Today’s slow drag is with “Blame It on Cain,” from “My Aim is True,” released in 1977. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. Here we have a singular combination of inherent intelligence that mingles provocatively with the seeds of future brilliance. That is to say, “Blame It on Cain,” a marvel in its own right, serves as the roadmap for future pieces that exploit and expound upon Mr. Costello’s talent for sniper complications, bold and engaging rhyme schemes, and elevated or mundane subject matter that one could argue absolutely flies in the face of the prevailing three-chord disenchantment at the time. “Blame it on Cain” is more administrative than rebellious, which in itself goes right to the heart of the post-punk movement of “musical innovation and rebellion.” I’m a Linguist, not a mathematician, so somebody else might need to explain the mechanics of how this fresh-faced and cheeky piece can possibly be nearly 50 years old. Once upon a time, I had a little money Government burglars took it long before I could mail it to you Still, you are the only one Now I can't let it slip away So, if the man with the ticker tape, tries to take it, this is what I'm gonna say In each of “Blame It on Cain’s” three verses there is no discernable rhyme structure to speak of, nor are their many rhyming pairs. More on that later. This verse does, however, sport the end rhyme of away/say, but with what will go on to be one of Mr. Costello’s brilliant signature moves, his great predilection for slant rhyme. Wedged in the middle of this rhyme is the long /a/ sound in “tape,” creating the melodic sound of away/tape/say. These lines do double duty as they also showcase a Gatling Gun alliteration of the consonance /t/ sound in “Ticker tape tries to take it…” For fun and ultimate futility, let’s see if we can follow the narrative of this first verse. Ok, the taxman took all the money he was going to send someone. Makes perfect sense, so far, despite not knowing who the money was intended for, or why. Even the proclamation that “still you’re the only one” kinda, sorta tracks, but only slightly. But then it’s exactly like thinking “Brazil” is a cogent film, just before it absolutely isn’t. What can’t he “let” slip away? This is another seed of ethereal meaning that Mr. Costello will continue to trade on: the absence of spoon feeding meaning that, of course, goes far beyond what seems possible for one brilliant mind to concoct, yet here we are. The “man with the ticker tape,” more than likely ties back to the notion of money, back to where this verse began, and sets up the chorus well at the same time. The mention of “ticker tape” seems to place this piece in a certain era, like a phone booth or typewriter might these days. But here’s the moral to why a sexy slow drag with even one of Mr. Costello’s more well-known pieces is such a joy. Ticker tape machines had actually fallen out of favor in the 1960s, well before this piece was likely written, replaced on Wall Street by a “black box” that could “print 500 characters a minute.” “Both the rise and the fall of ticker tape reflected the financial industry’s determination to stay on technology’s cutting edge,” an article in “Think Advisor” states, “from the 1860s to the 1960s, the stock market was a key source of financing for countless technologies and the industries that were built around them, ranging from railroads to airplanes to televisions to computers. But what made such financing possible, by enabling stock trading to occur with a speed, accuracy and scale never before seen in history, was the humble ticker tape.” The need to be historically accurate, we can conclude, means very little in light of the vivid image it evokes. Here we see yet another important seed: Mr. Costello’s wildly efficient word economy. A feat that I continue to maintain isn’t as celebrated as much as it should. Blame it on Cain Don't blame it on me Oh, oh, it's nobody's fault but we need somebody to burn As mentioned, the last line of the first verse sets up the chorus beautifully, “this is what I’m gonna say.” These four lines, however, are the equivalent of a summersault. They just keep rolling. Cain killed Abel, it is said, out of jealousy. Got it. So, blame it on him, not me. But wait, it’s nobody’s fault. That’s clearly not true. Nevertheless, we need someone to punish, in this case “burn,” evoking of course, Joan of Arc. As a consequence, the logic chart then points right back to “Blame it on Cain, don’t blame it on me…” And while Joan of Arc isn’t from the bible like Cain is, she’s still considered a saint, so there’s a lot of religion going on in this short but endless chorus. Interesting side note: Joan of Arc will go on to make a more overt appearance in a future Mr. Costello piece from “All this Useless Beauty,” in the song, “Shallow Grave” where he proclaims: “Throw another clown to the lions, throw another Joan on the blaze.” Well, if I was a saint with a silver cup and the money got low we could always heat it up or trade it in then the radio to heaven will be wired to your purse And then you can run down the waveband, coast to coast, hand in hand Bad to worse, curse for curse, don't be dissatisfied So, you're not satisfied Here we have another inkling of the full-fledged genius to come. While not explicitly mentioning Joan of Arc