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.
Living In Paradise
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't like you walking 'round with physical jerks
Everything they say and do is getting on my nerves
Soon they will be lucky to be picking up the perks
'Cause when they pull the shutters down and throw up in the dark
They'll find that all the dogs outside bite much worse than they bark
Here we are living in paradise (paradise), living in luxury
Have your fun before it moves along
And you're already looking for another fool like me
I call you Betty Felon 'cause you are a pretty villain
And I think that I should tell them that you'd make a pretty killing
'Cause meanwhile up in heaven they are waiting at the gate
Saying, "We always knew you'd make it, didn't think you'd come this late"
And now it's much too dangerous to stop what you've begun
When everyone in paradise carries a gun
Here we are living in paradise (paradise), living in luxury
Oh, the thrill is here but it won't last long, you better
Have your fun before it moves along
And you're already looking for another fool like me
Later in the evening when arrangements are made
I'll be at the keyhole outside your bedroom door
'Cause I'm the first to know whenever the plans are laid
That never go further than floor to floor
You think that I don't know the boy that you're touching
But I'll be at the video and I will be watching
Here we are living in paradise (paradise)
Here we are living in paradise (paradise)
Here we are living in paradise (paradise)
Here we are living in paradise (paradise), living in luxury
Oh, the thrill is here but it won't last long, you better
Have your fun before it moves along
And you're already looking for another fool like me
And you're already looking for another fool like me
And you're already looking for another fool like me
And you're already looking for another fool like me
And you're already looking for another fool like me
The lyrics of Elvis Costello's song "Living in Paradise" are about a man who is jealous and possessive of his lover. He doesn't like other men looking at her curves and thinks they are physical jerks. He is annoyed by everything they do and say and feels they are lucky to be in his lover's company. The man also calls his lover Betty Felon because he thinks she is a pretty villain and he thinks she can make a pretty killing. However, he also feels that living in this paradise won't last long and warns his lover to have her fun before it moves along. He also mentions how it's getting dangerous to stop what she has already started, i.e., her scheming and manipulation of people. The man suspects his lover of cheating on him and says he will be watching her activities.
Costello describes the lifestyle of the rich and famous as a paradise, but also highlights the darker side of it. The man is jealous of his lover's relationships with other men and is troubled by the dangerous games she plays. Costello suggests that even in paradise, everyone is carrying a gun – indicating that life is not perfect, even when it appears to be.
The song's lyrics are a dark commentary on jealousy, possessiveness, and the superficiality of the wealthy. Costello challenges the idea of a "paradise" where everything is perfect and raises questions about the cost of an extravagant lifestyle. The song's suggestive lyrics also raise questions about the role of power and sexuality in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't like those other guys looking at your curves
The singer is possessive and jealous of the attention his partner receives from other men.
I don't like you walking 'round with physical jerks
The singer is unhappy with his partner's choice of companions, believing them to be shallow and uninteresting.
Everything they say and do is getting on my nerves
The singer is irritated by the behavior of his partner's friends, finding them annoying and grating.
Soon they will be lucky to be picking up the perks
The artist predicts a decline in the status of his partner's associates, leading them to become envious of his own position.
'Cause when they pull the shutters down and throw up in the dark
When his partner's friends experience failure, they will be forced to confront their weakness and vulnerability.
They'll find that all the dogs outside bite much worse than they bark
The singer suggests that his own abilities are stronger than those of his partner's associates, and that they will come to regret underestimating him.
Here we are living in paradise (paradise), living in luxury
Despite the singer's concerns, he and his partner are currently enjoying an idyllic and lavish lifestyle.
Oh, the thrill is here but it won't last long, you better
Have your fun before it moves along
The artist warns his partner that their happiness is fragile and fleeting, and urges her to make the most of their time together.
And you're already looking for another fool like me
Despite their apparent contentment, the artist believes that his partner is always on the lookout for someone new and exciting to replace him.
I call you Betty Felon 'cause you are a pretty villain
The artist has given his partner a nickname that reflects his opinion of her as an attractive but sinister figure.
And I think that I should tell them that you'd make a pretty killing
The singer feels that his partner's potential for manipulation and deceit is not fully appreciated by others.
'Cause meanwhile up in heaven they are waiting at the gate
Saying, "We always knew you'd make it, didn't think you'd come this late"
The artist imagines his partner being welcomed into the afterlife as a successful and unscrupulous individual, albeit one who arrived later than her peers.
And now it's much too dangerous to stop what you've begun
The singer recognizes that his partner's schemes have escalated to the point where they pose a significant risk to her and others.
When everyone in paradise carries a gun
The singer uses the metaphor of a gun to suggest that everyone in their privileged world is armed with some kind of power, whether it be financial, social, or political.
Later in the evening when arrangements are made
I'll be at the keyhole outside your bedroom door
The singer confesses to spying on his partner, indicating a lack of trust and security in their relationship.
'Cause I'm the first to know whenever the plans are laid
The artist is desperate to regain control and maintain his position of power by preempting his partner's actions.
That never go further than floor to floor
The artist suggests that his partner is engaged in secret affairs or other illicit activities that do not extend beyond the physical realm.
You think that I don't know the boy that you're touching
But I'll be at the video and I will be watching
The singer is obsessed with his partner's actions and goes to great lengths to monitor and control her behavior.
And you're already looking for another fool like me
The singer reiterates his belief that his partner is disloyal and unfaithful, always seeking out new and exciting experiences with other men.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind