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.
Just A Memory
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe it was something that I thought I`d said
With the tempo of today and the temptation of tomorrow
I don`t know if I could give you anything but sorrow
They stay alive this late on Radio Five
But the pen that I write with won`t tell the truth
`Cause the moments that I can`t recall
Are the moments that you treasure
Losing you is just a memory
Memories don`t mean that much to me
Losing you is just a memory
Memories don`t mean that much to me
Now you`re here, I`m here too
Could be this easy for me and you
Losing you is just a memory
Memories don`t mean that much to me
Losing you is just a memory
Memories don`t mean that much to me
Lyin` about layin` in bed
Maybe it was something that I thought I`d said
In this song, the singer reflects on a past relationship, ruminating on the idea that memories of the relationship are becoming less important to him. He references staying up late listening to the radio, perhaps indicating that he is feeling nostalgic for a time when they were together. However, he acknowledges that he doesn't know if he can give her anything but sorrow, indicating that he believes his actions led to the relationship falling apart. The line "the pen that I write with won't tell the truth" suggests that he is aware that he is not being fully honest with himself or his ex-partner about why things ended.
The chorus repeats the idea that losing the person is simply a memory and that memories don't hold much weight for the singer anymore. However, in the final stanza, the singer seems to be hopeful that things could be easy between them if they were to give their relationship another chance. The final line repeats the opening lines, leaving the listener with a sense of circularity and reflection.
Some possible interpretations of the song may be that the singer is struggling with reconciling his feelings about his past relationship and the memories associated with it. He may be trying to convince himself that the memories don't hurt him anymore, but the repetition of the chorus suggests that he's trying too hard to convince himself. Alternatively, he may be reflecting on the transience of relationships and acknowledging that even meaningful memories can fade over time, leading to a sense of detachment.
Line by Line Meaning
Layin` about, lyin` in bed
The singer is lounging around in bed.
Maybe it was something that I thought I`d said
The singer wonders if they said something wrong that caused their current predicament.
With the tempo of today and the temptation of tomorrow
The fast pace of modern life and the seductive pull of the future are hard to resist.
I don`t know if I could give you anything but sorrow
The artist is uncertain if they can provide happiness to a partner.
They stay alive this late on Radio Five
Even though it's late, the memories of a lost love persist and are represented in music.
But the pen that I write with won`t tell the truth
The writer's pen is not being honest with them as they are struggling to express themselves.
`Cause the moments that I can`t recall
The moments the singer has forgotten are the ones that are most valuable to their lover.
Are the moments that you treasure
The moments that the artist has forgotten are the ones that are most valuable to their lover.
Better take another measure for measure
The artist needs to take stock of what's important before they lose it forever.
Losing you is just a memory
The artist has lost their partner and feels that their memory is fading.
Memories don`t mean that much to me
The singer doesn't value memories as much as they used to since they lost their partner.
Now you`re here, I`m here too
The artist and their partner are back together in the present moment.
Could be this easy for me and you
The singer hopes that their relationship can be effortless and fulfilling.
Lyin` about layin` in bed
The singer is still lounging around in bed.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind