Today’s slow drag is with “Green Shirt,” from “Armed Forces,” released in 1979. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. It’s the clever type of piece that makes us feel as if we’re in on the joke, that we know the song is “about” a newsreader. But then, of course, the ensuing indelible words and phrases take the listener on an unexpected journey into the shadowy world of espionage and other forms of treachery. And, as a bonus, there’s even a little bit of sinister sounding architecture. There's a smart young woman on a light blue screen Who comes into my house every night And she takes all the red, yellow, orange and green And she turns them into black and white There are six colors splashed throughout the four lines in an ab/ab rhyme scheme in this first verse. The dual meaning of smart, intelligent and stylish, immediately sets this piece apart with a sophistication not expected in a 2:42 post punk pop song. What I find interesting is how the word “green” is used outside of title, as well as in the title. Mr. Costello is not your ordinary wordsmith. He’s absolutely fearless. His word economy is simply stunning as he captures with one light swipe the nature of how the media collapses in on itself. But you tease, and you flirt And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it This chorus, this ominous threat, will be repeated three times throughout this piece. The first two iterations deploy a bit of an argument by using the conjunction, “but,” a grammatical devise that Mr. Costello continues to use with unparalleled skill. Better cut off all identifying labels Before they put you on the torture table Whether by design or coincidence, the mention of cutting “off all identifying labels” has always reminded me of the so-called “Somerton Man.” He was a smartly dressed unidentified man who was found dead on an Australian beach on December 1, 1948. Part of the enduring intrigue regarding the man’s identity is thanks in large part to having had all of the labels removed from all of his clothes. This led many at the time to conclude that he was a Russian spy. I believe the mystery has been solved rather recently, which of course is far less gripping than the conjecture, yet the association will remain permanently fixed in my mind. Then, of course, there’s the strategically placed mention of a torture table that acts as a perfect primer for the ensuing verse. 'Cause somewhere in the "Quisling Clinic" There's a short time typist taking seconds over minutes She's listening in to the Venus line She's picking out names I hope none of them are mine First, the eggcorn, the mondegreen, pick the expression you prefer to describe a misheard word or phrase. Most lyric sheets online use “shorthand typist,” but I’ve always heard it as “short time typist,” adding lovely alliteration when describing what goes on in the aforementioned Quisling Clinic. The Quisling Clinic’s facade architecture is nearly as interesting as its name, in my opinion. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the Quisling Client was originally a Queen Ann-style structure that was then revamped into is a mid-century streamline Moderne style for the Quisling brothers, physicians originally from Norway. Mr. Costello’s association with the word, as written in “Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink,” however, “had only ever been associated with the Norwegian fascist collaborator from the second world war.” Upstanding as these brothers might have been, their name and the word “torture” sure fit together well. This seems like a good time to reassert that, while “writing about music was like dancing about architecture,” has been attributed to Mr. Costello, it was actually a retelling of a Martin Mull line that Jake Riviera adopted. Regardless of attribute, the evidence is stacking up that Mr. Costello is a fan of architecture, beginning with the art deco of the Hoover Factory, all the way to the mention of the Rococo wall in the Grammy Award winning “Look Now’s” “Stripping Paper.” The man has a good eye, as well as a tremendous ear. If the “Venus Line” is a British reference that Mr. Google and I are not familiar with, please let me know. Does it add more information as to what she’s doing with the names she’s picking out? And while I might not get the reference, I do, nevertheless, get a kick out of how, a Catholic with many names to begin with, who had recently taken on a couple more professional names, and who will add “Aloysius” later on, “hopes” none of the names are his. Never said I was a stool pigeon I never said I was a diplomat Everybody is under suspicion But you don't wanna hear about that More examples of espionage and treachery are chronicled in quick and savvy succession. It’s all right there in black and white, but no one wants to think that they’re the culprit. What a fantastic turn of phrase. 'Cause you tease, and you flirt And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it Better send a begging letter to the big investigation Who put these fingerprints on my imagination? Less of an argument and more of an explanation now, this third iteration of the chorus begins with “because” instead of “but.” In a moment, when the chorus repeats in the outro, both of these words will be dropped, leaving a simple accusation, “you tease and you flirt.” What a difference these small words make. Investigation/imagination, this sturdy end rhyme harnesses beautifully one strong admonishment about sending a begging letter and one perplexing interrogative when he asks, “who put these fingerprints on my imagination?” What an incredible use of narrative to further the intrigue that started, ostensibly, as just another news report. — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Green Shirt” from 1979’s “Armed Forces.” I’m quite aware that there’s been many reams of paper devoted to the exploration and meaning of this little piece of masterwork. I’m certain you know so much more than I do about it, at least in the world outside of this Slow Drag context. But this is an appreciation, this is an exploration of the linguistics and language of Mr. Costello’s work. “Green Shirt” is a timeless piece that expresses the political and personal trepidation at the time that continues to echo. I just love the iconic words and images on their fundamental level. Other precious gems from “Armed Forces” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episode 19, “The Breath That I Waste,” that’s a slow drag with “Chemistry Class,” and episode 24, “A Simple Game of Self Respect,” that’s a slow drag with “Two Little Hitlers.” After 117 Slow Drag with Remedy podcasts, admittedly, this list should be much longer. And while I adore every song, close line reading finds a lot of unmistakable yet unexplainable sex and drugs and rock and roll. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. I’ll be back soon with another slow drag. So, please follow the show so you won’t miss an episode. You can find me on Instagram and Bluesky social, it’s the social media platform created by the well-intended people who made the original Twitter, which I simply can’t support any longer. Please contact me if you need an invitation code. And 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 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/ Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/indoorfirewords.bsky.social Email: [email protected] Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Green Shirt” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Green_Shirt “Green Shirt” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilN9SpD6Y_Q The Somerton Man Mystery: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/have-scholars-finally-identified-the-mysterious-somerton-man-180980540/ Quisling Clinic Photo https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM51270 Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y 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 |