Incredible new, exciting game!!

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:04 pm

I'll jump on The Comedians. I don't have the newest release of ATUB (3.0) and the song just disappears in the tedium of GCW. The Roy Orbison cover is really what brought me to the song. He really brings out the sadness like only Roy can. Elvis admits he had Roy in mind when he wrote it, and I think it works perfectly for him. The melodramatic drumming (I think by Jim Keltner) gives it an extra cool edge.

Can anyone picture either Elvis or Roy sitting all alone on at the top of a Ferris Wheel? It's a funny picture.

How about - Pidgin English

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:00 am

I'm not certain what this song is about, it is by turns very elaborate and suggestive and very simple. There is brilliant language ("From your own backyard to the land of exotica, from the truth society to neurotic erotica") followed by those straightforward commandments of love: "I believe, I trust, I promise, I wish."

I like the nylon-string guitar solo by Elvis, and the punning homage to the songwriter's craft with "Take it to the bridge, she sighs." He concludes with "P.S. I love you," the most beautiful thing one person can communicate to another.

Town Cryer

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:10 am

I think Pidgin English is about the degradation of language leading to the destruction of culture. Maybe my own views sneaking in in that analysis. Word.

Town Cryer-

The fashionable state of sorrow. Being unhappy is always more interesting than happiness, especially for the artist. The competition for who has to suffer the most misery. (no offense Mr. Misery, I'm sure you're the nicest sort of misery) The strings dramatically arranged and of course great lines such as, "splendor of their trembling lip" make this study of self-pity a masterpiece.

Green Shirt

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 3:47 am

Wherever Mr. Misery goes, fun follows.

'Green Shirt' comments on the reductionism of television news and the sexualized way it's presented. It's a vision of a society gone haywire, with surveillance of the citizens and mysterious investigations, all written with Mr. Costello's characteristic wit and polish.

On the Lonely World tour, sans Pete, he had the audience sing out the missing drum part. I went to that concert alone, appropriately enough.

I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 4:00 am

Elvis sings this again with feeling and sorrow. The song is the fate of a love affair that has ended but one of the two is still in love. It deals mainly with the missing of the other person and ends with an invitation to return because life is meaningless and burdensome without them. His interpretation is so heartfelt and honest, he is so wonderful at capturing the proper emotion in song.

Another Bacharach cover:
I'll Never Fall In Love Again

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 4:33 am

The studio version of this exists on the Austin Powers soundtrack but the version I have is live with Steve Nieve, a rare and wonderful two-CD recording called On the Road Again.

It's a pop song about romantic hurt, the sentiments ranging from cynical (you get pneumonia from kissing) to genuinely wounded, and there is a clever twist at the end. EC sings it with a sort of smiling sadness, relishing the best lines, his love for the song really comes through in the way he performs it.

Upon A Veil of Midnight Blue.

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:54 pm

Written for Charles Brown (and he dared to change the lyric) I love this on 'A Case for Song'. It's a sophisticated song about the breathlessness of love and the mystical connection between two people. Even when there is loss of words there is a deep understanding which transcends all forms of communication.

A very short one next:
Deep Dead Blue

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:30 pm

Charlie Brown wasn't such a good man to change those beautiful lyrics.

'Deep Dead Blue' from the live album of the same name, co-written with Bill Frisell, evokes the depths of night and the depths of sorrow. The singer invites both, shunning the day and the kaleidoscope of happy colors, until a deeper truth emerges: "Leave me in my monochrome, 'til I find a finer hue." EC's voice is the main instrument here, he sings over and through Frisell's plaintive guitar. This is not music for a casual listener or fan.

She

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:32 pm

To me, "She" could very well be the worst song in the Elvis Costello catalogue. An incredibly cheesy cover, which seems to be on every non-Elvis fan teenybopper's playlist. Plus it was recorded specifically for that atrocious Notting Hill film.

Harpie's Bizarre

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:52 pm

Hey I like 'Deep Dead Blue'! Hey I like 'She'! I'm not a teenager and haven't been for awhile. While I never saw the movie (why would I?) I read a brilliant and witty review of it in The New Yorker-the glorious Anthony Lane.

An easy seduction due to skill and selection. A willingness to give of innocence for something less than ideal. I really love this song even though my finger itches towards the forward button on 'Mighty Like a Rose' more than any other. The lyrics take such clever turns as the tale of corruption unfolds in Elvis cynical fashion.

Big Boys

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 11:25 pm

The quest to become a man, sexually speaking, although it is ironically designated in the language of children as a big boy. A drive in movie date with all his uncertainties and performance anxiety is described. (Inspired at the time I used the word "fixture" in one of my own songs, prompting a guy in my band to say "What kind of word is that?") While the boy in the story is immature, the language of the song is powerful and sophisticated with such mighty lines as "I was down upon one knee stroking her vanity," and "Choking on my pride and pity." And in the end it's much more than just sex, she is the one. It is a brilliant song.

Baby It's You

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 11:37 pm

'Sha la la. . ' Preformed with Mr. Lowe it's a song about loving a woman who may be less than ideal. But alas he loves her and only her she is THE one. He can't help himself and takes her with all her flaws. Even at the possible cost of unfaithfulness. Another Bacharach cover sticking very much to form perfect for dancing in your first pair of high heels. A little gem from 'Out of Our Idiot'.

Turning the Town Red

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 1:46 am

Quick anecdote about Nick Lowe. He was asked by a reporter why he called his album 'Bowi' and replied "Well, he called his 'Low,' didn't he."