above, the very next line voices the word he didn’t need to use in the chorus: “saint.” As with the first verse, this second verse turns its focus to the pragmatic administrative angle. But why would a saint need money? Let’s not get sidetracked with imponderables right now. He details well the options at their disposal, however, “heat it up, or trade it in.” This, apparently, gets you in good with God. Again, more seeds of brilliance being sewn. Then, we’re confronted with a potential multiple entendre of “run down” as he continues to riff on the “radio” theme by mentioning a “waveband,” the range of invisible wavelengths that fall between “two given limits, used in radio transmission.” “Coast to coast” tickles me for a couple of reasons. To begin, it creates a great rhyme with worse/curse, and it’s also a term not particularly associated with the British Isles. This, perhaps, foreshadows Mr. Costello’s budding worldliness. “Coast to coast” is a very familiar American expression, commonly associated with radio’s reach, a little short of the “radio to heaven,” but close enough. Incidentally, “hand in hand,” as you probably know, will go on to be the title of a song found on “This Year’s Model,” his next album and the first with “The Attractions.” This also is a seed, a harbinger of inclinations to come. This verse ends with another cyclical argument, just as the chorus does. You can get stuck in this cycle for days: “don’t be dissatisfied, so you’re not satisfied, blame it on Cain, don’t blame it on me…” This loop, take note, will go on to be closed soon enough. And it does so with journeyman brilliance. I think I lived a little too long on the outskirts of town I think I'm going insane from talking to myself for so long Oh, but I never been accused But when they step upon your face, they wear that good look grin I gotta break out one weekend before I do somebody in But every single time I feel a little stronger they tell me it's a crime, well, how much longer? The flipped narrative of never having been accused, but then threatening to “break out one weekend before” he actually commits a crime is scandalous in its implications. A “good luck grin” sounds like an idiom, but Mr. Google and I could only find one reference, a bourbon and sherry cocktail out of Massachusetts called “Encyclopedia Brown #2: Good luck grin.” I could very easily believe that this has been lifted from “Blame It on Cain,” but I have no conclusive evidence. What I do know is that this verse, again with my “seed” motif, sports another enduring hallmark of Mr. Costello’s poetry: the identical rhyme. And while I’m not quite sure if the repeated words in the previous verse count as identical rhymes, this verse absolutely uses the identical rhyme of “long.” It’s mentioned three times. “I lived a little too long” (nice alliteration as well), “from talking to myself for so long,” and then, just to remove all doubt of his poetic proficiency, if there ever were any to begin with, he uses “long” again, cleverly placing it within the end rhyme of stronger/longer, creating a slant rhyme inside his identical rhyme. It’s little wonder this man is a hero to many. Now it’s time to close the loop as promised. The chorus that tumbles and tumbles, crashing into the verses, abruptly, boldly, and decisively closes with one indisputable turn of phrase: but it just seems to be his turn — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Blame It on Cain” from 1977’s “My Aim is True.” Perhaps the moral of this story is to never underestimate the power of a sexy slow drag with an Elvis Costello piece, even an incredibly well-known and messy gem like this one. There are so many linguistic and poetic feats that continue to feature prominently in Mr. Costello’s canon, contained all within a span of 2:50. Other precious gems from “My Aim is True” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episodes 22, “And His Castanets,” a slow drag with “Waiting for the End of the World,” episode 36, “It’s the Way That You Walk,” a slow drag with “Miracle Man,” episode 58, “All I Ever Do is Bow,” a slow drag with “No Dancing,” and episode 77, “Raised on Romance,” that’s a slow drag with “Pay It Back.” 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 on Spotify, Apple Music, and ad free on Amazon Music. The podcast is ad free on all these platforms. It’s a passion project, after all. So, please follow the show where ever you listen so you won’t miss an episode. You can find me on social media by searching for my name, Remedy Robinson, or the name of my podcast, “Slow Drag with Remedy.” As a reminder, as I continue writing my second novel, “The Macron and the Breve,” I’ve placed the audiobook version of my first novel, “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” on YouTube. Please follow the link provided if you’d like to listen for free. I know you’ll love it. So, when you do, please go to Amazon, buy the Kindle or paperback version, and leave it a five-star review. As well, if you or someone you know needs voice work in your podcast, ad, or any other sort of project that needs a sultry voiced American woman, please get in touch. I’d love to lend my voice to whatever you need. 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. Comments are closed.
|
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 |