(from seventiesmusic) To paraphrase Keith Moon, Elvis Costello is the best Elvis Costello-style lyricist of the rock era, by turns sardonic, witty, caustic and king of the put-down of himself, and others. Add in a large vocabulary, (his first compliation of published music and lyrics was entitled "A Singing Dictionary"), and a love of wordplay and puns (see, for example, Girls Talk, below) and you've got a great package for a lyricist if you like those attributes, as THC does (for more on THC's experience with Elvis read this). As the years went by, he also added a dose of tenderness into his verse.
In this post, we'll give you some excerpts from the early Elvis, drawing from albums released from 1977 though 1981. Some pop lyrics don't sound as good, once they are separated from the music. These do.
I said, "I'm so happy, I could die"(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
She said, "Drop dead",
Then left with another guy
You snatch a tune, you match a cigaretteWatching The Detectives
She pulls the eyes out with a face like a magnet
I don't know how much more of this I can take
She's filing her nails, while they're dragging the lake
You think you're alone until you realize you're in it
Fear is here to stay
Love is here for a visit
All of your family had to kill to surviveWelcome To The Working Week
And they're still waiting for their big day to arrive
But if they knew how I felt they'd bury me alive
I could tell by the nights when I was lonely
And you were the only one who'd come
I could tell you that I like your sensitivity
When you know it's the way that you walk
Why do you have to say that there's always someoneMiracle Man
Who can do it better than I can?
But don't you think that I know
That walking on the water, won't make me a miracle man?
Well, I see you got a husband nowAlison
Did he leave your pretty fingers lying in the wedding cake?
You used to hold him right in your hands
I'll bet he took all he could take
Sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking
When I hear the silly things that you say
Alison, I know this world is killing you
Alison, my aim is true
I remember when the lights went outMystery Dance
And I was trying to make it look like it was never in doubt
She thought that I knew, and I thought that she knew
The both of us were willing, but we didn't know how to do it
I was down under the covers in the middle of the night
Trying to discover my left foot from my right
You can see those pictures, in any magazine
But what's the use of looking, when you don't know what they mean?
Why don't you tell me 'bout the mystery dance?
You're upstairs with the boyfriendI'm Not Angy
While I'm left here to listen
I hear you calling his name
I hear the stutter of ignition
I got this cam'ra click, click, clickin' in my head
I know what you're doin'
I know where you been
I know where, but I don't care
Cause there's no such thing as an original sin
I'm not angry
I'm not angry, anymore
We were waiting for the end of the worldWaiting For The End Of The World
Dear Lord, I sincerely hope you're coming
Cause you really started something
Sometimes I call you, when I know you're not lonelyNo Action
But I always disconnect it in time
I keep thinking about your motherThe Beat
Oh, I don't want to lick them
I don't wanna be a lover
I just wanna be your victim
I don't go out much late at night
I don't go out much at all
Did you think you were the only one
That was waiting for a call?
No, don't ask me to apologize
I won't ask you to forgive me
If I'm gonna go down
You're gonna come with me
Hand In Hand
Lip service is all you'll ever get from meLip Service
Don't say you love me, when it's just a rumourLipstick Vogue
Don't say a word if there is any doubt
Sometimes I think that love is just a tumour
You've got to cut it out
You say you're sorry for the things that you've done
You say your sorry but you know you don't mean it
I wouldn't worry, I had so much fun
Sometimes I almost feel just like a human being
Maybe they've told you
You were only a girl in a million
You say I got no feelings
This is a good way to kill them
You got a lot to say
Well, I'm not joking
There are some words they don't allow to be spoken
There are so many people to seeAccidents Will Happen
So many people you can check up on and add to your collection
But they keep you hanging on
Until you're well hung
Your mouth is made up but your mind is undone
Accidents will happen
We only hit and run
He used to be your victim
Now he's not the only one
Accidents will happen
We only hit and run
I don't want to hear it
Cause I know what I've done
But you tease and you flirtGreen Shirt
And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt
You can please yourself
But somebody's gonna get it
I could be a corporal, into corporal punishmentGoon Squad
Or the general manager of a large establishment
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me on the goon squad
Photographs of fancy tricks(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
To get your kicks at sixty six
He thinks of all the lips that he licks
And all the girls that's gonna fix
She gave a little flirt, gave herself a little cuddle
But there's no place here for the mini-skirt waddle
Capital punishment, she's last year's model
They call her Natasha, but she looks like Elsie
I don't want to go to Chelsea
Oh no, it does not move me
Even though I've seen the movie
I don't want to check your pulse
I don't want nobody else
I don't want to go to Chelsea
The word upon everyone's lip stickGirls Talk
That you're dedicated
You may not be an old-fashioned girl
You're still going to get dated
She said, "I catch you taking liberties,Crawling To The U.S.A.
And they do not impress me
Attach me to your credit card
And then you can undress me"
I wish I had your confidenceWednesday Week
It's love and not coincidence
Do you say these words to everyone?
You're fantastic, you're terrific
Your excellence is almost scientific
You took the words out of my mouth
You put your tongue into my cheek
But I'd better lose my memory by Wednesday week
Big tears mean nothingBig Tears
You can count them as they fall
Big tears mean nothing
When you're lying in your coffin
Tell me, who's been taken in?
Layin' about, lying in bedJust A Memory
Maybe it was something that I thought I'd said
With the tempo of today
And the temptation of tomorrow
I could give you anything but sorrow
Maureen and Stan at the skating rinkGhost Train
Looking for the drummer who threw up in the sink
Laughing and singing, dressed up like dice
Maybe they could freeze to death out there on the ice
You've never been this farThe Imposter
You've always been too smart
And you know all our boys
Are really girls at heart
This is your big decision
Hope you're not disappointed
He's got double vision
When you want him double jointed
If there's anything that you wantPossession
If there's anything that you need
There's no need, to be evasive
Money talks, and it's persuasive
Now you're sending me your best wishes
Signed with love and vicious kisses
You lack lack, you're so lackluster
Is that all the strength you can muster?
Down on the mainspring, listen to the tick-tockNew Amsterdam
Clock all the faces who move in on your block
Twice shy and dog tired because you've been bitten
Everything you say now sounds like it was ghost-written
I was looking at the black and white worldBlack And White World (undoubtedly inspired by Pictures of Lily from The Who)
Trying to name some pin-up
Those days, she was just a beautiful girl
Now she's framed and hung up
I though she was young until
I saw her last night in close detail
Though they all fade away, when you're so pale
It's more than just a physical attraction
It starts with a face and ends up a fixation
But you're never gonna feel a fraction
Of the way it used to work on your imagination
The subtle touch of authorityTemptation
Will take you anytime down to the station
You say that is all right by me
Now you're living with the curse of sophistication
You're just itching to break her secret laws
As you go from claws to clause
Give me temptation
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