This is my favorite song on Out of Our Idiot, and the imagery is opaque enough for me to assign my own personal meaning to the lines. I've always identified for some reason with "A head full of brand new words and a mouth full of shocks, you're a big boy now with a face to stop clocks," and "You've made your bed and now you better dream in it." A dazzling image will leap from nowhere: "A black pool opened at my feet into a dream sequence." The Attractions sound marvelous, with the keyboard glissandos accentuating open spaces, and many Elvises singing on the chorus, a choir of Costellos!

He wrote it for an English TV series called 'Scully' so I don't know what his intent was but I love the song.

The Element Within Her

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 2:29 am

A song about inner beauty capturing the heart of a cad. She in turn rejects his advances. I find it fun and at least the horns were left off this one. Though it's appears to be upbeat I think the pacing gives it more gravity. The 'Punch the Clock' bonus disc is a Godsend.

Forgive Her Anything

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 3:36 am

It is a Godsend, LJ. Often the demos on the Punch the Clock bonus disk are superior to the released versions. The result is an alternate album where the songs are allowed to shine through without elaborate arrangement. It is my favorite of the latest reissues for that reason, though all are well worth getting.

'Forgive Her Anything' is another bonus disk song, this time from Blood and Chocolate. I love the restless feel of the music, he sounds as if he's confined and longing to break free and be with his girl (a "pretty miss") again. There has been sleeplessness and hurt ("Your face turned away and the day turned black") but he is compelled by love to be with her: "You'd forgive her anything if you knew what I know." For him, forgiveness is more important than pride.

My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 4:16 am

Such a classic 'can't get over you' song off 'Almost Blue'. Yes he tells his friends he doesn't care but his confesses reaching for her. Not mention the symbolic shoes taking him back to her. A fun and simple song done in style it was written.

Shatterproof

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 4:06 am

From the Punch the Clock bonus disk, I love the simple and unassuming arrangement of this demo, simply Elvis at the keyboard. Apparently the song is autobiographical. The loving newlyweds are so caught up in each other they don't notice that they're being swindled into substandard housing for a king's ransom they cannot afford. Promises and illusions seem to be shattered, but the landlord gets his comeuppance in the end.

Uncomplicated

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 4:41 am

I've always thought this song was about a love/hate relationship that starts and stops. The gifts he offers are tongue in cheek and the insulting way he wants to tell her how he loves her. "When you're over me there's no one above you." It has the sexual meaning but I take it also as when he feels he can't have her he wants her more. It is always just the beginning because they feed off each other. It could also be about the vanishing Lemurs in Madagascar-my mind's in a mess.

The Only Flame in Town (live)

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 5:02 am

I agree with you LJ. Also, I think it involves a newly married couple, and that he's saying, in effect: "you wanted bondage to me... you got it!". There are few words but they are so loaded - "I want to buy you a big blue diamel...".

Carry on...

The Only Flame In Town (live)

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 6:34 am

The lyrics operate by negation, she really is the only flame and he carries a torch for her though they are separated by distance. The love and fire imagery obtains delicately throughout the song, with hearts and cinders, tender/tinder, embers and infernos.

The live version is starkly beautiful and moving. He is all alone with a guitar and this brings out the theme of the song much better than the overproduced album track.

I Wanna Be Loved

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 2:37 pm

Bambooneedle-Since you've been married three or four times, I'll take your word on the newly married angle.

A cover of an obscure song by Willie Mitchell that was preformed by Teacher's Edition. It's an almost painfully honest discourse on loneliness and the longing to belong to some one. Green of Scritti Politti sings back up. He begs whom ever may listen to 'find room in your heart somehow'. Instead of laying down and accepting his solitude he reaches out to shape his destiny. I think we've all had this song hit too close to home from time to time. Maybe a little too sappy for the cynical Elvis fan, I love it. A great song for the single girl, when you are in filled with self-pity.

It also has the added bonus of spawning a video that makes us amorous Elvis fans dream of trapping him in a phone booth.

Another from 'Goodbye Cruel World':

Love Field

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 5:15 pm

What's the matter LJ, no takers? You should have picked... Must You Throw Dirt In My Face...

lapinsjolis · Post by **lapinsjolis** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 5:20 pm

I don't know if you've noticed but there are just the three of us now. You can comment on the song you chose. As for me and this thread-I guess I've out stayed my welcome. Now that you've changed your avatar my marriage joke (?) makes no sense!

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 5:27 pm

lapinsjolis wrote:As for me and this thread-I guess I've out stayed my welcome.

Don't dream of it, LJ.

I'll be quick to let you know when.

I did get your joke.

Some one out there must like Love Field, carry on folks.

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 12:33 am

Everyone's contribution to this thread is welcome but I value yours most of all, LJ. What was Bambooneedle's thrice-married avatar? He changes them every day!

Only the sensibility of Elvis Costello could have composed 'Love Field,' and I mean that as the highest compliment. The beauty of the outdoor surroundings, described with literary mastery in the language of the boudoir ("A road of white linen... Cold ground for a pillow under a blanket of stars"), is contrasted with the sex which should be ecstatic but instead provides tension and anxiety because it is not accompanied by love. The narrator seems to be addressing himself when he says "You think you're different from the rest but you don't know how you've changed."

I quite like the strange spooky guitar arrangement on Goodbye, Cruel World and the stark one on Deep Dead Blue of this haunting song.

The Jack of All Parades