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Elvis Costello continues to amaze fans and critics alike. In the past seven years he has moved gracefully from an angry young man to an aspiring Tin Pan Alley tunesmith. He has stopped, along the way, to explore the possibilities of Motown, R&B and his first love, country music.
On his 10th LP, Goodbye Cruel World, he continues to hone his inimitable style, blending labyrinth word plays with complex melodies.
The opening track, "The Only Flame in Town," takes up where last year’s soul-inflected LP, Punch The Clock, left off. A searing sax solo and pulsing percussion merge, as Elvis is off and running, telling bis girl she’s no big deal. Here, Elvis outdoes himself with the .hot and cold metaphors:
"But you blew hot & cold
Turned my heart to a cinder
And with each passing day
You're less tender and more tinder."
On hand to help out with back-up vocals is Darryl Hall, half of the successful blue-eyed soul duo, Hall & Oates.
"Home Truth" continues to explore the emotions and motivations behind a relationship gone sour. A mid-tempo ballad, the tune is reminiscent of the songs on Elvis’ 1982 LP, Imperial Bedroom. As usual Elvis effortlessly captures all the agonies and frustrations of a breakup.
"None of these things seem to matter
Since we’ve grown apart
I'd put back the pieces of what's shattered
But I don't know where to start
This is where the home truth ends."
"Room With No Number" moves at a rollicking beat, with drums and piano pushed to the forefront. The lyrics address the adulterous couplings that go on in hotels. Not since Elvis’ second LP, This Year’s Model, has he dealt exclusively with physical love.
In the jazzy "Inch By Inch," we find Elvis surrendering himself to emotion with some of his most cunning word play to date.
"You can take me outside
You can take me apart
You can take me upstairs
You can take me to heart
You made me love you when you thought you were smart
Don t try to stop me when you told me to start."
The tune also utilizes the same start-stop rhythm employed in Elvis’ first American hit, "Watching The Detectives."
"Worthless Thing" begins as a scathing attack on television and its superficial values, then switches to a vitriolic assault on Elvis Presley imitators and others who have capitalized on his death.
"Nightclubs full of grave robbers from Memphis, Tennessee
And Las Vegas body snatchers
You've seen the film, you’ve read the book, you’re drinking vintage Elvis Presley wine."
Closing side one, "Love Field" moves at a seductive pace. Detailing the dissatisfaction that comes with promiscuity, Elvis’ subdued voice wraps around lyrics like:
"You yield with your lips still sealed
Feel the anxious rhythm of a functional stranger
In a love field."
It’s as though he speaks from experience.
Side two opens with Elvis’ most affecting vocal performance ever. The tune, "I Wanna Be Loved" is also the only non-original on Goodbye Cruel World. Elvis lets go with an unrestrained yet eloquent plea for love.
"The Comedians" and "The Deportees' Club" both take place in a singles bar. The former is a quick-paced frolic as Elvis expresses his losses and regrets over a beer, while the latter is a sardonic view of the casual pickup scene. Fueled by blistering guitar riffs and pugnacious drum licks, Elvis signals the beginning of the mating ritual by chanting to the shallow barflies:
"Schnapps, chianti. porter an ouzo
Pernod, vodka, sambuca... I love you so
Deportee. "
"Joe Porterhouse" remains the LP’s weakest track due to the ambiguity of the lyrics. However, the countryish melody is pleasant and the interesting use of the harpsichord recommends the tune.
"Sour Milk Blues" is a rumbling honky tonk number wherein Elvis bemoans the changes his girlfriend is going through. In "The Great Unknown," the lyrics switch topics with each new verse. But it works, in the same way "Worthless Thing" works, mostly because of the breathtaking melody and wistful chorus:
"What shall we sing
At a wedding or a wake
Whose name shall we cherish
And for whose sake."
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