Episode 4 :: "The Hangover This Morning Had a Personality," a Slow Drag with "The Big Light"9/2/2020
The phrase, “passion project” keeps running through my mind. So, I had to look it up to make sure it meant what I thought it meant. I’m a Linguist, that’s part of what we do: we chase language down rabbit holes.
I came a 2016 Huffington Post piece by life coach Pam Bauer that refers to a “passion project” as a “trendy name for doing something that excites and inspires you.” In short, it’s something you “don’t need a purpose” for. A quick run through Google’s Ngram viewer, the graph that plots word usage in books over the years, confirms that the term “passion project” remained relatively flat until around 1995, when it began to rise steadily in usage through the latest reporting, in 2008. Conclusion: turning my love affair with the masterful poetry of Elvis Costello into an appreciation of his work both excites and inspiresme; therefore it is decidedly a “passion project.” Frankly, I’m surprised I’ve not been beaten to the punch. As much as I think I already know these words inside and out, these slow drags keep revealing angles that go far beyond mere straight, acute, right, and obtuse. I’ll say it again. Mr. Costello’s music and voice are all simply amazing. But, for me, it’s always been about the words. Stark and mischievous, his words are a menagerie of clever rhyme, engaging storytelling, and mental imagery that breaths fresh life into old tropes. That’s why I prefer to simply linger over the genius of the poetry itself. So, as I’ve established, this appreciation is a passion project. This passion project is simply an appreciation. It’s an appreciation of a peerless poet, of a modern day master, Elvis Costello. ---- Today’s slow drag is with “The Big Light” from “King of America,” released in 1986. The songwriting is credited to Mr. Costello’s birth name. I have quite the soft spot for this entire album. So why, when there are so many deeper and more heartrending peaches ready to be plucked from “King of America?,” why have I chosen to do a slow drag with a frenzied little 2:34 second ditty that’s probably little more than a song about having two or ten too many? Simple: It’s title. Well, that and to prove a point. While it’s my ambition to indulge in a slow drag with each song where the writing credit is Elvis Costello’s alone, the more familiar songs are, understandably, much lower on my dance card. Arguably his most universally recognized song is “Alison.” Which, by the way, I firmly believe that for every swooning Alison, there is a Roxanne experiencing an equal and opposite reaction. Released nine years before “King of America,” “Alison” has clearly set his epitaph in amber. I think somebody better put out the big light, Cos I can't stand to see you this way. Those amazing lines from “Alison,” of course. Arbitrary, it is thoughtful or it is murderous, either way it’s legendary. A lesser poet might put these words under glass. But it’s the fearlessness I admire most. For, “The Big Light,” he has removed this phrase from the conversation, started again at the beginning, with no trace of its predecessor. It’s just a plan to have a good night out on the town. Well I had a little feeling to have a big night And I woke up feeling small and not so brave and not quite right This is certainly a familiar feeling for many. But notice the rhyme: rhyming feeling with feeling is bold. The consonance of “big” and “brave,” and then the rattled off threesome of night, quite, and right, all in the span of two lines; so pleasing to the ears. A “little feeling” that turned into “feeling small” comes close to “ironic repetition,” but takes it one step further. Brilliant. Grand plans made, realized, then executed. What comes next? The obvious, of course. These lines are a master class in how to spice up the “I drink I get drunk” lament. Had to face the who am, where is she, what did I do But worst of all I had to face the big light Here we have another eggcorn, or a mondegreen as they are also called; a misheard word or phrase. The extensive (23,000+ pages) “Elvis Costello Wiki, a resource for Elvis Costello fans,” has the word “worst,” as in “worst of all,” but I’d always heard, “first of all,” that he had to face what he’d done, but first he had to deal with the ugly glare of the morning after. As is becoming apparent, there aren’t a lot of veiled meanings and innuendos in this piece. Instead, this gem offers vivid imagery that is as clever as it is relatable. The chorus is placed twice and remains the same each time, which is something of a rarity. The only difference, however, is the intensity in its delivery. It starts strong, and only gets louder, more frenetic, something someone with a hangover might not welcome at such a vulnerable time. The dissonance is wickedly pleasing. The big light came through my window and it opened up my eyelids And it snapped them up like roller blinds and told me things that I did This combination of light coming through a window and roller blinds going up is silly and adorable. But wait, there’s more Can't face another day and night of good ideas and complications And I'm thankful that I didn't open another bottle of inspiration The day and night that is now difficult to face seems like a restatement, perhaps, of the “little feeling to have a big night” decision. Once bitten, so they