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.
Little Goody Two Shoes
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can keep the shrink and the kitchen sink
You can write my name in heaven in invisible ink
Just leave a feeling when there's no time to think
Little goody two shoes is here to clinch
You can miss by a mile or you can miss by an inch
Don't move a muscle, baby, don't even flinch
You can tear me under, you can give me lip
You can tear me over, you can give me the slip
You can take off everything or tear me off a strip
With a bullet in the chamber and another in the clip
Little goody two shoes is here to clinch
You can miss by a mile or you can miss by an inch
Don't move a muscle, baby, don't even flinch
Or little goody two shoes will feel the pinch
Just when you thought you got what you deserved
Just when it's time to stop trying
A voice says, "Boy, have you got a nerve--
Why do you have to keep crying and crying?"
You can take me outside, you can take me apart
You can take me upstairs, you can take me to heart
You can take the decision that it's time to depart
Don't try to stop me when you told me to start
Little goody two shoes is here to clinch
You can miss by a mile or you can miss by an inch
Don't move a muscle, baby, don't even flinch
Or little goody two shoes will feel the pinch
The lyrics to Elvis Costello's song Little Goody Two Shoes describe a character who is tough and unyielding. The song uses various phrases to showcase the character's firmness, such as "Little goody two shoes is here to clinch," "Don't move a muscle, baby, don't even flinch," and "Or little goody two shoes will feel the pinch." The character is not afraid of any challenge or threat, evident from lines such as "You can tear me under, you can give me lip" and "With a bullet in the chamber and another in the clip." The song seems to be a warning to anyone trying to test the character's limits, but at the same time, it also highlights the singer's awareness of their own limitations, as seen in "Just leave a feeling when there's no time to think" and "Don't try to stop me when you told me to start."
Ultimately, the song portrays a character who is ready to face whatever comes their way, with a sense of determination and strength that cannot be swayed. It is a reminder that sometimes, standing up for oneself is necessary and that being a "Little goody two shoes" can be a powerful thing.
Line by Line Meaning
You can take a powder, you can take a drink
You have the freedom to do what you want. You can either run away or drink to forget.
You can keep the shrink and the kitchen sink
You can keep everything you have, but it won't help you feel better.
You can write my name in heaven in invisible ink
You can praise me for good deeds, but it won't change the fact that it's invisible and no one can see it.
Just leave a feeling when there's no time to think
When you're in a hurry, just leave a feeling, an impression, or a memory behind.
Little goody two shoes is here to clinch
The artist is confident and determined despite being perceived as someone who always follows the rules.
You can miss by a mile or you can miss by an inch
You can make a big mistake or a small mistake, but the singer is ready to seize any opportunity to win.
Don't move a muscle, baby, don't even flinch
The singer is issuing a warning to their opponent not to try anything sneaky or they will be caught.
Or little goody two shoes will feel the pinch
The artist will react swiftly and decisively if anyone tries to mess with them.
Just when you thought you got what you deserved
Just when you think you are successful, life can quickly take a turn for the worse.
Just when it's time to stop trying
Just when you want to give up, something unexpected might happen and give you hope.
A voice says, "Boy, have you got a nerve--
The singer is being criticized and challenged for not being satisfied with what they have achieved so far.
Why do you have to keep crying and crying?"
The artist is being questioned for being too emotional and not being able to handle tough situations.
You can take me outside, you can take me apart
You can try to harm or destroy the singer physically or emotionally.
You can take me upstairs, you can take me to heart
You can show the singer love and affection, but it won't change their resolve.
You can take the decision that it's time to depart
You can decide to leave the situation or the singer behind.
Don't try to stop me when you told me to start
The artist is not going to change their mind about their goals and won't let anyone stop them.
Contributed by Eva C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.