A good Wednesday evening to the collected masses. Today is a special day in Ideological Cuddle land, as it marks the 56th birthday of one of the 2 or 3 greatest songwriters alive today - Declan Patrick MacManus, aka Elvis Costello. He is right at the top of my favorite artists list, next to the likes of Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. The thing that sets Elvis apart from those visionaries is his constant ability to try, and succeed at, new styles. He's the ultimate musical chameleon, going from literate punk, to R&B revivalist (Get Happy! is clearly the music snob's choice for best Costello album - I agree completely), to country music jester, to straight rock and roller, to torch song savior, to Nawlins preacher, to alt-country crooner, and everywhere in-between. His discography is the blueprint for hyper literate, catchy songwriting. Josh Ritter, Joe Pernice, Ted Leo, Billy Bragg, Ray LaMontagne, Nick Lowe, even his contemporary in the British punk scene, the legendary Joe Strummer - they all have written in the style that he perfected. Each of his albums have their own charms, but I'd select This Year's Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!, Imperial Bedroom, and King of America as the 5 best (in no particular order).
For the vinyl obsessed (ooh ooh! me! me!), his original picture sleeve singles on the Stiff Records label are highly collectible and quite affordable. The parade of collectible picture sleeve singles continued upon his switch to Radar Records in the UK with "Radio, Radio" and "(I Don't Wanna Go To) Chelsea" being favorites. The ultimate 45 from the early E.C. collection, might be his 1979 red vinyl Valentine's Day single of "My Funny Valentine" - knock-off copies exist, so buyer beware.
I could go on for hours about dear old Mr. McManus, but the best way to celebrate his birthday is to listen to some of his music. Below, you'll find live versions of many of my favorite Costello tunes (yes, I know that "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself is a Burt Bacharach song). All are of beautiful quality and most are acoustic versions (many with just Elvis and Steve Nieve, The Attractions' virtuoso piano player). Enjoy:
UPDATE - LINKS REMOVED "Temptation" (Live at Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario, 1996)
"Little Triggers" (Live on the Elvis Costello/Steve Nieve Tour, 1996)
"(I Don't Wanna Go To) Chelsea" (Live on the Elvis Costello/Steve Nieve Tour, 1996)
"I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" (Live on the Elvis Costello/Steve Nieve Tour, 1996)
"The Other End of The Telescope" (Live on the Elvis Costello/Steve Nieve Tour, 1996)
"Riot Act" (Live on BBC Sound Stage with The Attractions)
"45" (Live on The Tonight Show, 1999)
And last, but certainly not least, his best known song with some beautiful transitions to some Motown classics (including "The Tracks of My Tears" and "No More Tear-Stained Makeup") :
"Alison -> Tears Medley" (Live on the Elvis Costello/Steve Nieve Tour, 1996)
Until next time, celebrate the musical gifts of Mr. Declan Patrick MacManus, and listen...
Good Evening. Tonight, we are happy to introduce a new and (hopefully) recurring feature at The Ideological Cuddle. I had the idea recently to throw some quick hit posts out there, highlighting Top 5 lists (everyone likes lists, right???). There are tons of ideas bouncing around in my head (and further suggestions are always welcome... leave a comment). Here's the first :
The Ideological Cuddle Top Five: Unexpected Covers
1. The Afghan Whigs - "Miss World" - This might be my favorite cover of all time. Greg Dulli manages to boil the punk roots of the Hole original down into a dirge - comprised of slow marching piano, pleading trumpet, sax, and trombone only. Courtney Love's lyrics of self-loathing are taken from declaration of independence into funeral rite. Originally released on the "Somethin' Hot" single, it is well worth seeking out.
2. Elvis Costello - "Beautiful" - Recorded for and initially heard over the end credits to an episode of the TV show House, Costello's take on the Christina Aguilera hit is surprising for its unadorned beauty. It can be found on the soundtrack to the same show.
3. My Morning Jacket - "Tyrone" (Live on KVRX Radio, October, 2000) - This one shouldn't come as much of a surprise to those of you familiar with MMJ's sound. Fans know that the band can stretch out into funk territory with the best of them. Their reworking of Erykah Badu's classic is very faithful, funky, and fully-realized. Jim James' gentle falsetto sits front and center. The band has been known to pull this one out of their bag of tricks from time to time live in concert. Keep an eye out for it (and click above for the real thing).
4. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - "Black Star" (Live at Bonnaroo, 2007) - I hope everyone out there has heard the Radiohead original of this song, as it's a beautiful, guitar-driven ode to relationships on the brink of disaster, and one of the band's true underrated gems. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, alt-country troubadours to be sure, strip away the noisy layers of guitar and feedback, leaving the beautiful, acoustically strummed melody unadorned. Their voices intermingle beautifully, leading to a stunning performance. Not to be missed.
5. Ted Leo - "Since U Been Gone > Maps" (Live in Studio) - OK, not only does this track include two covers, but it shows Ted Leo's range (or possibly his insanity... maybe both). Not many indie rock superheroes would dare cover something as mainstream as a Kelly Clarkson song, but Leo pulls it off with aplomb, showing the song to be a stunningly catchy tune. His ability to go seamlessly into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs lone hit, "Maps", shows not only his range, but the scary similarities between the tunes.
Until next time, drop your thoughts on future Top 5 lists below, or just feel free to share some of your favorite Unexpected Covers... and don't forget to listen...
We here at the Ideological Cuddle hope that each one of you is enjoying your Valentine's Weekend. Hopefully, the last post brought some love and warmth into each of your lives with the warm sounds of Coltrane's tenor or Miles' muted trumpet. Today, we switch gears to present the other side of Valentine's Day...
What happens when love goes wrong? What happens when love dies? What happens when we can't find love? What happens when we start thinking that we neverwill? Perfect... we have songs for that. Too often, songwriters get celebrated for their ability to write lyrics that would accompany a first wedding dance or provide the soundtrack to falling in love. Today, we'll celebrate those who have the uncanny ability to provide the soundtrack to our darker, loveless days - the days when all we can do is cry, wallow, mope, and feel sorry for ourselves. Of course, sometimes, we just want to spit venom at the cause of our misery and curse them in unimaginable ways. We've got that covered as well. For the lovelorn, the love-lost, those who will celebrate tomorrow solo... click on the songs below my comments, courtesy of Lala.com. (UPDATE - You may have to click the link below the boxes... don't know if all of the songs loaded appropriately)
Elvis Costello
The possibilities here are many and varied, as no one writes a better bitter, overly-verbose, and scathing song of lost love. Many of his best songs are aimed at not only the offending woman's emotions, but her intellect as well (or lack thereof).
His masterpiece, King of America is littered with songs of loss. "Brilliant Mistake" teeters the line between first-person narrative and third-person omniscient observer - just like Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue". He alternates between "I" and "he" frequently. There doesn't seem to be much in this man's life that was the right choice - everything seems to be a "Brilliant Mistake", including his prospective love interest - of whom Costello famously notes:
"She said that she was working for the ABC News/ It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use".
"Indoor Fireworks", later on the King of America LP gives a snapshot of a love that is hanging by a thread. The opening lines give all the evidence one needs:
"We play these parlor games, we play at make-believe/ When we get to the part where I say that I'm going to leave/ Everybody loves a happy ending but we don't even try/ We go straight past pretending, to the part where everybody loves to cry"
Lastly from King of America is "Poisoned Rose" - this one's pretty self-explanatory, except that, toward the end of the song, the narrator admits that he just can't get himself to throw away the poisoned rose - he knows how bad this love affair is for him, but he can't give it up.
Costello's great torch song, "Almost Blue" sounds like something Sinatra should have recorded for his epic Only the Lonely album, and I think that's exactly what Elvis had in mind when he wrote it. A song of longing the lengths of which Costello would never quite reach again, it's enough to make a grown man cry.
We can't discuss Elvis Costello's contributions to the broken-hearted genre without including two last fuck you songs aimedtoward women who have wronged him. "I Hope You're Happy Now" exists in many versions besides the "official" version which was released on Blood and Chocolate in 1986 - there are multiple demo versions in multiple tempos, each giving a slightly different bent to the song, but the lyrics stay the same. The singer's relationship with the target of his venom has ended, she's moved on, but he's clearly bitter. Speaking of his ex's new love: "He's a fine figure of a man and handsome, too/ With his eyes upon the secret places he'd like to undo" and "He knows what you want and what you don't allow/ And I hope that you're happy now" and triumphantly, "I hope that you're happy now like you're supposed to be/ And I know that this will hurt you more than it hurts me" But Costello can't leave this relationship alone without getting in a few low blows. First, a dig at the new love interest's "tiny manhood" : "Like a matador with his pork sword while we all die of laughter" And finally : "I knew then what I know now, I never loved you, anyhow"
Last, "Uncomplicated". The sound of the song is as vicious as the lyrics - basically a three minute swipe at how "Uncomplicated" or vapid the ex seems to be. He's clearly angry from the first lines: "Blood and Chocolate, I hope you're satisfied what you have done/ You think it's over now, but we've only just begun" It gets meaner from there...
