Today’s slow drag is with “The Difference,” from “The Boy Named If,” released in 2023. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. Among the many superlatives I bandy about with regard to Mr. Costello and his utter genius, all of which are accurate if not understated, it occurrs to me that I’ve yet to use the word “sophisticated” in any of my slow drags. Until now, that is. “The Difference” is an elegant and sophisticated piece that echoes the absurdist fiction of Samuel Beckett. As with Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” both pieces are told in two acts. And, much like the word “Godot,” the word “difference” contains an unmistakable loftiness to it, a clue of sorts. Unlike “Godot,” however, which is arguably a stand in for the word “God,” the true nature of “The Difference” remains, pleasingly slippery, just outside of our reach. I pulled a petal from the flower to tell just where my fortune fell About a boy beyond my caution before I lay beneath his spell Thus, the first act has begun. Two lines of sixteen syllables each. This could be considered an “octameter.” An octameter, as I’ve just learned, is “a line of verse that contains sixteen syllables or eight metrical feet.” And, to bolster my “sophisticated” claim, “It is one of the less common patterns in English language verse.” Contained within the meter is a seemingly sweet act of “he loves me he loves me not,” just before the double entendre doubles back on itself, positioning “lay beneath” on a satin poetic pillow. I say “he loves me” because I suspect the narrator to be a woman, a clever devise Mr. Costello uses from time to time, notably in “Don’t Look Now,” from the Grammy award winning, “Look Now.” I feel this is an important point, given how quotes marks are used in this amazing piece. And he said, "Do you know, do you know, do you, by chance, know wrong from right?" "Do you know, do you know, do you know what turns pleasure to plight? If you trust me, I know it may seem strange I'll show you the way down into the underworld" This, of course, is a slow drag with Mr. Costello’s lyrics, and I’ve really no business commenting on the music itself, but in this instance, I feel I must make an exception, as Pete Thomas’ strategic little exclamations after words such as “trust me,” and “strange” are simply spine tingling. Perhaps this is called a chorus, as it does repeat, but I’m looking at it is act one, scene one after the octameter prelude. Our narrator is repeating what someone else has said. The last two lines are noteworthy, as they will shift in subsequent retelling. Repetition in songs is normal and expected, I suppose. Mr. Costello’s repetition, in this instance, however, is charming and, here’s the word again, sophisticated, when he adds the appositive, “by chance,” “do you, by chance, know wrong from right?” This creates a strong hint of refinement and innocence that might help mask how someone is, in actuality, preying upon someone else. Do you know wrong from right? Do you know what turns pleasure into something very difficult? These are sincere questions with sinister overtones. (Side note: I’ve just now realized overtones and undertones mean virtually the same thing.) I did just what he asked me to Lifted my skirt to show him my shoe Upon a reel of the finest fiddlehead Light as the dance around Milady's bed The steps came faster at his insistence 'Til he showed me all about the difference Just when you think it’s going to get salacious, Mr. Costello slows the tempo by evoking a prudish costume drama instead. Words such as “fiddlehead” and “Milady” help cement in time this second scene of act one. Well, I say “fiddlehead” sounds dated, but that was just my guess until I looked it up. Native to North America, a fiddlehead is a fern of sorts, an amazing looking spiral green plant thingy that seems as if it’s edible. I’m not sure what “a reel of the finest fiddlehead” is exactly, but I do admire how the name of a dance is inserted just before the mention of a dance. As with his architecture, Mr. Costello seems to hone in on astounding visuals. And I came across a quick YouTube video called “Fiddlehead Reel” that I recommend. It tracks the lifecycle of a fiddlehead, $16 a pound, while a man named Bill Spence, well, fiddles. But let’s remember what we’ve come here for. The intentionally chaste-sounding dance takes place around a bed, turning sultry and frenetic, something far more sexual than could have been guessed when this scene started. And then they reach the absurd climax, punctuated by a word we cannot affix a pragmatic definition to, being shown the “difference.” Either way, it certainly is an absurd imponderable. And after all that action, that’s the end of act one. "It's not about the things I promised, it's not about the vow we broke If I am faithless or dishonest it's just the gaze that you provoke" This second act starts the same as the first: with two lines of 16 syllables each. Only this time, the words are in quotes. This is not said by the person picking petals. I’m fascinated by the lack of culpability, the projection going on in this short span of time. First, dismissing what is presumably a broken promise, then assigning the blame of a broken vow to both parties. By definition, there is usually only one person who can break a vow, unless both parties are guilty, but then that would be the “vows,” plural, that were broken. This assertion is staggering in its hubris. The simpering projection continues with an “if” statement, blaming it on what I interpret as the “male gaze.” The male gaze is described as “a way of portraying and looking at women that empowers men while sexualizing and diminishing women.” All this action has taken place in 32 