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 Imposter
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to talk too tough
Trying to jack the lad
You'd think he'd had enough
But he's not the man you'd think that he can be
I just don't know why you can't see
That he is only the imposter
You've never been this far
You've always been too smart
And you know all our boys
Are really girls at heart
But he's not...
When I said that I was lying I might have been lying
Never let me hear you say you're not trying
This is your big decision
Hope you're not disappointed
He's got double vision
When you want him double jointed
And he's not...
He'll only bring you souvenirs
It's only gonna end in tears
And he is only the imposter
The song The Imposter by Elvis Costello is about a man, who seems to be trying too hard to be something he is not. The lyrics mention how he is trying to be bad and talk tough, but the ultimate feeling is that he is not genuine. The singer urges the listener not to be fooled by this man, who is simply an imposter, and not the person he portrays himself to be. The chorus repeats this message several times, emphasizing how the man is not what he seems.
As the song progresses, the lyrics take a turn and the singer addresses someone who has not been this far before, who has always been smart and knows that some boys are actually girls at heart. The lyrics suggest that this person is about to make a big decision and warns them not to be disappointed. The man they are interested in has double vision and is only going to bring them souvenirs, and the relationship will end in tears. Again, it is reiterated that he is only the imposter.
The song is a cautionary tale about not being fooled by people who pretend to be something they are not. The lyrics are straightforward and to the point, warning the listener to be careful and not get their hopes up about someone who is only playing a role. Overall, The Imposter has a catchy beat and interesting lyrics that make it a great listen.
Line by Line Meaning
Trying to be too bad
Attempting to be overly daring or tough
Trying to talk too tough
Attempting to speak with an excessively assertive or aggressive tone
Trying to jack the lad
Making attempts to seem like a bad boy or a rebel
You'd think he'd had enough
One would expect that he would be satisfied with his behavior by now
But he's not the man you'd think that he can be
He is not what he appears to be on the surface
I just don't know why you can't see
It is unclear why you are unable to perceive or recognize his true nature
That he is only the imposter
He is simply a fraud or a fake
You've never been this far
You have not previously been involved in such a situation
You've always been too smart
You have traditionally been intelligent enough to avoid such scenarios
And you know all our boys
You are aware that all of our male associates
Are really girls at heart
Are actually sensitive or emotional in nature, despite appearances to the contrary
When I said that I was lying I might have been lying
It is possible that I was not telling the truth when I claimed to be dishonest
Never let me hear you say you're not trying
Do not express a lack of effort in front of me
This is your big decision
This is a significant choice or commitment that you are making
Hope you're not disappointed
I hope that you are not dissatisfied or let down
He's got double vision
He is experiencing a visual impairment in which he sees two of everything
When you want him double jointed
When you need him to be extremely flexible
He'll only bring you souvenirs
He will only bring you mementos or keepsakes
It's only gonna end in tears
This situation will inevitably conclude with sadness or disappointment
And he is only the imposter
He is simply a fake or a pretender
Contributed by Leah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.