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.
My Lovely Jezebel
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Travels in blue and other humors
Each time she walks in the room
Brings in much more than you'd assume
Ooo, I looked in her eyes and out through that window I fell
She's my lovely Jezebel
She neglects you and then ransacks you so very well
She suspects your sweet confection
When you talk in contradictions
Then she walks without detection
Overrules all your objections
Ooo, I looked in her eyes and through that window I fell
She's my lovely Jezebel
Man is a miserable ape and sad pile of sticks
He comes out swinging, gets in a few licks
The longest of drum rolls with the shortest of tricks
So she attracts bad intentions
She distracts all my attention
With her ways and her wild inventions
The facts of life they forgot to mention
Ooo, I looked in her eyes and through that window I fell
She's my lovely Jezebel
She neglects you and then she ransacks you so very well
Elvis Costello's song "My Lovely Jezebel" is a complex statement on the power dynamics in relationships. The title itself references the biblical character Jezebel, a queen and religious figure who was known for her beauty, wit, and manipulation. The singer of the song is clearly attracted to this woman, but he is also wary of her power over him. He describes how she "attracts dark rumors" and "travels in blue and other humors," implying that she is a mysterious and possibly dangerous figure.
As the song continues, the singer reveals more about his feelings for Jezebel. He seems to be both enthralled and intimidated by her, describing how she "neglects you and then ransacks you so very well." He also notes her ability to "overrule all your objections," suggesting that she is able to control and manipulate him. At the same time, he acknowledges that he is not entirely innocent in this situation, describing himself as a "miserable ape" who comes "out swinging."
Ultimately, "My Lovely Jezebel" is a song about the power struggles inherent in all relationships. It suggests that even the most passionate and intense romances are rarely equal, and that both partners must constantly navigate the shifting balance of power between them.
Line by Line Meaning
She attracts dark rumors
There are rumors about her that suggest she has a dark side
Travels in blue and other humors
She's often moody and unpredictable, represented by the color blue and various moods
Each time she walks in the room
Whenever she enters a room, she commands attention
Brings in much more than you'd assume
Despite appearing unassuming, she brings with her an energy and presence that is hard to ignore
Ooo, I looked in her eyes and out through that window I fell
The singer was mesmerized by her gaze and lost in the moment
She's my lovely Jezebel
The subject of the song is 'Jezebel,' who the singer is infatuated with
She neglects you and then ransacks you so very well
Jezebel can be both neglectful and destructive to those who fall for her charm
She suspects your sweet confection
Jezebel is skeptical of others' motives and intentions
When you talk in contradictions
Jezebel can see through dishonesty and inconsistency in others' words and actions
Then she walks without detection
Jezebel can be stealthy in her movements, almost as if she's trying to hide something
Overrules all your objections
Jezebel can be persuasive and have a way of getting what she wants, even if it goes against others' wishes
Man is a miserable ape and sad pile of sticks
The singer has a pessimistic view of humanity in general
He comes out swinging, gets in a few licks
Despite humans' flaws, they still try to fight and compete with each other
The longest of drum rolls with the shortest of tricks
There can be a lot of buildup and hype for something that ultimately underwhelms
So she attracts bad intentions
Jezebel's reputation and behavior can draw negative attention
She distracts all my attention
The singer is fixated on Jezebel, to the point of distraction
With her ways and her wild inventions
Jezebel can be unpredictable and come up with unexpected ideas
The facts of life they forgot to mention
Jezebel represents a reality that isn't often talked about or acknowledged
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO, LEON RUSSELL, T-BONE BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind