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.
I'll Never Fall in Love Again
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
That's what you get for all your trouble
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
What do you get when you kiss a girl?
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Don't tell me what it's all about
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out
Out of those chains those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you
What do you get when you fall in love?
You get it all broken up and battered
That's what you get, a heart that's shattered
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Out of those chains, those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you
What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
So for at least until tomorrow
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Uh, uhh
I'll never fall in love again
The lyrics of “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” is a pessimistic take on the topic of love. The lyrics talk about the negative aspects of love and relationships, with the singer suggesting that he has been through enough and will never fall in love again. The first verse speaks of the disappointment that comes with love, with the singer saying that all he got in return for all his troubles was a guy with a pin to burst his bubble.
The second verse suggests that a kiss and a relationship lead to pain and heartache. According to the singer, kissing leads to catching pneumonia and relationships lead to unreturned phone calls. The chorus repeats the singer’s decision to never fall in love again, stating that giving your heart only leads to a broken heart. The lyrics then end with a repetition of the chorus, reinforcing the singer’s decision to stay away from love.
The song's theme of never falling in love again has resonated with many and the song has become an anthem for those who have been through heartbreak. Interestingly, this song was written for the musical "Promises, Promises" in 1968 which was based on the 1960 film The Apartment.
Line by Line Meaning
What do you get when you fall in love?
What do you receive when you fall in love?
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
A person who will cause harm or disappointment to you.
That's what you get for all your trouble
That is the consequence for all the effort you put into love.
I'll never fall in love again
I will never allow myself to fall in love again.
I'll never fall in love again
I will never allow myself to fall in love again.
What do you get when you kiss a girl
What do you receive when you kiss a girl?
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
You expose yourself to enough germs to fall seriously ill with pneumonia.
After you do, she'll never phone you
After you kiss her, she might reject you and stop contacting you.
I'll never fall in love again
I will never allow myself to fall in love again.
I'll never fall in love again
I will never allow myself to fall in love again.
Don't tell me what it's all about
Don't explain to me what love is like.
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out
Because I have experienced love before, and I am happy to be free from it.
Out of those chains those chains that bind you
Free from the emotional chains that restrict you.
That is why I'm here to remind you
This is why I am here to refresh your memory.
What do you get when you give your heart
What do you receive when you give your heart to someone?
You get it all broken up and battered
Your heart will be hurt and damaged.
That's what you get, a heart that's shattered
That is your reward, a heart that is completely broken.
I'll never fall in love again
I will never allow myself to fall in love again.
I'll never fall in love again
I will never allow myself to fall in love again.
Out of those chains those chains that bind you
Free from the emotional chains that restrict you.
That is why I'm here to remind you
This is why I am here to refresh your memory.
What do you get when you fall in love?
What do you receive when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
You are greeted only by deception and suffering and sadness.
So for at least until tomorrow
Therefore, at least for a short time, I will avoid love.
I'll never fall in love again
I will never allow myself to fall in love again.
I'll never fall in love again
I will never allow myself to fall in love again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Hal David, Burt Bacharach
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danielhopkins9592
What do you get when you fall in love?
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
That's what you get for all your trouble
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
What do you get when you kiss a girl
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
After you do, she'll never phone you
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Don't tell me what it's all about
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out
Out of those chains those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you
What do you get when you give your heart
You get it all broken up and battered
That's what you get, a heart that's shattered
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Out of those chains those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you
What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
So for at least until tomorrow
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
@risenfromyoutubesashesagai6302
RIP, Burt.
You passed on my daughters birthday of this year, 2023.
Jamming with the greats of all time in the heavens.
@robertmontoya4833
Awesome version. People don't realize Burt Bacharach wrote some of the most iconic songs of the 60s. Elvis sings them beautifully.
@warrennotes3575
What people don't realize that?
@blinkenschnaag777
Burt was the real legend
@mavesteam8341
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach and Mr. Elvis Costello.
@kapitanleutnant1
I just read that in Austin Powers’ voice
@Matt-oj8yo
YEAH BABY YEAH
@KRAFTWERK2K6
Oh behaaaave baby ;D
@robstoppablecosplay
"You're quite good on your feet."
@galenbeghin7939
Shaguar