Today’s slow drag is with “Next Time ‘Round” from “Blood and Chocolate,” released in 1986. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name. The delicate matters of the heart are no match for Mr. Costello’s acerbic wit and keen powers of observation. “Next Time ‘Round” is a piece that runs downhill, spitting out all the pent-up frustrations right from the very start, slowing only to collect itself with the self-soothing pep talks that come in the form of choruses. As I stepped out upon the landing my heart was already down the stairs She's in the bedroom with that boy of hers Though her face is creased and her eyes seem strange There's a second-hand emotion on battered forty-five My tears were never enough to keep that girl alive Now she seems contrite, will she make the change This first verse is six lines. Six lines that feel as if they were written in real time, running downhill, right in the middle of a realization of a betrayal that could be thought of as deep. “As I stepped out upon the landing my heart was already down the stairs” conveys the heart-in-the-throat moment we’ve all experienced. It’s the only six-line verse in the piece; laid out in a complicated aa/bc/cb structure that gives it that falling down fast sort of feel that complements the visional well. “She’s in the bedroom with that boy of hers” is a sentiment we’ve heard before. We were told, however, that he’s not angry, so does that still hold true for our stumbling to the curb narrator? He’s trying to regain his composure, it seems. It’s been said before, and bears repeating until the end of time, Mr. Costello’s portrayal of women is commendable, awe-inspiring really. Listen for the projection, listen for the blame, or the insult in a line such as “my tears were never enough to keep that girl alive.” You won’t find any because it isn’t there; all the responsibility and disappointment seem channeled inward, or at the very least, are defused. “There’s a second-hand emotion on a battered forty-five” helps take the sting out of what he’s just seen by transferring emotions to the inanimate. Keep in mind, she’s in the bedroom with “her boy,” which suggests she’s done nothing wrong. Yet, we’re told at the end that she “seems” sorry. I’d say that might be pure fantasy on the part of the narrator; a way to soften the blow as his heart finally stops rolling down the street. This denial might be further borne out by the chorus cum mantra. The next time 'round The next time 'round You'll be someone else's baby But I'll be underground The next time 'round Given the drama of the first verse, this chorus leaves much up to interpretation. Let’s discount for a moment that it seems she’s already “someone else’s baby,” since that’s a wonderful example of childish denial, and focus on what feels like a veiled yet overwrought threat of suicide if they aren’t together. Or, perhaps I’m being a bit melodramatic in my own assessment. Perhaps the narrator does mean underground, meaning out of sight, unavailable, not in the picture at all. Either way, the determination to put it behind him seems to almost be working. Then you took two steps forward and then one step on your back Now it's a future for me and you that I lack You'll be the one who stands out in the dark Even when you're all dressed in black Seeing that “Blood and Chocolate” is Mr. Costello’s eleventh album, it’s interesting to note that his use of busted idioms slowed down considerably in the nine years it took to get to this point. Vestiges of past gems such as “the butcher, baker, and bassline maker,” from “Imperial Bedroom,” however, can be found in the first line of this second verse. Two steps forward, one step back takes on a sexy inference that seems to shatter the narrator. It’s over, he’s lost everything. Told in a heart beating aa/aa rhyme scheme, he’s convinced perhaps that she’d come to his funeral. I mean, honestly, who hasn’t wallowed in this sort of ridiculous self-pity? All the way to the point of fantasizing about how sorry “they’ll be” when we’re gone? You've got something I want now And I've got something I can't hide I've got too much love for you now You’ve got too much pride Quite honestly, the petulance of this piece sents my heart alight. The emotional stages of a breakup seem to follow that of grief in general: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance. The first verse finds him in a bit of denial, let’s say. The second verse finds him angry, contemplating suicide. And now, this third verse finds him bargaining. It seems he could absolutely do with some of the excess pride she has. Sometimes I name and number all the things you gave to me Your elastic love, this velvet-lined purgatory You used to take the breath out of me Now I think you'll be the death of me Another rare aa/aa rhyme scheme for this final verse that, if the 5 stages of grief are to be believed, sees our hero accepting his fate. A velvet lined purgatory, again, seems to be death-related, a coffin perhaps, or, to coin a phrase, a very fashionable hovel. There’s a great sense of whimsy in this verse, far removed from the frenetic beginnings of a heart bounding down the stairs. Breath and death; a wonderful rhyme that reminds us how pleasant and positive sounding taking someone’s breath away is, yet in truth, the outcome will ultimately be the same. The next time 'round The next time 'round You'll be someone else's baby But I'll be underground The next time 'round The next time 'round — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Next Time ‘Round” from 1986’s “Blood and Chocolate.” Funny, I didn’t go into the slow drag with this outstanding piece thinking in terms of the five stages of grief, but there you have it, it seems to fit, at least in this one interpretation. As with each and every Mr. Costello creation, there is rarely a definitive take on anything. Nevertheless, there is something bleak and uplifting at the same time lurking in this piece. There’s always next time, don’t wallow in the present, or even in the past. Good words of advice, the kind no one seems to be able to take themselves. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. Other gems from “Blood and Chocolate” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episode 1, “Just Like the Place Where They Take Your Spine,” it’s a slow drag with “Poor Napoleon,” episode 25, “Tough and Transparent,” it’s a slow drag with “Crimes of Paris,” episode 51, “Blue Becomes You,” a slow drag with “Blue Chair,” and episode 67, “Like a Matador,” a slow drag with “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” 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, “Next Time ‘Round”: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Next_Time_%27Round “Next Time ‘Round”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgQbf__uOvE Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” https://www.amazon.com/Most-Terrible-Time-Life-Thursday-ebook/dp/B07XLXS5PL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y4SGCT62WPEK&dchild=1&keywords=the+most+terrible+time+in+my+life+ends+thursday&qid=1608873405&sprefix=The+Most+Terrible+Time+in+%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-1 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 |