At number 24 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest songwriters of all time is English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello. Elvis Costello first came to my attention in the late 1970s when he had some punk hits with his band The Attractions, and in fact I have already blogged about one of their songs, “Oliver’s Army” here.
By 1986 Costello had split from his band, and embarked on a solo career. This solo career has seen him radically change his style from his early punk days, in fact his solo career has ranged from country and western to old style ballads A good example of this diversity is the song I have decided to include here, “Veronica”, a song he co-wrote with Paul McCartney, and which was released in 1989.
“Veronica” only got to number 31 in the Disunited Kingdom singles charts, but in the US it got to number 19, possibly because of McCartney’s involvement. Since then, Costello has also gone on to work with such songwriters at Burt Bacharach in the late 1990s. He has also composed music for an opera, and is surely one of the most diverse songwriters in this list.
Is it all in that pretty little head of yours?
What goes on in that place in the dark?
Well I used to know a girl and I would have
sworn that her name was Veronica
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her
own and a delicate look in her eye
These days I’m afraid she’s not even sure if her
name is Veronica[Chorus:]
Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes,
Veronica has gone to hide?
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
VeronicaDid the days drag by? Did the favours wane?
Did he roam down the town all the time?
Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at
the door, reaching out for Veronica
Well it was all of sixty-five years ago
When the world was the street where she lived
And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea
With a picture of VeronicaOn the “Empress of India”
And as she closed her eyes upon the world and
picked upon the bones of last week’s news
She spoke his name outloud again[Chorus]
Veronica sits in her favourite chair and she sits
very quiet and still
And they call her a name that they never get
right and if they don’t then nobody else will
But she used to have a carefree mind of her
own, with devilish look in her eye
Saying “You can call me anything you like, but
my name is Veronica”[Chorus]
Here is a video of the Costello-McCartney song “Veronica”.
Which is your favourite Elvis Costello song?
He was never punk!
“Punk” is a relative term of course. It might cover a pretty broad spectrum of music. Also, in comparison to what was popular in the late 70s/early 80s on American radio, E.C. was absolutely punk : )
In the US, was a difference made between punk and “new wave”. At the time, and I was 12/13/14, I assumed “new wave” was just the US term for what was being called “punk” in the Disunited Kingdom. But I may well be wrong in that assumption. But, I certainly agree that “punk” in the DUK came to cover more than just the Sex Pistols and the Clash.
Yes, and I have not had this discussion since 1982.
: )
🙂 🙂 🙂
Probably watching the detectives, but there are a few !