Today’s slow drag is with “The Invisible Man” from “Punch the Clock,” released in 1983. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. As charming and as raw as any of his 500+ gems that have come before and since, “The Invisible Man” calls upon humor and false identities to cope with fading from one world while languishing provocatively in another starry-eyed version of the same life. It features a rare use of the first person that doesn’t then spiral into the outside-looking-in accusatory second person point of view. Within the walls of this piece, there is a consistent, unflinching narrative that seems less oblique and more heartfelt. Then again, I might just be a softy. I was committed to life and then commuted to the outskirts With all the love in the world Living for thirty minutes at a time with a break in the middle for adverts But it's a wonderful world within these cinema walls Where a shower of affection becomes Niagara Falls And you wish she could step down from the screen to your seat in the stalls Skirts and adverts, cinema walls and Niagara Falls; add in your seat in the stalls, and you have a rich and informative first verse set to a lilting aa/bbb rhyme scheme. It doesn’t stop there, of course. Expertly placed alliteration, such as committed/commuted flow effortlessly with minutes/middle to give it a delightful humming feel that draws you in immediately. What’s framed is a pastoral story with a sinister bent to it. There’s nothing more deadly than the work-a-day world, now is there? ‘Cos if stars are only painted on the ceiling above Then who can you turn to and who do you love I want to get out while I still can I want to be like Harry Houdini Now I'm the invisible man There’s a lovely double meaning trickling through this chorus from the verse just before it. Movie stars and celestial bodies, both sparkly and both seemingly out of reach. Who can you turn to after an illusion shows itself? Truly, who can you love? My head is spinning 'round faster and faster Here I stand on the edge of disaster I'm shattered like a piece of crystal, porcelain, or alabaster Oh, my god. Those three little words, crystal, porcelain, alabaster…If you weren’t in love with Elvis Costello lyrics before, I’ll go out on a limb and hazard that that’s all it took to finally hear the genius. Faster, disaster, and shattered give those three words a combustible launchpad in which to reach the outermost stratosphere of pop music. This fantastic bridge comes as if it were programmed to do so, just like the break in the middle, wouldn’t you say? 'Cos if stars are only painted on the ceiling above Then who can you turn to and who do you love I want to get out while I still can With the repeat of the chorus comes the second time the question of who can you turn to, who can you love has come up. So, if the first verse spoke of personal ethos and domestic life, then perhaps the next verse explores something far less personal, and far more worldly. Crowds surround loudspeakers hanging from the lampposts Listening to the murder mystery Meanwhile someone's hiding in the classroom Forging the books of history Never mind there's a good film showing tonight Where they hang everybody who can read or write Oh, that could never happen here, but then again it might What could be thought of as a soap opera world in the beginning of this piece can only sustain the narrator for so long, it seems. The news washes away any dreamy feeling found in the first verse. The narrator goes much further in just a few steps; there’s a whisper of a public execution that blends into the notion of revisionist history and how we so often turn a blind eye. Domestic unrest and world unease. What more could we ask for in a scant 262 words? There’s a tingly call back feeling to 1978’s “Night Rally” from “This Year’s Model” in this verse that singes the edge of this piece, in part due to its corporate overlord vibe. Although it’s far less personal, with no love in its world. Then, of course, there is that bonus song from “Imperial Bedroom,” recorded a year before “Punch the Clock,” and released a year after it was released. It’s a flirty little piece that blames that second party: “you’re determined to make me as miserable as you can,” going on to say that “you’re like Harry Houdini or the invisible man.” If we wanted to play connect the dots we could, but let’s not go as deep as “Imperial Bedroom’s” “There’s a Stranger in the House.” That’s for another time and another story. Trust that there is always a backlog of Elvis Costello phrases that go through my mind on a daily basis. Often included in this joyous revery is a quote from “I Turn Around” that never goes begging. “Count to ten and then down again. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.” Simple, provocative, delightful. When people blather on about poetry touching their “souls,” I’m always slightly tempted to direct them to this little gem. What exactly does it mean? It’s as profound as any line that’s ever been written. — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “The Invisible Man” from 1983’s “Punch the Clock.” With one of the most exhilarating bridges imaginable, the one about crystal, porcelain, and alabaster, this piece sets itself apart by its seeming vulnerability and sensitivity toward the two worlds that make up the private and public lives of the famous and not so famous. At its core, it’s a delightful song that stays just within our grasp, just far enough to keep pondering it. Oh, and of course, trying to sing along to the potential tongue twister that it affords. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. Other gems from “Punch the Clock” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episodes 11, “Blow the Whistle on the Whole Design,” a slow drag with “King of Thieves,” episode 38, “His Tribute of a Rose,” a slow drag with “The Greatest Thing,” and episode 60, “Sotto Voce,” a slow drag with “Charm School.” As always, thank you for helping to get the word out about this little passion project. Truly, it means the world. We’ll be back soon with another Slow Drag. So, until next time, adieu, my little ballyhoo. Show Notes: ---------------------- Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowdragremedy Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag ---------------------- References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Invisible Man”: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/The_Invisible_Man “The Invisible Man”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o-iZ_GfTTs Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “I Turn Around”: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/I_Turn_Around “I Turn Around”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg4cesm8obI 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 |