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.
Sticks And Stones
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why don't they let us be
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But talk don't bother me
(No) People talkin', tryin' to break us up
When they know that I love you so
So I don't care what the people might say
I've been abused (I've been abused)
In my heart (I've been accused)
I've been accused (I've been accused)
I've been rebuked and I've been stomped
(Well) People talkin', tryin' to break us up
They're scandalizing my name
They'll say anything just to make me feel bad
They'll say anything to make me shamed
I've been abused (I've been abused)
In my heart (I've been accused)
I've been accused (I've been accused)
I've been rebuked and I've been stomped
(Well) People talkin', tryin' to break us up
They're scandalizing my name
They'll say anything just to make me feel bad
They'll say anything to make me shamed
The lyrics of Elvis Costello's Sticks and Stones is a defiant statement against the rumors and gossip that people spread to try and tear a couple apart. Despite their efforts to hurt and shame him, the singer doesn't let it get to him. He asserts that he loves his partner and nothing else matters. The titular phrase 'sticks and stones may break my bones but talk don't bother me' reinforces this idea that words cannot hurt him. He has been through emotional pain and accusations before, and he still stands strong against this new wave of hate. The repeated lines 'I've been abused, I've been accused' are a testimony to the singer's resilience and also highlights how these words that people say can have a profound impact and leave a mark.
The song is an empowering and spirited statement against hate speech and petty gossip that tries to undermine people's relationships. It speaks to the idea that love cannot be broken by mere words, and the only way to fight back is to stand one's ground and prove them wrong. Elvis Costello's delivery of the lyrics is passionate and fiery, driving his message home. Overall, the song is a testament to the strength of love and the importance of resilience in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
People talkin', tryin' to break us up
There are people who are trying to separate us by talking negatively about our relationship.
Why don't they let us be
I wish these people would just leave us alone and let us be together.
Sticks and stones may break my bones
Physical harm may hurt me, but it won't affect my love for you.
But talk don't bother me
Words may be hurtful, but they won't change how I feel about you.
When they know that I love you so
These people are aware of my strong feelings for you, yet still try to come between us.
So I don't care what the people might say
Their opinions and words don't hold any weight in our relationship.
I'm never gonna let you go
I will fight to keep our relationship alive despite any outside interference or pressure.
I've been abused (I've been abused)
I have endured mistreatment from these people who are trying to harm our relationship.
In my heart (I've been accused)
Along with the verbal attacks, these people have made untrue accusations that hurt me emotionally.
I've been rebuked and I've been stomped
Their attacks have taken a physical and emotional toll on me.
They're scandalizing my name
These people are attacking my reputation and character through their words and actions.
They'll say anything just to make me feel bad
These people will use any means to hurt me, even if it means spreading lies.
They'll say anything to make me shamed
Their goal is to shame and embarrass me, regardless of the truth or how it affects our relationship.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TITUS TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind