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.
Pouring Water on a Drowning Man
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And then you put me down
I guess I missed my calling
I should have been a clown
How much more
How much more can I stand
You`re pouring water
You put me on the right track
And then you put me down
You stab me in the back
Every time I turn around
Criticize my lovin`
When I`m doing the very best I can
You`re pouring water
On a drowning man
You`re pouring water
On a drowning man
You treat me like
The fool that I am
You bet that I like everything you do
Put salt in my wounds
It`s sad but it`s true
You warm me with your kisses
Then you leave me in the cold
How can I know your wishes
When I`ve never been told
Won`t you please forgive me
Just try and understand
You`re pouring water
On a drowning man
You`re pouring water
On a drowning man
You treat me like
The fool that I am
You bet that I like everything you do
Put salt in my wounds
It`s sad but it`s true
You warm me with your kisses
Then you leave me in the cold
How can I know your wishes
When I've never been told
Won`t you please forgive me
Just try and understand
You`re pouring water
On a poor drowning man
I got tears in my eyes
Oh, I`m a drowning man
I got tears in my eyes
You`re pouring water
On a drowning man
You`re pouring water
On a poor drowning man
In Elvis Costello's song "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man," the lyrics speak to the frustration and confusion that comes with being in a toxic relationship. The song speaks to the rollercoaster of emotions in a relationship where one person is constantly pushing the other down, only to pull them back up and then stab them in the back. The imagery of pouring water on a drowning man highlights the desperation and hopelessness that comes with feeling like you are drowning in a relationship that is not healthy.
The lyrics also comment on the power dynamic in toxic relationships, where one person is constantly belittling and criticizing the other, leaving them feeling like a fool. The line "you bet that I like everything you do" speaks to the manipulation and gaslighting that can happen in these types of relationships, where one person tries to control the other's thoughts and feelings.
The song ultimately speaks to the need for forgiveness and understanding in these situations. The plea to "just try and understand" highlights the importance of empathy and communication in any relationship, even when it is difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
You push me when I`m falling
You aggravate and worsen my troubles when I'm already struggling
And then you put me down
You belittle me and make me feel worthless after aggravating my struggles
I guess I missed my calling
I think I should have followed a different path for my life
I should have been a clown
I would have been better off as a performer who can make people laugh
How much more
How much longer will this continue?
How much more can I stand
How much more of this can I endure?
You`re pouring water
You're making things worse
On a drowning man
On someone who is already struggling to stay afloat
You stab me in the back
You betray and hurt me when I least expect it
Every time I turn around
Every time I look to you for support and guidance
Criticize my lovin`
Disapprove of the way I love someone
When I`m doing the very best I can
When I'm putting my all into my actions and emotions
You treat me like
You behave towards me as if
The fool that I am
I am a gullible and easily deceived person
You bet that I like everything you do
You assume that I approve of and enjoy everything you do
Put salt in my wounds
Add further insult to my existing injuries
It's sad but it's true
It's unfortunate, but that's the reality of the situation
You warm me with your kisses
You show affection towards me with your intimate actions
Then you leave me in the cold
Then you abandon me or treat me harshly
How can I know your wishes
How can I understand or predict your desires and intentions?
When I've never been told
When you haven't communicated them to me clearly
Won`t you please forgive me
Will you please pardon my shortcomings or mistakes?
Just try and understand
Simply attempt to comprehend my perspectives and motives
On a poor drowning man
On someone who is in dire straits and struggling to keep themselves above water
I got tears in my eyes
I am feeling emotional and upset
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANNY HUGH MC CORMICK, DREW LANE BAKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind