Today’s slow drag is with “There’s a Story in Your Voice” from “The Delivery Man,” released in 2004. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. The premise seems simple enough: riff on the oral tradition of fairy tales as they relate to relationships. The result, of course, is far more nuanced, recursive, and pleasing to those who fancy metaphors, innuendo, and attention to detailed cleverness. Fans of Lucinda Williams rejoice as she’s one of the “voices” that has a story. Fans of Elvis Costello rejoice as he continues to go from strength to strength, taking his words and augmenting their meaning with a simple silence. Who knew that the utterly sublime 2023 “My Most Beautiful Mistake” from “The Boy Named If,” would go on to help recontextualize, or more correctly, key me into the true structure of a great piece that I thought I’d memorized nearly 20 years ago? It’s a duet, yes, but now I’m wondering if I’m the only one who’s just noticing how this duet actually works. If you haven’t noticed either, then you’ll soon see what I mean, and perhaps it will make you feel as tingly and as impressed as it made me. This is a truly great day in Slow Drag history. Once upon another time If you had the need I'd step right in the shoes that you've been walking 'Cos someone put the hurt in you For everyone to see And you only have to speak to tell your fortune Even when calling upon a familiar notion to frame his thesis, Mr. Costello is a master at busting such phrases, bending these idioms to his will. Not just once upon a time, but “another” time. Is this something that’s not just happened before, but keeps happening? It’s a disruption that helps us linger over the words a little longer than we might. The chivalry that introduces this piece is downright charming, if not slightly insulting. The ambiguity of it blindfolds and spins us around three times before diving into the rest of this snappy parable. There's a story in your voice Both by damage and by choice It tells of promises and pleasure And a tale of wine and woe The uneasy time to come And the long way 'round we go to get there With a charming slant rhyme infused chorus with an aa/b/cc/b structure, it’s an implication of how we wear our pasts like a badge, augmenting them with slights we collect and hold on to along the way. We know where it’ll lead, but as the man says, we’re just taking our time getting there. Voice/choice, woe/come, and then the nearly forgotten pleasure/there end rhymes reflect a clumsy confessional, as damage/promises makes sure the narrator lifts up the sentiment with a bit of bravado. As alluded to in my introduction, this chorus will go on to transform itself into much more than a mere duet by virtue of, what else? A voice. Each word will double in on itself and expose the underbelly of damage and pleasure. Once you told me fairytales Everybody knows But I didn't care for their prediction Now you say you're leaving me And packing up your clothes I finally see you were a work of fiction The pithy staggered rhymes continue in this second verse, voiced entirely by the unmistakable gravel of Lucinda Williams. Represented here by the familiar voice of “Dangerous Amusements” podcast host, Stu Arrowsmith. Knows/clothes, prediction/fiction help frame the repudiation of a “happily ever after” scenario in a rather no-nonsense fashion. What do you image the clothes to look like? In addition to the story building in the voice, there’s so much that is left unspoken that perhaps tells yet another story altogether. There's a story in your walk Then you crumble just like chalk And I could say that I was sorry But I wouldn't mean it much There are pages I can't touch And something that's been torn out of this chapter The rhyme of walk/chalk helps anchor these words as they steer the narrative further into the strength of voices. In this case, the first two lines of this six-line verse are voiced entirely by Lucinda Williams. The next three lines had always sounded like a duet, a comingling of Lucinda’s and Mr. Costello’s distinct voices, or so it seemed. Upon closer inspection, one where I shut up and leave the singing to professionals, it’s actually a duet in only three syllables that come at the very end of these lines. Was sorry/mean it much/I can’t touch. Lucinda then brings it home, at least in this verse, all on her own. In a piece about the story in your voice, this cannot be a mere flourish or meaningless slight of vocal hand, certainly. Or can it? I don’t claim to have the answer, just the observation that comes from dancing a slow drag with the material. As scintillating as this small revelation is, we can’t let the voices overshadow the paradox brought on by the pages that can’t be touched, despite having something torn out of the chapter. Again, I don’t have the answer, just a healthy appreciation for the sustained cleverness that abounds in Mr. Costello’s canon. Far away, not far enough 'Cos I can still recall How it felt when I read that last sentence Now I go inside some rooms with Gideon in them all And hide myself from all hope of repentance A verse all his own again, remember the mention of the “long way ‘round we go to get there” as Mr. Costello proclaims that “far away” isn’t far enough in this verse. It’s fun trying to reconcile competing and complementary statements. Then it’s back to the mention of fairy tales, or maybe it’s meant to mean punishment, before retreating to what is obviously a hotel room, where the hijinks that can be gotten up to in there mitigates any bible verse that preaches the contrary. There's a story in your eyes Cheap sunglasses might disguise But when the bedroom light reveals All that bravado and that fright That you cover up in spite Attempts to strip away this fabrication The first two lines