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.
It
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your time is up
You've had your last pointless teardrop
Washed down in that broken coffee cup
This magic moment concludes when that cigarette ends
Did you get what you wanted?
Well I suppose that depends
Well I suppose that depends
If you go, if you go
Where passion is squandered and money is spent
It's time, it's time
It's time, it's time
It's time, it's time, it's time
You must see it's time that you went
You must see it's time that you went
Our brief acquaintance was such a mistake
Now it seems more like a sentence
Or something you always had to fake
This magic moment concludes when they turn out the light
It's not the days when you leave me
But all I fear are the nights
But all I fear are the nights
[Chorus]
You told the same joke to me too many times
I wish that someone would hit it
Just before you reach
Just before you reach
Just before you reach the punchline
The party's over
Time we broke up
It always seemed like a bad dream
One where I finally woke up
This magic moment concluding our mutual fate
But if you do have to leave me
Who will I have left to hate?
Who will I have left to hate?
[Chorus]
The song "It's Time" by Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve is a bitter breakup song that showcases the end of a relationship. The lyrics express the singer's dissatisfaction with their partner, as well as their longing for them to leave. The tone of the song is melancholic, indicating that despite the end of the relationship, there is still an attachment and feelings of sadness.
The opening line "The party's over, your time is up" suggests a finality to the relationship, and the phrase "your time is up" implies that the singer has had enough of their partner. The line "You've had your last pointless teardrop washed down in that broken coffee cup" seems to indicate that the relationship has been strained and that there have been many tears shed, none of which have led to a resolution. The line "if you go where passion is squandered and money is spent" highlights the fact that the singer's partner may not be interested in true love and instead squander their time and money on pleasures.
The chorus "It's time, it's time, it's time, you must see it's time that you went" emphasizes the singer's desire for their partner to leave, while the line "Who will I have left to hate?" suggests that while they may want their partner to go, they are still attached to them in some way. The song's final lyrics "It always seemed like a bad dream, one where I finally woke up" suggest that the relationship was tumultuous and ultimately not worth holding onto.
Line by Line Meaning
The party's over
The celebration has ended
Your time is up
Your allocated time is finished
You've had your last pointless teardrop
Your useless weeping has ceased
Washed down in that broken coffee cup
You tried to hide your sorrow but failed
This magic moment concludes when that cigarette ends
The enchantment fades when the cigarette burns out
Did you get what you wanted?
Did you achieve your aim?
Well I suppose that depends
I guess it depends on one's perspective
If you go, if you go
If you depart
Where passion is squandered and money is spent
Where there is a wastage of love and wealth
It's time, it's time
It's essential for you to exit now
You must see it's time that you went
You should understand that it's time to depart
Our brief acquaintance was such a mistake
Our brief interaction was an error
Now it seems more like a sentence
Now it feels more like a punishment
Or something you always had to fake
Or something that you had to pretend
This magic moment concludes when they turn out the light
The enchantment ends when the lights turn off
It's not the days when you leave me
It's not during the daytime in which you depart
But all I fear are the nights
But what I'm afraid of are the nights
You told the same joke to me too many times
Your repetitive jokes have bored me
I wish that someone would hit it
I wish someone would interrupt the joke
Just before you reach
Right before you deliver
Just before you reach the punchline
Right before you provide the conclusion
Time we broke up
It's necessary that we end our relationship
It always seemed like a bad dream
It felt like a nightmare all along
One where I finally woke up
A nightmare that finally ended
This magic moment concluding our mutual fate
This enchanting moment that signifies the end of our common destiny
But if you do have to leave me
But if you truly have to go away
Who will I have left to hate?
Who will remain for me to despise?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DECLAN MACMANUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marcbriggs4449
Having had several ankle sprains in my life, watching Elvis's feet in this makes me grit my teeth -- what a great song
@mag-nm7tw
I noticed the same thing. Lol
@wmallensmith7508
Holy double-jointed ankles, Batman!
@katebeck1788
I can imagine 😅
@damitdw3917
I'm 😔😐 slightly pigeon 🐦 toed.. hahahaha!!
@robadams5799
I was just about to comment about his funky ankles. I was reminded of how great this song was when it was played in the background of an AFV montage.
@vikinglord7545
That bass line is ridiculously awesome.
@ludannelasyvyus1824
8/20/2023 @ @vikinglord7545 On most, if not all songs in which the bassist in Elvis's group in this video that he plays on have cool bass work, though not all as punchy as Pump It Up.
Also: Joe Jackson's bassist plays "awesome" punchy bass lines as well.
@jimbarrofficial
Yes, first thing I noticed. Costello's band is not a footnote; very underrated in all ways.
@ivanjulian2532
This song was mixed so well. Each instrument just at the right level. EC's voice nice and clear. The drums sound killer. There's so much "space" in this mix.