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 Wear It Proudly
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate these strip lights they're not so undoing as your stare
I hate the buttons on your shirt when all I want to do is tear
I hate this bloody big bed of mine when you're not here
Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down
And nail my feet up where my head should be
If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown
Well you seem to be shivering dear and the room is awfully warm
In the white and scarlet billows that subside beyond the storm
You have this expression dear no words could take its place
And I wear it like a badge that you put all over my face
Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down
And nail my feet up where my head should be
If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown
And you can all die laughing because I'll wear it proudly
I'll wear it proudly through the dives and the dance halls
If you'll wear it proudly through the snake pits and catcalls
Like a fifteen year old kid wears a vampire kiss
If you don't know what is wrong with me
Then you don't know what you've missed
Were you arms and legs wrapped round more than my memory tonight
When the bell rang out and the air around turned blue from fright
But in shameless moments you made more of me than just a mess
And a handful of eagerness says "What do you suggest?"
Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down
And nail my feet up where my head should be
If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown
And you can all die laughing because I'll wear it proudly,
I'll wear proudly, I'll wear it proudly
The lyrics to the song "I'll Wear It Proudly" by Elvis Costello seem to be about a relationship that is not quite working out. The singer seems to be frustrated and even disgusted with things that are not directly related to his partner, such as the curtains and the lights. He also seems to be conflicted about his feelings towards his partner, as evidenced by the line "I hate the buttons on your shirt when all I want to do is tear." This suggests that he has both negative and positive feelings towards his partner.
However, the chorus of the song offers some hope. The singer has finally "found someone to turn me upside down / And nail my feet up where my head should be." This suggests that he has found someone who challenges him and makes him see things in a new way. He even says that if there were a "King of Fools," he would gladly wear that crown. This suggests that he is willing to be seen as foolish in the eyes of others if it means being with this person.
The second verse of the song seems to continue this theme of conflict and complexity in the relationship. The singer notes that his partner seems to be shivering even though the room is warm. He also mentions her "expression dear no words could take its place," suggesting that she is feeling something deeply but cannot express it. He compares this expression to a "badge" that she has put on his face, suggesting that he is wearing her emotions on his sleeve.
Overall, the song seems to be about a complicated and intense relationship that is not easy to understand or explain. However, the singer seems to be willing to embrace this complexity and wear his emotions proudly.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate these flaming curtains they're not the color of your hair
The curtains don't remind me of you; I don't like that
I hate these strip lights they're not so undoing as your stare
The lights are nothing compared to the power of your gaze
I hate the buttons on your shirt when all I want to do is tear
I hate that I have to control my desire to rip your clothes off
I hate this bloody big bed of mine when you're not here
I hate that I'm in this huge bed without you
Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down
I've finally found someone who changes my life completely
And nail my feet up where my head should be
They've turned my life upside down and given me a new perspective
If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown
If there was a prize for foolishness, I'd win it
And you can all die laughing because I'll wear it proudly
I don't care what people think; I'll embrace my own foolishness
Well you seem to be shivering dear and the room is awfully warm
You're trembling despite the heat, which concerns me
In the white and scarlet billows that subside beyond the storm
The colors of the room are like a sea of white and red after a storm
You have this expression dear no words could take its place
Your expression is so powerful that words can't convey its meaning
And I wear it like a badge that you put all over my face
I'm proud to be identified with you and your emotions
I'll wear it proudly through the dives and the dance halls
I'll embrace my own foolishness no matter where I am
If you'll wear it proudly through the snake pits and catcalls
If you'll stand by my side through the toughest experiences
Like a fifteen year old kid wears a vampire kiss
I'll wear my pride as shamelessly as a teenager wears a vampire kiss
If you don't know what is wrong with me
If you don't understand my love and my foolishness
Then you don't know what you've missed
You're missing out on something special
Were you arms and legs wrapped round more than my memory tonight
Did we do more than just remember each other tonight?
When the bell rang out and the air around turned blue from fright
When something scary happened and the atmosphere changed
But in shameless moments you made more of me than just a mess
You made me feel more complete and alive than I ever have
And a handful of eagerness says 'What do you suggest?'
I'm eager for your suggestions and ideas
I'll wear proudly, I'll wear it proudly
I'll always embrace my own foolishness and my love for you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind