Today’s slow drag is with “Miracle Man,” from “My Aim is True,” released in 1977. The songwriting is credited to the shiny new moniker, Elvis Costello. The name was said to be the brainchild of his manager, and I tend to believe it, but I still wonder what other names were in contention. Frank, perhaps? I imagine there were many more. Take “Miracle Man,” for instance. It’s a song that reportedly started as “Baseball Heroes,” and then went through a few revisions before “Miracle Man” as we would come to know it, slotted in right after “Welcome to the Working Week” on Mr. Costello’s debut album. Who wants to be a Baseball Hero Out in the center field sun Sitting on the edge of a hometown ledge Always waiting for that final run There’s a link to the full lyrics of “Baseball Heroes” and a short explanation in the show notes. It’s from the dynamite Elvis Costello Wiki Page. It’s a wealth of information that I can’t say enough good things about. Keep repeating that number Keep on waving your hand But you know that walking on the water Won't make you a miracle man This is the chorus found on the Flip City version of “Miracle Man.” No more baseball talk in this version, just a guarded mention of romantic turmoil, but even then, it’s not explicit. The first verse begins: Let's take a look at the situation And size it up right from the start We've been together just a little too long For a little bit of losing to tear us apart "What can you do to amuse me?" I heard the lady cry Well, I never thought that so much trouble Was resting upon reply Ah, and there it is. Now it’s starting to sound familiar. Here’s the opening that we all know and love. You never asked me what I wanted. You only asked me why I never thought that so much trouble was resting on my reply, I could say it was the nights when I was lonely and you were the only one who'd talk I could tell you that I like your sensitivity, when you know it's the way that you walk Instead of relying on preamble like that found in the first two versions, this version comes into the room striding with purpose. It throws itself right into the action. The rhyming pair of lonely/sensitivity complements the structure of this verse well. Starting with a/a of why/reply, then moving to a staggered a/b structure with talk/walk breaking up the smart slant rhyme. Of lonely/sensitivity. Why do you have to say that there's always someone who can do it better than I can? But don't you think that I know that walking on the water won't make me a miracle man? Of these three versions, this final version is where the first person is more overtly used. It’s a small detail, perhaps, but as I’ve mentioned, Mr. Costello’s ability to capture observations of the outside world, as opposed to simply reporting his immediate introspective joys and sorrows, is a lesson to all aspiring poets and a testament to his continued ability to manufacture unique soundscapes that never seem to get old or sound trite. Baby's gotta have the things she wants You know she's gotta have the things she loves She's got a ten-inch bamboo cigarette holder and her black patent leather gloves And I'm doing everything just tryin' to please her, even crawling around on all fours Oh, I thought by now that it was gonna be easy, but she still seems to want for more In “Baseball Heroes,” mention is made of Lucky Strike cigarettes. And while not mentioned outright, there is the ethereal understanding of baseball gloves, certainly. So, to see the reworking of these seemingly disparate themes is a great example of a nimble mind. I hear they're givin' you a bad reputation just because you've never been denied You try to say you've done it all before Baby, you know that you just get tired But everybody loves you so much, girl I just don't know how you stand the strain Oh, I, I'm the one who's here tonight, and I don't wanna do it all in vain The exploration of a woman that might be desirable yet somehow difficult remains articulate and enticing. It never dips into objectification or sexism. It’s a picture of strength, of exotic style, of how nothing can be enough. Take a listen to this alternative third verse. Notice how closely it follows the same rhyme scheme. You know seven men that want to be monkeys And six that never get denied And five that say they've done it all before And four that say they just get tired And three of the handsomest men in the country And two that can do it again and again But I'm the one who's here tonight And I don't want to do it all in vain All of these different and preceding versions of “Miracle Man” contributed in a positive way to this finished product. Going through their timeline also helps to highlight how making something precious is really just a detriment. All writers have words that we think we’d fight to the death for, but if we just let go maybe, just maybe, something better will come along. All of Mr. Costello’s versions of this piece have merit. “Baseball Heroes” has a sweet charm to it: “Yeah the ball went up and it didn’t come back / they were sitting by the side of the track / somebody said ‘did you see that?” The early Flip City version featured a fair amount of self-deprecation, as in “they laughed at me standing in disgrace / I put my best foot forward then I fell on my face,” that thankfully was tempered in the final version to a palatable amount of self-loathing, “crawling around on all fours,” is debasing, but not a failing in itself. “But don’t you think that I know that walking on the water won’t make me a miracle man?” shifts from personal failing to unreasonable expectations beautifully. And thus, a living legend was christened and sent out into the world. — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Miracle Man” from 1977’s “My Aim is True.” It was the third or so recorded iteration of a song that started as an homage to his father’s love of all things American, baseball as its embodiment, and then shifted into the zeitgeist of the three-minute pop song with all the love, rejection, and intrigue worthy of airplay. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. I highly recommend going back and listening to Episode 22 of “Slow Drag with Remedy,” “And His Castanets.” It’s a slow drag with “Waiting for the End of the World,” another gem from “My Aim is True.” So, until next time, adieu, my little ballyhoo. 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 |