A Girls Girls Girls mystery
- Stuart Gardner
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 4:47 pm
- Location: Savannah, Georgia, USA
A Girls Girls Girls mystery
First, I had to choose between replying to a thread that's been inactive for 13 years, or linking to it. Not knowing which option the mods would prefer, I'll link to it. Let me know if I should have taken the other route.
I was reading EC's liner notes to Girls Girls Girls last night, and in commenting on "I Hope You're Happy Now," he opens with this cryptic quote:
"My lady said, 'The baby's dead.' You gentlemen all work for me."
He doesn't deign to mention whose work this is, or what the work is titled, but a copyright mark reads, "(c) 1970 Westminster Music Limited."
Curious to know more, I Googled, and to my surprise and bemusement, I found only one reference to this quote on the internet... and it's on this very message board!
http://elviscostello.info/phpBB3/viewto ... 590#p53258
As you see, no remarks about the phrase are made in this thread from 2005. It merely appears as part of the full text of Costello's notes.
I take it that he fabricated the "quotation" and that it's a private joke, possibly between he and himself.
Can anyone suggest another possibility?
Many thanks to And No Coffee Table for giving us the notes to those songs not on the CD version! I've printed them out and stored them in the jewel box.
I was reading EC's liner notes to Girls Girls Girls last night, and in commenting on "I Hope You're Happy Now," he opens with this cryptic quote:
"My lady said, 'The baby's dead.' You gentlemen all work for me."
He doesn't deign to mention whose work this is, or what the work is titled, but a copyright mark reads, "(c) 1970 Westminster Music Limited."
Curious to know more, I Googled, and to my surprise and bemusement, I found only one reference to this quote on the internet... and it's on this very message board!
http://elviscostello.info/phpBB3/viewto ... 590#p53258
As you see, no remarks about the phrase are made in this thread from 2005. It merely appears as part of the full text of Costello's notes.
I take it that he fabricated the "quotation" and that it's a private joke, possibly between he and himself.
Can anyone suggest another possibility?
Many thanks to And No Coffee Table for giving us the notes to those songs not on the CD version! I've printed them out and stored them in the jewel box.
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
Last edited by jardine on Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
The quote comes from “Memo From Turner”, attributed to The Rolling Stones, but actually Mick Jagger, Ry Cooder and friends. From the Performance film soundtrack.
- Top balcony
- Posts: 924
- Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:48 pm
- Location: Liverpool
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
This is my all time favourite "Stones" track - Ry is in mesmerising form.GetHappy!! wrote:The quote comes from “Memo From Turner”, attributed to The Rolling Stones, but actually Mick Jagger, Ry Cooder and friends. From the Performance film soundtrack.
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
Sort of timely, too, as "Performance" was directed by Nicholas Roeg, who recently departed this plane of existence. Here's how the song appeared in the movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr76UV4sESg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr76UV4sESg
- Man out of Time
- Posts: 1855
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- Location: just off the coast of Europe
- Contact:
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
I note that “Memo From Turner” was recorded at Olympic Studios in Barnes, West London as was “I Hope You’re Happy Now” which may help explain the reference.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memo_from_Turner
The Olympic Studios have now been turned back into a cinema. Before the main feature they show a short film on the history of the building, including footage of the Stones recording there.
MOOT
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memo_from_Turner
The Olympic Studios have now been turned back into a cinema. Before the main feature they show a short film on the history of the building, including footage of the Stones recording there.
MOOT
- Stuart Gardner
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 4:47 pm
- Location: Savannah, Georgia, USA
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
Well, that's one mystery that was put to bed in short fashion!
jardine, GetHappy!!, Top balcony, erey and Man out of Time, I thank all of you.
And now another mystery, although I'm not nearly so interested in this one... why doesn't Google recognize "My lady said, 'The baby's dead'" as belonging to "Memo from Turner," I wonder? As I said, it DOES recognize the phrase, but only in a link to this forum.
An old friend of mine travelled extensively with the Rolling Stones and authored Dance with the Devil, which is generally considered the best book about them. Stanley Booth is going to get a charge out of this!
Thanks again, all.
jardine, GetHappy!!, Top balcony, erey and Man out of Time, I thank all of you.
And now another mystery, although I'm not nearly so interested in this one... why doesn't Google recognize "My lady said, 'The baby's dead'" as belonging to "Memo from Turner," I wonder? As I said, it DOES recognize the phrase, but only in a link to this forum.
An old friend of mine travelled extensively with the Rolling Stones and authored Dance with the Devil, which is generally considered the best book about them. Stanley Booth is going to get a charge out of this!
Thanks again, all.
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
google is how i found it. hmmm
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
Also, the official copyrighted lyric is "The baby is dead, my lady said". Maybe that's it?
- Stuart Gardner
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 4:47 pm
- Location: Savannah, Georgia, USA
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
I see now that I actually only Googled this much of the quote (as an exact phrase in the advanced options):
My lady said, the baby's dead
Which does find only this forum:
https://www.google.com/search?q=+%22My+ ... AHoECAAQAw
But Googling the complete quotation does indeed find a lot of references to the song. Computers! Their ways are shrouded and dark to me.
My lady said, the baby's dead
Which does find only this forum:
https://www.google.com/search?q=+%22My+ ... AHoECAAQAw
But Googling the complete quotation does indeed find a lot of references to the song. Computers! Their ways are shrouded and dark to me.
- And No Coffee Table
- Posts: 3541
- Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:57 pm
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
https://twitter.com/ElvisCostello/statu ... 5168615426
Elvis Costello wrote:Mark AT&T’s astoundingly cynical decision to shutter of the marvelous “FilmStruck” service and tip your hat to Mr Roeg by watching “Performance” this evening. If You read this with minutes to midnight, try to catch “Memo From Turner”
One of M. Jagger’s finest vocal performances.
- Stuart Gardner
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 4:47 pm
- Location: Savannah, Georgia, USA
Re: A Girls Girls Girls mystery
Thanks for alerting me to this!
And just in time, apparently.
And just in time, apparently.