syllables. Mr. Costello’s sophisticated use of word economy is on full display. And he said, "Do you know, do you know, do you, by chance, know wrong from right?" "Do you know, do you know, do you know what turns pleasure to plight? If you kiss me, at first it may seem strange I'll show you the way into another world" This chorus, or the first scene of the second act after the introduction, repeats verbatim what was said in the first act, save for the last two lines. Where it was “if you trust me, I know it may seem strange” is now, “if you kiss me, at first it may seem strange,” and “I’ll show you the way down into the underworld” is now, “I’ll show you the way into another world.” I’m not sure what the difference between those two places are, honestly. And, I’d rather not use words like “grooming,” or “conditioning,” but sometimes you just can’t look away; especially as we shall find out. My father shamed me just like you Buried my name in a glass or two 'Til he came to me in his darkest house He mistook me, took me for his spouse And my cries for a woman in the distance So, I took this knife to show him the difference It’s not projection this time, but lame justification. As if being drunk is somehow an excuse. This confession, if that’s what it is, is set down in an ab/ab rhyme structure, just like it’s act one counterpart. It is vivid without needing more words to explain a truly horrible situation. The word “mistook” does so much heavy lifting: taking her after mistaking her for his wife. Lyrical, brilliant, and heart breaking. The “woman in the distance” particularly intrigues me. At first glance it could be referencing a mother or stepmother, but I reckon this could be a bit of disassociation, which would make it all the more psychological and messed up. Again, we’re left to sort out the pragmatics of the word, “difference.” Thus concludes the two-act play itself. Prelude, first scene, and second scene performed in both acts. The only business left to attend to is the denouement, the part where everything comes together. 'Til he came to me in his darkest house He mistook me, took me for his spouse And my cries for the woman in the distance So, I used this knife to show him the difference Just another good reason to do a slow drag with Mr. Costello’s brilliant work. Did you notice? I confess it didn’t really register with me until now. The last line of the “play” spoke about how “I took this knife to show him the difference,” with Pete Thomas’ beautiful exclamation on the word, “knife.” Here in the denouement, the action is finalized, “So I used this knife to show him the difference.” This nearly undefinable word is used three times throughout this piece: “Til he showed me all about the difference. “So, I took this knife to show him the difference.” And, “So, I used this knife to show him the difference.” The dual meaning of penetration and life/death is beyond clever, beyond other words that could have ever take its place. — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “The Difference” from 2023’s “The Boy Named If.” My word, this piece is haunting. I hope you agree that the word “sophisticated” is not an overstatement. The structure, the rhyme, the allegory, the imagery, the restraint it must have taken to tell this harrowing story concisely; all simply remarkable. And, bonus, in true Mr. Costello fashion, the cognitive dissonance, ala “The Other Side of Summer,” provides the listener a choice of how we’d like to approach how we react to this piece on a visceral level. Other precious gems from “The Boy Named If” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are “His Magnum Opus,” that’s a slow drag with “My Most Beautiful Mistake,” a piece I continue to truly be besotted by. Interestingly, both “The Difference” and “My Most Beautiful Mistake” use the word, “faithless.” This is noteworthy because it is truly rare occurrence to find the same low frequency word in two places on one album, and episode 118, “A Masquerade of Dignity,” that’s a slow drag with “The Man You Love to Hate.” 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 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 wherever you listen so you won’t miss an episode, and spread the word about this niche podcast to anyone you think might enjoy it as well. You can find me on social media by searching for my name, Remedy Robinson, or the name of my podcast, “Slow Drag with Remedy.” I’d love to hear your thoughts. 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. And 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. 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/slowdragwithremedy.com Email: [email protected] “Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f521a34-2ed9-4bd4-a936-1ad107969046/slow-drag-with-remedy-an-elvis-costello-appreciation References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Difference” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=The_Difference “The Difference” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tvg-OfP1LA Octameter: https://poemanalysis.com/poetic-meter/#:~:text=Octameter%20Octameter%20refers%20to%20a,patterns%20in%20English%20language%20verse. The difference between undertone and overtone https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/undertone-and-overtone What is an appositive: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appositive Fiddlehead Reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDYe6ZMs3K4 Fiddlehead: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddlehead The Male Gaze: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-male-gaze-5118422 Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” 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 |