of this verse, exactly like the last duetted verse, are Lucinda Williams’ alone. The third, fourth, and fifth lines, once again, find Mr. Costello’s voice added to only the last three syllables: light reveals/and that fright/up in spite. And again, it’s Lucinda Williams who takes the last line, one that this time mirrors her previous assertion that the other person was a work of fiction. In addition to a story in your voice, there’s also been a story in your walk, and now there’s a story in your eyes. These two last features seem far less powerful than the voice. The story in the voice doesn’t crumble, it can’t be disguised. It’s a story, remember, in a voice that is “both by damage and by choice.” So, while many other stories have been considered, it’s pretty clear that it’s all about the voice. There's a story in your voice Both by damage and by choice It tells of promises and pleasure And a tale of wine and woe The uneasy time to come And the long way 'round we go to get there This repeated chorus uses the exact wording as the first time it is sung by Mr. Costello alone. Only, this time it is presented using the same duet pairing as the fourth and sixth verses. Lucinda Williams announces Mr. Costello’s thesis of a story in your voice, then goes on to sing the third, fourth, and fifth lines, again using the haunting device of duetting only the last three syllables: and pleasure/wine and woe/time to come. In contrast to the previous duetted lines, however, the very last line of the piece finds both voices together through the entire line, “and the long way ‘round we go to get there.” — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “There’s a Story in Your Voice” from 2004’s “The Delivery Man.” It’s another one of Mr. Costello’s patented idiom-busting pieces filled with twists and turns, not least of which the strategic withholding of key words throughout the duet. And, I’ll say it again, if it weren’t for the beguiling structure of “My Most Beautiful Mistake” from 2023’s “The Boy Named If,” I might not have noticed this gorgeous quirk. And again, I’m really curious to know if you noticed this right away, or if it took time, or if this is brand new to you as well. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. Other gems from “The Delivery Man” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episodes 16 and 17, “I Might Recite a Small Prayer,” and “The Quickening Art,” that’s a slow drag and a supplemental episode of “Bedlam,” episode 27, “Or Maybe I Really Love You,” a slow drag with “Needle Time,” episode 52, “The Worthless Bum,” a slow drag with the delightful “Monkey to Man,” and episode 88, “I Had My Fingers Crossed, that’s a slow drag with “Nothing Clings Like Ivy.” As always, thank you for helping to get the word out about this little passion project. Truly, it means the world. So, until next time, adieu, my little ballyhoo. Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowdragremedy Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “There’s a Story in Your Voice” http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/There%27s_A_Story_In_Your_Voice “There’s a Story in Your Voice” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6dXZNT-Sd4 Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” Comments are closed.
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AboutSlow Drag with Remedy is an Elvis Costello podcast appreciation. It's an exploration of linguistics, language, poetry, and clever wordplay as framed by the peerless poetry of the modern-day master, Elvis Costello. Slow Drag by Song
Poor Napoleon Alibi Church Underground The Big Light Georgie and Her Rival Joe Porterhouse No Hiding Place 20% Amnesia All This Useless Beauty Let Him Dangle King of Thieves Damnation's Cellar Stripping Paper Pidgin English Riot Act Bedlam The Quickening Art Luxembourg Chemistry Class Living in Paradise My Mood Swings Waiting for the End of the World Little Atoms Two Little Hitlers Crimes of Paris You Tripped at Every Step Needle Time Men Called Uncle Peace in Our Time The Loved Ones I Almost Had a Weakness Our Little Angel Invasion Hit Parade Turpentine Miracle Man A Voice in the Dark The Greatest Thing Satellite Hand in Hand Clubland Tart Glitter Gulch Stations of the Cross Science Fiction Twin Possession This Sad Burlesque Flutter and Wow Soul for Hire After the Fall Blue Chair Monkey to Man Mouth Almighty Watch Your Step ...This Town... Distorted Angel Worthless Thing No Dancing Miss Macbeth Charm School Poor Fractured Atlas Brilliant Mistake My Little Blue Window Suspect My Tears Coal Train Robberies Fish 'n' Chip Papers I Hope You're Happy Now Man Out of Time 13 Steps Lead Down Go Away Sweet Pear The Name of This Thing is Not Love Jimmie Standing in the Rain The Deportees Club The Birds Will Still Be Singing Starting to Come to Me Pay It Back Five Small Words Pretty Words Radio Silence Human Hands Night Rally I'll Wear It Proudly Motel Matches Drum and Bone Harpies Bizarre Nothing Clings Like Ivy Why Won't Heaven Help Me Next Time 'Round The River in Reverse A Room with No Number Clown Strike The Invisible Man My Most Beautiful Mistake All the Rage The Town Where Time Stood Still Episode of Blonde e of Blonde No Flag A Slow Drag with Josephine That Bridge I Burned Sour Milk Cow Blues You Little Fool Spooky Girlfriend Suit of Lights There's a Story in Your Voice Dishonor The Stars The Other Side of Summer Mischievous Ghost They're Not Laughing at Me Now White Knuckles Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind? Black and White World The World and His Wife
God's Comic The First to Leave Green Shirt The Man You Love to Hate Lip Service American Gangster Time Blame It on Cain The Spell That You Cast Lipstick Vogue The Difference Stella Hurt Tears before Bedtime |