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There was much twittering in the press in February when beloved Canadian jazz ingenue and car company spokeswoman Diana Krall publicly disclosed her relationship with British rock legend and formerly angry young man Elvis Costello. Appearing together at the Grammy Awards that month, the image of the two lovebirds walking hand-in-hand down the red carpet was deemed front-page news — Local Girl Does Good, Wins Affection of Rock Royalty.
We do love to celebrate our own, especially when they find international approval. And so, further swells of hometown pride seem likely with the release of Costello's latest album, North, a collection of ballads — both of love and loss — that see him ditching the guitars of 2002's When I Was Cruel for a return engagement with the Brodsky Quartet. Not only has our dear Di won the heart of Costello, it seems she's inspired him to song, too.
The first half of the album, with its tales of betrayal and broken hearts, would appear a direct reaction to Costello's break from ex‑wife Cait O'Riordan, formerly of the Pogues. But, from Track 7 to the album's conclusion, there is a dramatic shift in tone; suddenly, there is love and joy, love and laughter.
Less imaginative minds might deem this the "Diana" part. But Costello, 48, isn't having any of that. "There's been a lot of interest in our lives in the Canadian papers," he says over the phone from Germany. "And there's the temptation to imagine that the record is entirely a representation of that. I'm not denying that there's a relationship to real life. But real life is a lot more complicated and messy and, I have to say, it takes a lot longer than listening to a bunch of songs.
"I assume that the record is not improved by knowing the details of my life or our lives," he continues. "It doesn't make the songs any better. And you could hear them without any knowledge whatsoever and see your own experiences in them because I think they're written in such a way that you can do that."
His reluctance to acknowledge the personal elements in his work could be shrugged off as typical Costello. He has long been regarded as an intensely private, and sometimes combative, rock legend. And although today he is cordial and good-natured, he never speaks "her" name. In fact, he never even directly refers to her, speaking only of "other people" and "others' lives."
"I didn't set out to write a confessional record," he says. "I think it's very direct and emotional, so in that sense it's a personal record, but all songs are personal, aren't they? Because they came out of your imagination?"
He's got us there. And he continues: "The idea that they are a literal representation of life is fanciful, really, because there's obviously a degree of craft beyond the initial inspiration?"
Leaving "her" aside for a second, it is somewhat refreshing to hear Costello so open, both in song and in conversation. Such willingness to bare one's soul, or at least appear to bare one's soul, is the culmination of many years' growth, Costello leaving the rigid, angry young man behind.
"When I started out I was a lot younger. And you tend to be very conscious of those things," he says of his lifelong desire for privacy in the face of increasing scrutiny.
"I had a young son to think about early on. And there were a lot of things that happened in my life — some of which were not the kindest things that could have happened — for which I was responsible. And when I wrote about things I tended to disguise a lot of things.
"I never particularly thought it was of value to be seen as a celebrity. I think it's important that those people that don't want their lives drawn into the public view are allowed to live that way.
"Even if I, as a writer, draw from my experiences, other people's lives have to remain their own," he adds. "I accept that there is some intrusion in my life that comes with being known for songwriting."
And for his part, he's more interested in other aspects of North.
"I think the big important surprise of this record is not so much what it does speak about, but what it doesn't speak about," he says, now reviewing his own work.
"I'm known for taking a darker view of romantic matters. And I used to believe that it was my role to write about those because other people wrote joyful songs about love better than I did. And it's a pleasant change to find that in the latter part of this record I can write about a simple thing like being embarrassed about talking too much about a person."
That person. As he says on North:
"Let me tell you about her / Hush now. I've said too much... Let me tell you about her / The way she makes me feel / Then draw a curtain on this scene I can't reveal.
He's teasing us — or maybe we're teasing ourselves. So it is even with the album's title.
When first announced, along with Costello's explanation, "That's where I'm headed," some saw it as an indication that Canada was to become home for the new couple. That may very well end up being the case, but anyone reading that into the title would be sadly misguided.
"You know that expression "something is going south" — going wrong or bad. That's the way I mean North. It's the opposite of that. Because the purpose of the record is joy returning to lifer he says. "North is just a good way of saying that."
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