Billy Bragg As noted in one of our previous posts (available here) the politics of the sexes is a favorite topic of Mr. Bragg's. "Valentine's Day Is Over" is a resigned, cautionary song sung from the woman's perspective. Bragg turns the tables in a cautionary tale for any man who dares not treat his partner with the respect that she deserves . It even appears that the man in question has physically injured his love interest: "If you want to talk about it, well, you know were the phone is/ Don't come 'round reminding me how brittle bone is/ God didn't make you an angel, the Devil made you a man/ That brutality and the economy are related now, I understand/ When will you realize that as above, so below, there is no love" These lines are enough to make you weep and think about how easily we can hurt those that we love the most - emotionally or tragically, physically - and that, clearly, is Bragg's intent. Somewhat heroically, the woman will not stand for this treatment. She's getting out, but not without making sure that her assailant has some perspective on his actions: "Thank you for the things you bought me, thank you for the card/ Thank you for the things you taught me when you hit me hard/ That love between two people must be based on understanding/ Until that's true you'll find your things all stacked out on the landing/ Surprise, surprise, Valentine's Day is over" Proceed with caution:
Morrissey Ah, the Mozzer. Nothing ever seems to go right in Morrissey's view of love. Almost every one of his songs is about losing love, how lonely he is, or why he's not good enough to be loved by anyone. A dissertation about this topic could likely net you a PhD in mope. Just a few examples: Stalker Morrissey: "The More You Ignore Me (The Closer I Get)"
King of Mope Morrissey: "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris": "I have decided I'm throwing my arms around Paris/ Because, only stone and steel accept my love"
Coming-To-Terms Morrissey: "I Have Forgiven Jesus" : "I have forgiven Jesus/ For all the desire he placed in me/ When there's nothing I can do with this desire"
Elliott Smith It's really tough for me to discuss Elliott Smith, as I might miss him more than any other artist who has passed on. It would be easy to re-tread what everyone else has said about him and his music - tortured, forlorn, depressive, etc, etc, etc. I think that his music speaks for itself: "Between the Bars"
Bob Dylan The originator of the fuck you song, Dylan's venom is a thing of historic beauty. Any songwriter who has come after him has taken a cue from him. His most famous anti-Valentine song: "Positively 4th Street". He recounts all of the reasons that he will no longer give his love to this woman in 4 minutes. It's all angry and full of spite: "You say I let you down, you know it's not like that/ If you're so hurt, why then don't you show it?/ You say you've lost your faith, but that's not where it's at/ You have no faith to lose, and you know it"
PJ Harvey Time for the woman's perspective. Cut from the songwriting cloth of Bob Dylan, but with a sonic palette straight out of the punk/blues asthetic, Polly Jean is without peer in the pissed-off-woman school of anti-Valentine songs. Many are great, but I would never want to be the target of the spite of "Dry". OK, it doesn't get much more simple than this - PJ basically feels the need to tell her (assumedly) ex-lover, "You don't do it for me sexually any more". How does she do it? Yup, let him know that he doesn't get her wet. It doesn't get more crystal clear than "You leave me dry". Ouch.
Don't think that Polly Jean can't stalk you, either - witness, "Rid of Me": "You're not rid of me, yeah, you're not rid of me/ I beg you, my darling, don't leave me, I'm hurting" Then goes on to tell her lover that she'll tie him to her until he screams that he wishes he never met his new love. Double ouch (this time, Polly Jean's not just questioning your manhood, she may just cut it off).
Last, "Me Jane". A put down song for men everywhere. Two minutes of how men don't know how to deal with women and their menses (yup, you read that right). "Tarzan, I'm bleeding, stop your fucking screaming" is far and away the best line (maybe of the past 20 years).
