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.
The Beat
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vigilantes coming out to follow me
Heard somebody say they're out to collar me
Anybody want to swallow me?
It takes two to tumble, it takes two to tango
Speak up, don't mumble if you're in the combo
On the beat (on the beat), on the beat (on the beat)
Till a man comes along and he says
Though you never enjoy, such a pleasure to employ"
See your friends in the state they're in
See your friends getting under their skin
See your friends getting taken in
Well, if you only knew the things you do to me
I'd do anything to confuse the enemy
There's only one thing wrong with you befriending me
Take it easy, I think you're bending me
I've been a bad boy with the standard leader
My neighbor's revving up his Vauxhall Viva
On the beat (on the beat), on the upbeat (upbeat)
Till a man comes along and he says
"Have you been a good boy, never played with your toy?
Though you never enjoy, such a pleasure to employ"
See your friends walking down the street
See your friends never quite complete
See your friends getting under their feet
Oh, I don't want to disease you
But I'm no good with machinery
Oh, I don't want to freeze you
Stop looking at the scenery
I keep thinking about your mother
Oh, I don't want to lick them
I don't want to be a lover
I just want to be your victim
I don't go out much at night
I don't go out much at all
Did you think you were the only one
Who was waiting for a call?
On the beat (on the beat) on the beat (on the beat) on the upbeat (upbeat)
Till a man comes along and he says
"Have you been a good boy, never played with your toy?
Though you never enjoy, such a pleasure to employ"
See your friends treat me like a stranger
See your friends despite all the arrangements
See your friends, nothing here has changed
Just the beat (just the beat) just the beat (just the beat)
Just the beat (just the beat) just the beat
The lyrics of Elvis Costello's "The Beat" present a cynical view of human relationships, with themes of paranoia, disillusionment, and power dynamics. The song seems to start with a sense of excitement and anticipation for a summer holiday, but that quickly turns into fear and mistrust as the chorus brings up vigilantes who are "out to collar" the singer. The lines "it takes two to tumble, it takes two to tango" and "speak up, don't mumble if you're in the combo" suggest the importance of mutual participation and clear communication, but they also hint at the complexity and potential deception in social interactions.
The lyrics continue with more metaphorical and ambiguous phrases like "being a good boy" and "playing with your toy," which might allude to some kind of sexual or behavioral expectation. The line "see your friends getting under their skin" could mean that the people around the singer are causing themselves emotional harm or that they are being manipulated by external forces. The second half of the song focuses on the singer's personal feelings and desires, with lines like "I don't want to disease you" and "I don't want to be a lover, I just want to be your victim." The chorus repeats several times, emphasizing the motif of the beat as an ongoing force that may or may not be controllable.
Overall, "The Beat" presents a dark and surreal take on interpersonal dynamics and the struggle for control and understanding. The song's lyrics leave a lot of room for interpretation and speculation, but they also showcase Costello's distinctive style of wordplay and subversion.
Line by Line Meaning
We're all going on a summer holiday
We're all getting out of town for the summer
Vigilantes coming out to follow me
People are watching me and trying to catch me doing something wrong
Heard somebody say they're out to collar me
I overheard someone talking about trying to catch me
Anybody want to swallow me?
Is anyone out there who wants to hurt me?
It takes two to tumble, it takes two to tango
Problems require the participation of both parties
Speak up, don't mumble if you're in the combo
If you want to be part of the group, say what you mean clearly and confidently
On the beat (on the beat), on the beat (on the beat)
Stay with the rhythm
Till a man comes along and he says
"Have you been a good boy, never played with your toy?
Though you never enjoy, such a pleasure to employ"
Until someone arrives looking to take advantage of me
See your friends in the state they're in
Notice how your friends are doing
See your friends getting under their skin
See your friends getting angry or nervous
See your friends getting taken in
See your friends getting fooled or tricked
Well, if you only knew the things you do to me
If you knew how you affect me emotionally
I'd do anything to confuse the enemy
I'd do whatever it takes to make sure my enemies can't predict my actions
There's only one thing wrong with you befriending me
The only issue with us being friends
Take it easy, I think you're bending me
Slow down, you may be manipulating me
I've been a bad boy with the standard leader
I've made mistakes when trying to lead others
My neighbor's revving up his Vauxhall Viva
My neighbor is making a lot of noise with his car
On the beat (on the beat), on the upbeat (upbeat)
Stay with the rhythm and keep up the energy
See your friends walking down the street
Notice your friends as they go about their daily lives
See your friends never quite complete
Notice how something seems to be missing from your friends' lives
See your friends getting under their feet
See how your friends are getting in their own way
Oh, I don't want to disease you
I don't want to harm you
But I'm no good with machinery
I'm not skilled with technology or mechanics
Oh, I don't want to freeze you
I don't want you to feel frozen or stuck
Stop looking at the scenery
Concentrate on what's important
I keep thinking about your mother
I can't stop thinking about your family
Oh, I don't want to lick them
I don't want to be overly friendly
I don't want to be a lover
I don't want to be in a romantic relationship
I just want to be your victim
I want to be the one you help or protect
I don't go out much at night
I don't go out much in the evening
I don't go out much at all
I don't go out very often
Did you think you were the only one
Who was waiting for a call?
Did you think you were the only person hoping for something to happen?
Just the beat (just the beat) just the beat (just the beat)
Focus on the rhythm
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James M
The bass lines in this song make it, they are just unreal. Well done Mr Thomas.
John Smith
Man, what a song. What an album. Just the cover gives me goosebumps. So. Many. Memories.
Jimmy Grieves
There is something so beautifully melancholic about this song !
goodtimesroll8
Costello just rocks. Timeless.
Joe Ceonnia
This dude can write
Declan Warner
John Doe so damned lucky
John Smith
The crescendo on the 3rd verse is epic.
Michael Lindgren
that band could really really play.
Tvmasterprobutts
F'n a rite rite
85geoffm
They are really fucking sharp, no doubt.