Today’s slow drag is with “Possession,” from “Get Happy!!,” released in 1980. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. It’s a perennial piece, a wonderful example of jaunty cognitive dissonance. It’s an all-time favorite that I’m certain many fans have a soft spot for. At 2:02, this seems to support its rather slim 100 or so words. But with so many double meanings and sleights of hand, it is so much bigger, weightier, and does so with Mr. Costello’s signature witty aplomb. If there's anything that you want If there's anything that you need There's no need to be evasive Money talks and it's persuasive Possession Money talks. Has a truer statement ever been uttered? Along with the nice repetition of the first two lines that act as its own rhyme to start with, the familiar rhyming a word with itself, in this case, “need,” start us off with a bang. Rhyming the adjectives of evasive/persuasive sets up the punchline of the money driven “possession” well. Possession, the word remains out there on its own island, with no further explanation given. We all know and feel the myriad definitions just by the mere mention of the word itself. Repeated twice more after each verse, it’s a charming chorus that allows time for the mind to dwell, or to wander from definition to definition, as we so desire. Now you're sending me your best wishes Signed with love and vicious kisses You lack lust, you're so lackluster Is that all the strength you can muster? Possession The echo of the consonance of the /s/ sound abounds in this amazing verse. Sending/signed/vicious/kisses/so/is/strength/muster/possession. 9 words out of 28. I could live in this verse for a week. Best wishes, signed with love AND vicious kisses? A feline on its best day. The sexual energy smolders and sparks. Then, perhaps one of the most understated use of overwhelming word play: you lack lust. You’re so lackluster. This is a fantastic time for a quick overview of morphology to demonstrate how genius these lines are. Morphology, broadly speaking, concerns itself with forms of words; the prefixes, suffixes, and the like. A morpheme is a word’s minimal unit. The word, “new,” for instance is a “free” morpheme, as it can stand on its own. The suffix -er is a bound inflectional morpheme that cannot stand on its own. Together, the free and bound morphemes form the word, newer. Then there are compound words, such as goodbye and lackluster, that combine two free morphemes. The words good and bye are able to stand on their own, as do lack and luster. The -/er/ in the word luster, meaning to shine, is not a bound morpheme; it is a part of a free morpheme and cannot be removed without having its meaning altered. And that’s where the genius of this word play is found. To lack lust, to be missing a sexual drive, can very well be described as “lackluster,” sure, but who but a genius can dissect and reassemble words and phrases to fit his narrative in such a short span of time? The message comes through loud, clear, and ironically, sparkling and very sexy. Of course, I should mention that I’ve only scratched the surface of Morphology, but I hope I have explained it well for this purpose. Even when we are out of touch Now I know that I've seen too much Seen too much Oh, the beautiful contradictions that flow throughout this piece. The repetition of “seen too much” feels a bit shell shocked, a bit dazed in nature. But it’s this final verse that perhaps cements itself as the darling of Mr. Costello’s early work. So, I see us lying back to back My case is closed, my case is packed I'll get out before the violence Or the tears or the silence Possession Spun from pure conjecture, this is an entire love affair played out in the span of minutes. All imagined. The double meaning of casecourses with energy. An argument has ensued. The only rational conclusion seems to have been arrived at. Then, the escape from one or more: violence OR tears OR silence, all killers of their making. In combination, a lethal dose. “Possession” is a timeless, arty, witty piece that stands up to scrutiny well. It also holds up well when, as opposed to more ethereal pieces, the origins and arch of this piece are laid out for us. From the liner notes of 1989’s “Girls Girls Girls,” we’re told that this piece is “another drunken composition (or is it decomposition?). On the run from a cleverly isolated Dutch studio, we sought excitement in a small café. Sure enough, I started to fall ‘in love’ with the waitress, but was hustled back to work before the trouble began. I began my protestations of desire in the taxi, and although other grim thoughts came to mind, the song was ‘complete’ by the time we reached the studio. Naturally, we recorded it right away.” — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Possession” from 1980’s “Get Happy!!.” That’s Get Happy with two exclamation points, so you know it’s emphatic as well as disingenuous. Cited so often as many fan’s favorite album, with 20 tracks on the original release, and 31 tracks on the re-release, there is something for everyone to love on this album. The music video for “Possession” is as charming and as likeable as the song itself. The sneer, the matter of fact delivery. Pete Thomas saluting a policeman out the window before returning to drumming in perfect time on the back of the front seat. The shot toward the end, where we see for just a second how the car Steve Nieve has been driving all this time is actually being towed on a flat bed. All this represents the wonderful smoke and mirrors feeling that is enjoyable to be pleasantly duped by. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. I encourage you to re-listen to Episode 15 of “Slow Drag with Remedy,” “A Villain in a Million,” a slow drag with “Riot Act,” as well as Episode 28, “The Face of Your Affection,” a slow drag with “Men Called Uncle.” Both episodes are slow drags with more gems from “Get Happy!!” 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 |