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 Play
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's out again tonight and I'm alone once more
He's all I have worth waiting for
But baby plays around
And so it seems I've always been the last to know
To hold on to that girl, I had to let her go
I wish to God I didn't love her so
'Cos baby plays around
I try to be strong hold on to my pride
He doesn't even know it's wrong, how much
I hurt inside
And heaven knows I've tried
But baby plays around. Just a plaything
It's hard to reconcile the facts I'm facing
It's not open to discussion anymore
She walks those shiny streets
I walk the worn out floor
She's all I have worth living for
Baby plays, baby plays around
The lyrics of Baby Plays Around by Elvis Costello and Bill Frisel tell a story of unrequited love, where the singer is in love with someone who continually plays around with their feelings. The opening lines suggest a level of resignation that this is the status quo: "It's not open to discussion anymore, he's out again tonight, and I'm alone once more." Despite this, the singer continues to hold out hope, as they believe their love interest is worth waiting for.
The chorus introduces the titular phrase, "baby plays around," which serves as a refrain, while the following lines recount how oblivious or uncaring the object of affection seems to be towards the singer's suffering. The sense of powerlessness and frustration is palpable in lyrics like "I try to be strong, hold on to my pride, he doesn't even know it's wrong, how much I hurt inside," and the repetition of the phrase "but baby plays around" at the end of each verse reinforces the sense of being trapped in an unfortunate situation.
Interpreting the song, one can see how toxic relationships are often hard to let go of, even when everyone around us can sense that it's probably in our best interests to do so. Despite the pain, the singer can't shake off their attachment, as it's all they have worth living (or in this case waiting) for. Ultimately, the song is a poignant reflection on the power struggles and emotional games that can inform our romantic relationships, and how difficult it can be to let go of someone we love, even if they don't reciprocate our feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not open to discussion anymore
There is no point in arguing about it anymore, my partner is out again tonight and I'm left alone, as usual.
He's out again tonight and I'm alone once more
My partner is out again tonight and I am left alone once more.
He's all I have worth waiting for
Out of everyone in my life, he's the only one who is worth waiting for.
But baby plays around
Unfortunately, he does tend to cheat on me.
And so it seems I've always been the last to know
I always seem to be the last person to find out about his infidelity.
To hold on to that girl, I had to let her go
I had to let go of my partner's previous lover to keep him.
I wish to God I didn't love her so
Sometimes I wish I didn't love him so much, because it hurts too much.
'Cos baby plays around
Because he tends to cheat on me.
I try to be strong hold on to my pride
I try to be strong and hold onto my self-respect.
He doesn't even know it's wrong, how much I hurt inside
He doesn't even realize how much his cheating hurts me.
And heaven knows I've tried
I have tried my best to make it work.
But baby plays around. Just a plaything
But he continues to cheat, treating me like a toy to play with.
It's hard to reconcile the facts I'm facing
It's tough for me to come to terms with the reality of my situation.
She walks those shiny streets, I walk the worn out floor
He is out enjoying himself while I am stuck at home, feeling sad.
She's all I have worth living for
Out of everyone in my life, he is the only one who gives me a reason to keep going.
Baby plays, baby plays around
He continues to cheat and treat me poorly.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: COSTELLO, ELVIS / O'RIORDAN, CAIT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tomodonovan5931
The fact that you are typing this today says that you have pulled through
all of that BS. To me, that is a great achievement on your part. Costello
only did a small part in helping you deal with reality. In 1979, you found
out that you were grown up. No more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
in your school lunch box. Life was starting to get a little more complicated.
We both graduated the same year. So we and others the same age were
dealing with the same issues that life throws in your direction. And that
was an uncertain future! Nobody without a crystal ball has any idea what
it holds. And that is something a young person has to worry about. But first
you have to prove to the adults around you that you can handle it. Parents,
Teachers, and Bosses, or Managers. It would have been much easier to just
put this album on a turntable and let it spin forever, but something tells me
you were not cut out to sit and watch a spinning turntable forever. You had
to take off the headphones and make a decent living somehow. Now it's
time to really enjoy Costello. You've dealt with the BS , and now have the time
to watch that turntable spin for a little while.
@tomodonovan5931
@@giovannaparente917 We all know those years are gone forever. But music?
No. There may not be the wave of great music from those decades, but
sometimes if you listen closely, you may hear the ripple of a good song here,
and there. Listen to what the kids are listening to. Sometimes you find
yourself asking who is that? They do the same thing when they hear a
song that you listened to years before they came into this world. I had a few
co-workers who were into Rap music. They formed a band and invited me to
their first concert. I knew it was their passion in life, and once I got over the
shock of being frisked before I got into the venue, I actually enjoyed the
experience. They opened for The Notorious B.I.G. I got to go to the greenroom
after two or three security checks, and it was all Los Angeles back there.
Diamond rings and Diamond things all over the place. Rich, and stylish cultured
males, and very beautiful females. Friendly, yet very curious about me being there.
The point is, I am always fascinated by culture. If it is music, art, tradition, I always
remember to be respectful when discovering it. Maybe my co-workers did not succeed
in their musical dreams, but they succeeded in opening my eyes to a new and positive
experience. You don't have to travel to another country to see, or hear new things. They
can be closer then you think.
@worldlyconcerns
As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I want to know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me want to cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me want to cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
@ronaldzent6321
This song should be BLASTED everyday during every meeting at the UN General Assembly and at the White House and both halls of legislation!!!
@paulpliakas3000
Great idea!!!!
@bryonmollica
We need this more than ever today
@jeffthompson6431
I'm playing this song over and over again during these horrible times. Thank you Elvis and Nick for your beautiful work.
@doughusen1806
This AM it was on my mind too!
@ExPatinUK
Better times are coming. Especially if we are still watching this
@mariec.9102
☮️❤️"So where are the strong and who are the trusted?" That line means so much 40 years later. I'm 55 and happy I bought this album when I was 14.
@earthdakini
Me too this song was on my mind today, just had to have a listen this evening.
@jeffthompson6431
@@mariec.9102 I bought it when I was 18. I still have it and the single it came with. Super Great Record.
@eleanorgiblin5800
Could any song be more timely, or timeless?