Today’s slow drag is with “Clubland,” from “Trust,” released in 1981. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. It’s a sexy noir smoke-filled room of gatherings, admonishments, and word play that borders on the comically pornographic. As a friend who knew the song much better than I once said, “it’s a bit dirtier than it seems.” With a handful of backhanders and a bevy of beauty Going off limits / Going off duty / Going off the rails / Going off with booty The telltales of fiction found on all the criminal types Lead to a higher-ranking man or a face with thin red stripes Bribes and ill-gotten gains, doused with dancing girls, set the stage for these nights of debauchery. Backhanders/bevy of beauty/booty. This verse isn’t content with landing the triple axel of fantastic rhymes and the wonderful duel meaning of “booty” as both plundered treasure and the feminine wiles, it goes on to run sharp fingernails deep into the skin until blood begins to trickle out. It was this last allusion that made my friend proclaim the song’s erotic intentions. “Get it,” he said, ‘thin red stripes,’ a little pain mixes well with a splash of gin.” That friend is gone now. That friend was brilliant. I really miss that friend. The boys next door The mums and dads New weds and nearly-deads Have you ever been had in Clubland? The mish-mash of people coming together sends the mind in as many different directions as intended. The emphatic question of “have you ever been had” boasts another double entendre that is obvious yet difficult to fully quantify, as an affirmative answer provides no insight into just exactly how, when, and why you’ve been had. There are too many variables to accurately consider in this booze-filled den. Not to mention it’s quite a rude question, as it’s no one’s business but your own. There’s something so grown up and so childish, all at the same time, about this impudent question. I love it. It all sounds so upbeat that it tends to mitigate just how duplicitous its intentions are. There's a piece in someone's pocket to do the dirty work You've come to shoot the pony They've come to do the jerk They leave him half way to paradise They leave you half way to bliss The ladies' invitation never seemed like this The imagination is invited to expand or contract as long or as tight as it wants in this sexy little verse. Honestly, it’s enough to make a grown women giggle. First, paradise/bliss/this give off such a beautiful rollicking sound as all the other innuendos fly by. The piece in someone’s pocket, well, c’mon, don’t make me giggle. Mr. Google tells us that “shoot the pony” has something to do with being so depressed that you’d rather shoot your pony than let it see you that way. Unsubstantiated, but I always thought it was a heroine reference. Or maybe it’s dice-related. The only thing for sure is it is meant to have as many meanings as possible. The “Jerk” is a leg kicking dance that looks fun and infectious. The Jerk can also be the bad man you’ve either come in with, or have left with. So, the piece, the pony, the jerk, all of their meanings are affected by how it’s half way to paradise, halfway to bliss. The dense imagery and the deft sleight of hand found in this one verse keeps this piece timely and as well as timeless. No one can write the way Mr. Costello can, no one. The long arm of the law slides up the outskirts of town Meanwhile in Clubland they are ready to pull them down Clearly there’s a cheeky panty reference in this bridge if you want it to be. This is another example my friend pointed to in his argument that this piece is more risqué than it appears. The right to work is traded in for the right to refuse admission Don't pass out now, there's no refund Did you find out what you were missing The crowd is taking forty winks minus ten percent You barely get required sleep to go lingering with contemptment Thursday to Saturday Money's gone already Some things come in common these days Your hands and work aren't steady Moving away from the theme of sex and delving deeper into the backhanders and other undesirable clientele, this last verse takes us through a downfall with ease and expertise that feels like a reliable retelling of something that’s been witnessed a few times. The right to refuse admission is a bit of an eggcorn, as it could also be “the right to refuse a mission,” both of which fit nicely with the theme. Again, we’re not playing in the shallow end when it comes to Elvis Costello lyrics. And then there’s the word, “contemptment.” Thinking this might be a misspelling of contentment, it seems that contemptment just might be a word, but with roughly the same meaning as contentment. Either way, some things come in common these days, says the man; what a great way to punctuate this sexy, seedy, giddy scene then to report its consequences of indulging in this easy come easy go lifestyle: your hands and work aren’t steady. The master at work. The boys next door The mums and dads New weds and nearly-deads Have you ever been had in Clubland? Well, have you? What a question! — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Clubland” from 1981’s “Trust.” It’s a gritty, unflinching, tightly wound assessment of the many things that go on in the dark corners of seedy bars and the seedier hearts of many of its patrons. Although “Clubland” is arguably one of the more familiar Elvis Costello songs, I believe taking a slow drag with these dirty little lines still yields joy and appreciation. Every time I hear this and most of his other songs, there’s something new and/or long forgotten that brought back. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. I’m so glad you’re here. It was fun stifling my giggles throughout. I encourage you to re-listen to Episode 20 of “Slow Drag with Remedy,” “Now It’s Much Too Dangerous,” a slow drag with “Living in Paradise,” another gem from “This Year’s Model.” 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 |