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 Mood Swings
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By a curious fellow
She said I love the way you talk
And with a flounce she then announces
I love the way that you pronounce it: "Marshmallow"
So she liked to sing along
To her favourite song
She had mysterious affairs
Until she woke up in the '80's
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
Well he looked like one of those
Who would take off his clothes
Like he would peel a tangerine
No-one's been known to decline this
Until I've found out what your sign is
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
The lyrics of "My Mood Swings" by Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet are marked with a sense of whimsy and ambiguity, which is not uncommon in Costello's work. The opening lines convey the character's love-struck feelings towards a man who has caught her attention. She admires the way he talks and even finds joy in the way he pronounces the word "marshmallow." However, as the song progresses, it becomes unclear what their relationship is or where they stand.
The second verse shifts the focus to the male character, who is described as someone who has a willingness to be vulnerable and "take off his clothes." Despite this, his motive is not clear either. The chorus is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the unpredictability of the characters' situation and the need to act before emotions change drastically.
Overall, the song creates a sense of playfulness and lightness, but beneath the surface, there's a sense of uncertainty and a fear of missed chances. It's hard to discern what the mood swings allude to, as the characters' motivation seems to be obscured deliberately.
Line by Line Meaning
She was smitten from the first
She was immediately infatuated with him.
By a curious fellow
He was an intriguing and unusual man.
She said I love the way you talk
She was enamored with his manner of speaking.
And with a flounce she then announces
She made a dramatic declaration.
I love the way that you pronounce it: "Marshmallow"
She appreciated his unique pronunciation of words.
So she liked to sing along
She enjoyed singing with her favorite song.
To her favourite song
Her preferred song to sing along with.
From the year that she was born
The song was from the same year she was born.
She had mysterious affairs
She was secretive and had romantic relationships.
Until she woke up in the '80's
She found herself in a new decade.
Well he looked like one of those
He appeared to be like others of a certain type.
Who would take off his clothes
He would likely undress easily.
Like he would peel a tangerine
It would be effortless to him, like peeling a fruit.
No-one's been known to decline this
Others have not been averse to these actions of his.
Until I've found out what your sign is
She wants to know his astrological sign before committing to him.
So speak to me
Communicate with me.
Just like you should
In a way that would be expected or appropriate.
And then you can say those wicked things
After speaking properly, he can say more provocative statements.
And if you want
If it's what he desires.
We'll make it good
They can act on their desires and have a good time.
Before my mood swings
Before she becomes upset or changes her mind about the situation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAIT O'RIORDAN, ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Slime Time
Lyrics (according to google):
She was smitten from the first
By a curious fellow
She said I love the way you talk
And with a flounce she then announces
I love the way that you pronounce it: "Marshmallow"
So she liked to sing along
To her favourite song
From the year that she was born
She had mysterious affairs
Until she woke up in the '80's
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
Well he looked like one of those
Who would take off his clothes
Like he would peel a tangerine
No-one's been known to decline this
Until I've found out what your sign is
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
SemiLiveInTheLounge
love this song !!!
Tony Gallo
i freakin love this Song!
Pedro Petracco
R!ght on my man
Slime Time
Lyrics (according to google):
She was smitten from the first
By a curious fellow
She said I love the way you talk
And with a flounce she then announces
I love the way that you pronounce it: "Marshmallow"
So she liked to sing along
To her favourite song
From the year that she was born
She had mysterious affairs
Until she woke up in the '80's
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
Well he looked like one of those
Who would take off his clothes
Like he would peel a tangerine
No-one's been known to decline this
Until I've found out what your sign is
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
Dude Man
Wow it's actually spot on for once. There are little things, like it is wrong on the "and with a flounce she then announces", you can tell it's "and with a flounce she announced it", but that's so close that it doesn't even matter really.
pR1mal
That guitar line drives harder than a late trucker.
Donald Kilgour
You won the internet last year. 👍🏼
Aroused Yoda
A good song to listen to when you go to the doctor to have your head examined after getting punched in the face, and he insists that you drop trou.
longhaircafe
Or to go to court with a hangover
phizzler5051
he's a good man. and thorough.