Today’s slow drag is with “Suit of Lights” from “King of America,” released in February, 1986. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name. There’s a sense of loneliness, of insolation that permeates this piece. The product of too much time on one’s hands. Perhaps the same could be said of so many other pieces on this brilliant testament to the power of starting over, a high wire adventure without a familiar net below. “Suit of Lights” is self-referential in a way that seems to transcend the plight of a touring musician, and places it squarely in the realm of a slightly Shakespearean tragedy. Then again, tragedy and comedy never stray far from each other, as this piece threatens to burst out laughing as it tries to hold onto its stoic petulance. It’s a grumpy anthem of simple condescension that we only wish we could have been clever enough to have thought of. While Nat King Cole sings "Welcome to My World" You request some song you hate, you sentimental fool And it's the force of habit If it moves then you fuck it If it doesn't move you stab it And I thought I heard "The Workin’ Man's Blues" He went to work that night and wasted his breath Outside there was a public execution Inside he died a thousand deaths And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they put him in a suit of lights Nearly recursive in nature, this first verse, along with the chorus, makes no bones about the state of affairs our narrator views the world in, and it’s pretty bleak. Any recognizable rhyme scheme is obliterated by pop and bygone references, keen observations, and metaphors that just might pertain to the matador, the bullfighter, the center of attention, the man with a calling, a public spectacle of a stabbing death. As conversant and playful as Mr. Costello is with idioms and how to bust them wide open, it isn’t often when this master ventures into the pantheon of another English master, in this respect, “Julius Caesar” Act II while speaking of the Ides of March. “Cowards die many times before their deaths / The valiant never tastes death but once.” Is this an allusion? Or is this a mere coincidence? In the perforated first editions Where they advocate the hangman's noose And tell the sorry tale of the spent Princess Her uncouth escort looking down her dress Anyway, they say that she wears the trousers And learnt everything that she does And doesn't know if she should tell him yes Or let him go Noose/uncouth, even when the humor seems to flag, the crisp hospital corners of language remain front and center. The revisionist history that “Let Him Dangle” will provide in a few short years infuses this mention of a “hangman’s noose” with far more contempt than it hints at here. And, of course, there might be more actual storytelling history that can be traced back to a fine video for “Everyday I Write the Book.” The use of the word “anyway,” as in, “anyway, they say that she wears the trousers,” as in we got a little off track there, so let’s refocus and nevermind the gossip, is as understated as it is impactful in this piece. “Anyway” is a simple conjunctive adverb, that in my opinion, serves as an excellent lesson for novice and experienced writers alike. These small words carry such weight when deployed effectively. As for the sentiment of this verse, other than the reference of trousers in a piece entitled, “Suit of Lights,” I’m stymied as to the meaning, but have always known that it belongs right where he placed it. Just another good example of how a Slow Drag can cast a different sort of light on wonderfully familiar words and phrases. But, it's a dog's life in a rope leash or a diamond collar It's enough to make you think right now But you don't bother While Mr. Costello’s peak idiom busting phase seems to have peaked around the incomparable “Imperial Bedroom” period, it’s great to recognize his continued deft sprinkling of these phrases for our amusement as well as his own. Colloquially speaking, “a dog’s life” is one that is unhappy and miserable. That misery, he points out, comes tethered by whatever sort of chain we perceive it to be. It’s a bit of “was it a millionaire…” territory, I’d like to think. As the man said, and he was right, “it’s enough to make you think right now…” I’m so glad we took the time to bother this time. For goodness sake as you cry and shake To keep your face down in the dirt where you belong And think of all the pleasure that it brings Though you know that it's wrong And there's still life in your body But most of all is leaving Can't you give us all a break Can't you stop breathing After the somewhat out-of-character outburst in the first verse, it’s almost cute to hear the mitigated “for goodness’ sake” in this verse, especially when considering it will go on to end with a sharp stab from a blunt blade. There’s a curious mondegreen in the line that proceeds this impressive put down, but who cares? “Can’t you give us all a break / can’t you stop breathing” is a request without peer. And I thought I heard "The Working Man's Blues" I went to work that night and wasted my breath Outside they're painting tar on somebody It's the closest to a work of art that they will ever be And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they put him in a suit of lights And they put him in a suit of lights Here’s another great example of Mr. Costello’s prowess with pronouns and with stellar word economy. “He” went to work, is now “I” went to work. Everyone who is familiar with this piece understands that it references his father “singing his heart out in a working man’s club.” There was no need, therefore, to explain the son taking after his father. All it took was a simple “he” to “I.” In a word, stupendous. —Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Suit of Lights” from 1986’s “King of America.” It’s a towering piece of art that is contemporary and timeless at once. The sentiments expressed cut through propriety in a refreshingly unapologetic manner that endears this piece to us more and more. And even if we didn’t know about the hand-me-down generational occupational hazard, the struggle it creates feel palpable. The rhyme scheme is a scattershot of words and sounds that only a master like Mr. Costello could ever conceive and execute. The images are stark and fleeting. The asides are confounding. The theme, nevertheless, floats on the surface beautifully, even as the grumpiness threatens to pull it asunder. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. Other gems from “King of America” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episode 4, “The Hangover This Morning,” a slow drag with “The Big Light,” episode 33, “Friends Think of Her Fondly,” a slow drag with “Our Little Angel,” episode 43, “It’s Better to Confess,” a slow drag with “Glitter Gulch,” episode 62, “The Present Tense,” a slow drag with “Brilliant Mistake,” and episode 84 “A Hand Full of Eagerness,” a slow drag with the scintillating “I’ll Wear it Proudly.” I’ll be back soon with another slow drag. So, please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. 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, “Suit of Lights” http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Suit_Of_Lights “Suit of Lights” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Ke3f6yfI8 “Welcome to the Club” Nat “King” Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=todFZrhmMc4 “Welcome to My World” Jim Reeves, 1963: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOCCvN8YDuc “Workin’ Man Blues” Merle Haggard” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EwK0NsKdDY “Everyday I Write the Book” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1d4r9awjKE “It’s a Dog’s Life” Idiom: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/its-a-dogs-life 1987 Lasse Hallstrom Film, “My Life as a Dog” Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxzO8Qx96O4 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 |