Throughout his career, Elvis Costello has to his credit explored many different genres of music, from the spiky guitar pop of his early albums, to the country and western projects of the early 80s and mid 90s, to his experiments with The Brodsky Quartet and writing collaborations with the likes of Allen Toussaint and Paul McCartney.
However, it is on the song Shipbuilding that Costello seems to find a lyric that combines a righteous anger with a level of compassion and sensitivity perhaps not normally associated with his songwriting, and it is this song I find contains the most poignant Elvis Costello lyrics in his entire catalogue. Most interestingly, the melody had already been written by a Costello producer Clive Langer - but, being unhappy with his own words, gave it to Costello who thus expressed his deep disenchantment with The Falklands War, as presided over by the Margaret Thatcher government at that time in the UK.
Initially, the song was recorded by ex Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt, reaching the lower end of the top forty in Britain in 1983, but Costello was to record his own version for the later album Punch The Clock.
Here are some sample lines
Well, I ask you
The boy said "Dad, they're going to take me to task,
But I'll be back by Christmas."
The above is a clear reference to the UK military contingent, sent to The Falkland Islands in 1982 and named by the Conservative government as the British Task Force. The conflict came into existence when Argentina, then under the rule of a military junta headed by one General Galtieri, invaded the islands in an attempt to 'reclaim The Malvinas' which the country had historically considered rightfully theirs. The USA, represented by their Secretary of State Alexander Haig, embarked on a frenetic course of "shuttle diplomacy" in an ultimately fruitless quest to prevent an outbreak of hostilities. The UK regained control of the islands within the year and Galtieri was toppled from power.
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
Costello accurately captured the despair at his country being involved in something ugly and destructive, instead of something beautiful. Written prior to the sinking of the Argentine battleship, General Belgrano, the song assumed a greater degree of poignancy and prescience as time went by. The writer would never really scale these heights again.
However, it is on the song Shipbuilding that Costello seems to find a lyric that combines a righteous anger with a level of compassion and sensitivity perhaps not normally associated with his songwriting, and it is this song I find contains the most poignant Elvis Costello lyrics in his entire catalogue. Most interestingly, the melody had already been written by a Costello producer Clive Langer - but, being unhappy with his own words, gave it to Costello who thus expressed his deep disenchantment with The Falklands War, as presided over by the Margaret Thatcher government at that time in the UK.
Initially, the song was recorded by ex Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt, reaching the lower end of the top forty in Britain in 1983, but Costello was to record his own version for the later album Punch The Clock.
Here are some sample lines
Well, I ask you
The boy said "Dad, they're going to take me to task,
But I'll be back by Christmas."
The above is a clear reference to the UK military contingent, sent to The Falkland Islands in 1982 and named by the Conservative government as the British Task Force. The conflict came into existence when Argentina, then under the rule of a military junta headed by one General Galtieri, invaded the islands in an attempt to 'reclaim The Malvinas' which the country had historically considered rightfully theirs. The USA, represented by their Secretary of State Alexander Haig, embarked on a frenetic course of "shuttle diplomacy" in an ultimately fruitless quest to prevent an outbreak of hostilities. The UK regained control of the islands within the year and Galtieri was toppled from power.
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
Costello accurately captured the despair at his country being involved in something ugly and destructive, instead of something beautiful. Written prior to the sinking of the Argentine battleship, General Belgrano, the song assumed a greater degree of poignancy and prescience as time went by. The writer would never really scale these heights again.
No comments:
Post a Comment