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.
Shabby Doll
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always worked for me before
Now I'm a shabby doll
What's going on behind the green elevator door
With just a shabby doll?
There's a hit man facing
A compromising situation
And a very neat line in character assassination
She's just a shabby doll
She's just a shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
She's putting him off and putting you on (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just the shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just the shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
You're swearing upon, you know in your heart (she's just a shabby doll)
She's gone, you know in your heart (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just a shabby doll
There's a girl in this dress, there's always a girl in distress
She's just a shabby doll
She's so sure she's self-possessed
Then again she's half-undressed
She's just a shabby doll
The boy that I used to be showed no sign of sympathy
For just a shabby doll
I have betrayed you and me
And paid for my own bribery
With just a shabby doll
She's just a shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
She's putting him off and putting you on (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just the shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just the shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
You're swearing upon, you know in your heart (she's just a shabby doll)
She's gone, you know in your heart (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just a shabby doll
He's the tired toy that everyone's enjoyed
He wants to be a fancy man but he's nothing but a nancy boy
He's all pride and no joy
And being what you might call a whore
Always worked for me before
Now I'm a shabby doll
Untie the gag, the cat's out of the bag
But won't show his claws
He's just a shabby doll
She said you must be joking
Some things are left unspoken
You're just a shabby doll
He's lying limp and soaking
He was openly broken
By just a shabby doll
She's just a shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
She's putting him off and putting you on (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just the shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just the shabby doll (she's just a shabby doll)
You're swearing upon, you know in your heart (she's just a shabby doll)
She's gone, you know in your heart (she's just a shabby doll)
She's just a shabby doll
She's just a shabby doll
She's just a shabby doll
The lyrics of Elvis Costello's song "Shabby Doll" are quite mysterious and enigmatic, raising more questions than answers. The song centers around the theme of betrayal and deception, exploring the complexities and ambiguities of human relationships. It seems to describe a situation where the singer is being played off against someone else by a manipulative and deceitful woman, who is referred to as a "shabby doll." The song's title itself suggests that the singer feels worn out and used, like an old and tattered toy, hence he's a "shabby doll." He seems to be struggling to make sense of what's going on behind closed doors, possibly involving a hitman and character assassination. Meanwhile, the shabby doll appears to be in control, putting the singer off and putting someone else on, although it's not clear who or why.
The lyrics have been subject to various interpretations over the years, and Costello himself has been elusive when asked about their meaning. Some have suggested that the song is a satirical take on the music industry and how artists can be exploited by record labels and managers, while others see it as a commentary on power dynamics in relationships, particularly those involving gender roles. Whatever the case may be, the lyrics are certainly open to multiple readings and offer a rich and thought-provoking subject for discussion.
Line by Line Meaning
Giving you more of what for
Trying harder to impress you
Always worked for me before
In the past, my efforts to impress have been successful
Now I'm a shabby doll
Now I am worn out and unimpressive
What's going on behind the green elevator door
What is happening in secret, behind closed doors?
With just a shabby doll?
Am I only able to observe from a weak and insignificant position?
There's a hit man facing
Someone is in a dangerous position
A compromising situation
He is in a vulnerable and compromising position
And a very neat line in character assassination
The hit man is skilled in ruining reputations
She's just a shabby doll
The girl in question is nothing special or significant
She's putting him off and putting you on
She is rejecting him and showing interest in someone else
You're swearing upon, you know in your heart
You are making promises despite knowing the truth
She's gone, you know in your heart
You know deep down that she has left and is not coming back
There's a girl in this dress, there's always a girl in distress
There is always a girl who needs help, no matter how she appears
She's so sure she's self-possessed
She appears confident in her own abilities and control
Then again she's half-undressed
But the reality is that she is vulnerable and exposed
The boy that I used to be showed no sign of sympathy
The artist used to be unsympathetic and careless
I have betrayed you and me
I have let us both down
And paid for my own bribery
I have suffered consequences for my own misdeeds
He's the tired toy that everyone's enjoyed
He is well-worn and no longer exciting or novel
He wants to be a fancy man but he's nothing but a nancy boy
He desires to be sophisticated but is actually weak and effeminate
He's all pride and no joy
He is arrogant and unpleasant
Untie the gag, the cat's out of the bag
Release the restraint, the secret is out in the open
But won't show his claws
But he is not actually dangerous or threatening
She said you must be joking
She does not take him seriously
Some things are left unspoken
Some things are better left unsaid
He's lying limp and soaking
He is defeated and weak
He was openly broken by just a shabby doll
He was easily defeated and ruined by someone unremarkable and insignificant
She's just a shabby doll
She is not impressive or valuable
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kalle K
”There's a hit man facing
A compromising situation”
Inimitable lyricist is the word 😊
Gloria Steele
Just a Shabby doll!
Lisa Benavides
This song is so perfectly produced. The orchestration displays the genius of Elvis. Live the piano and bass.
Lincoln's fish and other stuff
That bass is sooooo deep in the groove!
volgie56
iif u know anything about the album/CD you will know that Elvis credits keyboardist Steve Nieve with ORCHESTRATION ARRANGEMENTS...have a good night
Lincoln's fish and other stuff
I was introduced to Shabby Doll in the summer of '83... And the bass groove changed my life!
ALSO, knowing that there's "ALWAYS A GIRL IN DISTRESS"!
Kalle K
So you missed a whole year of this strong song released on "Imperial Bedroom" in the summer of 1982. But, better late than never 😉.
volgie56
the man knows how to construct a song, best lyricist ever..."There's a girl in distress, there's always a girl in this dress
"....
✴️Pheebs✴️
Agreed, best damn lyrics
Club Astro Transcendental Motor
The lines of lyrics are the other way around. This dress-Distress.