say. But, as he points out, it could have been worse, at least there’s still something to be thankful for. These next lines make me a little giddy: When the hangover this morning had a personality And I cast my shattered mind over selected memories Finishing with I didn't even touch the light switch so I knew I'd never see The Haggard face that would be staring back at me I love it. Again, reading the written words, I notice the word “Haggard” is capitalized. Is this a reference to Merle Haggard? It’s conceivable, I suppose. EC covered his song, “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down” on the 1981 “Almost Blue.” He’s “hurtin’ in an old familiar way.” I’m not very familiar with Merle Haggard, so I looked him up. He died on his 79th birthday. I admire that sense of symmetry. I also found the song, “Are the Good Times Really over. The line: “Back before Elvis, back before the Vietnam war,” reminds me of the fearlessness of a poet who would repurpose an immortal line, such as, “The Big Light.” It’s the same poet who has made references to “Elvis” in no fewer than seven of his songs, one of the latest and most blatant can be found in “The Delivery Man” title track, “In a certain light he looked like Elvis. In a certain way he seemed like Jesus.” Again, fearlessness. Well I had a little feeling to have a big time And I woke up to alarm bells like a big church chime Ah, that lovely only-from-too-much-alcohol hypersensitivity. Again, though, notice the complicated styling of such seemingly straightforward words: just as with rhyming feeling and feeling above, here we have big rhyming with big. There’s no rule against this, but I wonder how many poets shy away from this when it’s right there for the taking? As well, the consonance is smooth and almost imperceptible, jam packed in such a small space. The L sounds abound: well, little, feeling, alarm, bells, like. He makes it seems so effortless. I had to face the who am, who is she, what did I do But worst of all I had to face the big light The nearly panicky way he asks “who is she?” makes me almost as giddy as a hangover with a personality. As with all good ideas and bad decisions. The final lines are that of acceptance, perhaps. Oh when it’s time to go out and have a big night Sooner or later you’ve got to face the big light ---- Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag through “The Big Light,” from 1986’s “King of America.” What a delightful song. It’s iconoclastic, vivid, and as I keep saying, fearless. I highly recommend listening to “The Big Light,” and then revisiting “Alison.” No matter how they are arranged, these words are built to last. Listen for the subtle rhymes, the turns of phrases, the economy of explanation and images. “The Big Light” might be 2:34, but it is, to coin a phrase, “mighty like a rose.” Between “Blood and Chocolate” and “King of America,” 1986 must have felt like Christmas had come both early and twice to many avid fans. As a mere 30-year fan myself, I was still a year or so away from finding one of the truest joys in my life. Back then I was still living in a world where Suzanne Vega and Tears for Fears filled the quiet moments. And while they’re great artists with great songs that have made great memories, I still imagine 1986 must have been especially meaningful for all of those who were truly in the know. Thank you so very much for finding this passion project, this appreciation of Elvis Costello’s poetry, and for listening all the way to the end. It’s been so fun going through this amazing little fearless piece of artistry. Please check the show notes for links to the actual song, as well as links to references made in this episode. I’ve added links to all of the songs mentioned in this slow drag. There is also the companion blog with other references for your convenience. I’ve really enjoyed this, and hope you have too. So, until next time, Adieu, my little ballyhoo.
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Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowdragremedy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_with_remedy/ Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag ---------------------- Huffington Post article about passion projects: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-you-should-start-a-passion-project_b_9276604 Google Ngram Viewer: https://books.google.com/ngrams “The Big Light”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my4ESL01ywY Johnny Cash version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWB0lF8Gptk “Alison”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9GlC9GyF4Y The definition of a “ditty” https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ditty “Ironic Repetition” explained: http://www.robertleonardassociates.com/PDF/ForensicLinguistics_Applying-Scientific-Principles.pdf The extensive, accurate, up to date, useful Elvis Costello Wiki page: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Main_Page EC’s version of “Tonight…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyxVahBPYts Merle Haggard’s version of “Tonight…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVq27glkY_A “The Delivery Man” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fnaa-Rf3RY “Are the Good Time Really Over” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS7GGpMkRTo 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 |