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.
Nothing Clings Like Ivy
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Frightened by the dark
Though she cuts deep
It never leaves a mark
No one quite like Ivy
Ever gets it straight
What she believes
She won't negotiate
That never quite got through
She said "You know how young girls are
From my contempt for you."
Outside in the hollow
She may dare herself
For there may be
A serpent in the grass
Nothing clings like Ivy
Trying to scare herself
And it may strike or
Wait for her to pass
All the words of tenderness
That she never possessed
"So what's the use of promises?
I had my fingers crossed."
All the words of tenderness
That never quite got through
She said, "I laughed behind your back
When I told them to you."
Nothing clings like Ivy
Frightened by the dark
Though she cuts deep
It never leaves a mark
The lyrics of Elvis Costello & The Imposters's song "Nothing Clings Like Ivy" are quite thought-provoking. The song is about Ivy, a girl who is afraid of the dark and is perhaps haunted by her own fears. Despite her fear, she is also very resilient, and she cuts deep but never leaves a mark. This line speaks to the idea that she may be emotionally closed off or guarded, and she may hurt others without them even realizing it.
The following lines highlight Ivy's stubborn nature: "No one quite like Ivy, ever gets it straight. What she believes, she won't negotiate." It suggests that Ivy is set in her ways and not easily swayed from her opinions. She may be a complex character, but she is also relatable. In the final verse, Ivy is still trying to scare herself, and she may be anticipating danger in the form of a serpent in the grass. She is still trying to keep herself safe, even if it comes at the cost of her own happiness or wellbeing.
Overall, the lyrics of "Nothing Clings like Ivy" are a testament to the power of fear and resilience. It suggests that fear can be both paralyzing and motivating, and Ivy is a prime example of this duality.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing clings like Ivy
There is nothing that sticks around like the memory of Ivy
Frightened by the dark
Ivy is afraid of what she cannot see or understand
Though she cuts deep
Despite the pain that she may cause
It never leaves a mark
It won't leave a physical reminder or trace
No one quite like Ivy
There isn't anyone else quite like Ivy
Ever gets it straight
She always has a different perspective and is difficult to understand
What she believes
The things she holds as true
She won't negotiate
She won't change her beliefs, even through compromise
All the words of tenderness
All the comforting or caring things
That never quite got through
That she couldn't quite fully understand or appreciate
She said "You know how young girls are
She tried to excuse her behavior as just typical for someone of her age
From my contempt for you."
She felt disdain or anger for someone who couldn't fully understand her
Outside in the hollow
In the open space or emptiness of her mind
She may dare herself
She might try to overcome her fears or insecurities
For there may be
Because she thinks there is a possibility
A serpent in the grass
A danger or threat lurking in the shadows
Trying to scare herself
She may try to frighten herself as a way of subconsciously gaining control over her fear
And it may strike or
The danger may harm her
Wait for her to pass
It may wait for an opportunity to pounce
That she never possessed
The things that she was missing or didn't have in her life
"So what's the use of promises?
She questions the value of making commitments
I had my fingers crossed."
She secretly never intended to follow through on her promises
She said, "I laughed behind your back
She mocked or derided someone privately
When I told them to you."
When she said something that was supposed to be comforting or reassuring
Nothing clings like Ivy
The memory of Ivy's behavior and words will last a long time
Frightened by the dark
Ivy will always be scared of what she can't control or understand
Though she cuts deep
Even when she may cause others harm or emotional pain
It never leaves a mark
It likely won't be a physical wound or injury, but the mental or emotional effects can last
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind