't aware of him or didn't like him prior, but after hearing this, I made a trip to the record store the next day, bought Get Happy, and started my now vast collection of his albums.

@simonboccanegra3811

@@lhooq27 Someone at The Sopranos was a fan, as there was also "Complicated Shadows" at the end of a season 1 episode. The better of his two recordings of it (from All This Useless Beauty).

@jimmyjammer

Bruce’s bass line drove this song , a underrated genius of a bassist

@yummyyum36719

That rift is one of the great tragedies of rock.

@peterowen9183

@@yummyyum36719 Agree. Davey's a great, inventive bassist who fits in perfectly, and Elvis has made many brilliant (and great-sounding) LPs post-Bruce. But at the same time, there are very few bassists who can get anywhere near Bruce Thomas, and he is a real loss. Something magical about the Attractions line-up, and Bruce was a big part of it.

@yummyyum36719

@@peterowen9183 I have been chatting with Bruce online...totally nice guy, very humble about his abilities, and very open. I'm a 'trained" musician and I have been throwing out theoretical reasons why his contributions are so great,. He says "I was just intuitive". Yeah...intuitive...like Bach.
Bruce turned every already great Elvis song into a two part Baroque invention. Then Steve filled it in with his masterful keys and Pete drove the crap out of it.
It's near Beatles in terms of being both legendary and fleeting. Bruce is pretty content. He's a jazz fan, loves his new career writing...no bitterness coming out over the internet there.

@peterowen9183

@@yummyyum36719 Thank-you for that. I've never chatted to either of them so I've only seen the Bruce/Elvis thing from the outside and via the media. However I've heard, lately, that they have talked more and are a bit more at ease with each other, which is great. These things happen - friends fall out, for all kinds of reasons, and while they may be on better terms now, I don't think we are going to hear Bruce play on an Elvis Costello record again. But your Beatles comparison is apt - as John Lennon said about the Beatles break-up, 'it's not the end of the world - a pop group broke up. You got all the records if you want to go back and reminisce'. And actually, we do have Bruce playing (brilliantly) on about 10-and-a-half Attractions LPs. So if we're happy with that, and Bruce is content and enjoying life...great.

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