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.
Mischievous Ghost
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She said she`d came to warn me
Before it dawned on me
I went walking on the blank hillside
Where the sunset falls
Where the sunset dies
She gave me love, she told me lies
That most mischievous ghost
He started to whistle, they bought him a flute
He was talking in tongues, they swore he was mute
He scoffed and blasphemed, they said it was beautiful
Busted a button, they bought him a suitcase full
They coloured him cricket and laced him up tight
As he drew on their days resurrected his nights
He raved in the dark, he went out in a blaze
"There you go," they said, "he`s good for nothing and lazy"
With scandal and shame they slandered his name
They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast
Disappointed that he passed away peacefully
Never [trying/dying] to be a mischievous ghost
They dug him up quick with a polish and lick
They powdered him up till he only looked sick
The hinge in his backbone would bend to applause
But his dancing was not quite as lively of course
These are the rewards immortality affords
Bullied and bribed and beaten to bliss
[Harrington slacks/Harrods in slacks] and tormental laments
Of going away and not being missed
With scandal and shame they slandered his name
They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast
Disappointed that he passed away peacefully
Never dying to be a mischievous ghost
With the green beer and the shamrock tattoos
Singing his songs of the battles we lose
And [when/will] you come home again so we can murder you
What would you do if they took his word
With forty-eight million to join in the toast
Move over my darling
Mischievous ghost
Mischievous ghost
The song "Mischievous Ghost" by Elvis Costello tells a story of a person who encountered a female ghost while walking on a hillside. The ghost gave him love but also told him lies, thus earning her the title "Mischievous Ghost." The song also introduces another character, a man who was once ridiculed by society for his behavior and appearance, only to be praised and honored after his death. The song reflects on how society's perception of people can drastically change after they pass away, despite how they were treated while alive.
The encounter with the Mischievous Ghost compares to the saying "skeletons in the closet." The ghost represents the secrets and hidden parts of our lives that are often revealed too late, leading to regret and misunderstanding. The man who was once teased and then celebrated reflects how society often doesn't appreciate individuals until they are gone. This can lead to a sense of disappointment and a feeling of not being missed.
Overall, "Mischievous Ghost" is a song about regret, secrets, and the fleeting nature of fame and success in the face of a society that often overlooks or misjudges individuals. It emphasizes the importance of living authentically and being true to oneself rather than worrying about what others might think.
Line by Line Meaning
She came dancing right before my eyes
A female entity appeared in front of me, dancing and moving energetically.
She said she`d came to warn me
The female entity told me that she arrived to caution me about something.
Before it dawned on me / I went walking on the blank hillside / Where the sunset falls / Where the sunset dies
Before I fully grasped what was happening, I walked into the empty hillside, where the sun set and faded away.
She gave me love, she told me lies / That most mischievous ghost / She was in disguise, she was in disguise, she was in disguise.
The female entity provided me with affection but also gave me falsehoods; she was definitely a tricky ghost, wearing different guises and changing her appearance.
He started to whistle, they bought him a flute / He was talking in tongues, they swore he was mute / He scoffed and blasphemed, they said it was beautiful / Busted a button, they bought him a suitcase full
A man began whistling, so people purchased him a flute. He spoke languages unrecognizable to the crowd who thought he couldn't speak at all. He criticized and ridiculed religion and they hailed it as masterful. After losing a button, they bought him a suitcase full.
They coloured him cricket and laced him up tight / As he drew on their days resurrected his nights / He raved in the dark, he went out in a blaze / 'There you go,' they said, 'he's good for nothing and lazy'
They made him look foolish and dressed him up fancy. He helped them find meaning in their mundane days, but only by bringing back the darkness from his wild life. He danced and partied like there was no tomorrow, but the people criticized him and called him worthless.
With scandal and shame they slandered his name / They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast
The people spread rumors and talked poorly about him, causing him disgrace. They ordered him to stop moving; then, they joked whether to freeze him alive or burn him to death.
Disappointed that he passed away peacefully / Never [trying/dying] to be a mischievous ghost
The people were disappointed that he died calmly and peacefully, without causing chaos as a mischievous ghost would have done.
They dug him up quick with a polish and lick / They powdered him up till he only looked sick / The hinge in his backbone would bend to applause / But his dancing was not quite as lively of course
They quickly exhumed and cleaned him up with care. They powdered him liberally to give him a healthy glow, but his frailty was still visible. The crowds clapped and praised his astute opinions, however, his dancing was underwhelming and not as energetic as before.
These are the rewards immortality affords / Bullied and bribed and beaten to bliss / [Harrington slacks/Harrods in slacks] and tormental laments / Of going away and not being missed
Immortality may extend fame, but it also causes bullying, bribery and physical abuse. You might be famous enough to wear designer clothes, but the torment of leaving life without being remembered weighs heavily.
With the green beer and the shamrock tattoos / Singing his songs of the battles we lose / And [when/will] you come home again so we can murder you / What would you do if they took his word / With forty-eight million to join in the toast / Move over my darling / Mischievous ghost / Mischievous ghost
The people drank green beer and wore shamrock tattoos as they sang his songs, lamenting over past defeats. The song asked when the man would return so they could kill him. The man doesn't know what he would do if they acted on their word, as millions of people would join in the celebration. They would, however, need to move over for the tricky ghost.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DECLAN MACMANUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Emma Maloney
Rad! Yeah it's rad alright! Another amazing Irish murder ballad. My favourite for over 20 years
Jason Miles
Just heard this for the first time on Halloween. Pretty fuckin rad