A.V. Club, July 15, 2014: Difference between revisions
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With <i>Cruel</i>'s lyrics, Costello puts even more distance between his fortysomething self and the guy he was in 1977. He's been around and seen some things, and while he's still angry, he's more amused by the absurdity of it all. On "Spooky Girlfriend," he plays a skeevy ponytailed record exec ogling a young Britney type; on "Soul For Hire," he's a crooked lawyer wishing for the will to be a better man. The rambling "Episode Of Blonde" introduces some sillier characters, like the abstract artist for whom ''"paying off his stalker"'' constitutes ''"a legitimate expense."'' | With <i>Cruel</i>'s lyrics, Costello puts even more distance between his fortysomething self and the guy he was in 1977. He's been around and seen some things, and while he's still angry, he's more amused by the absurdity of it all. On "Spooky Girlfriend," he plays a skeevy ponytailed record exec ogling a young Britney type; on "Soul For Hire," he's a crooked lawyer wishing for the will to be a better man. The rambling "Episode Of Blonde" introduces some sillier characters, like the abstract artist for whom ''"paying off his stalker"'' constitutes ''"a legitimate expense."'' | ||
Best of all is " | Best of all is "When I Was Cruel No. 2," a slinky lounge-dub gossip-fest about a despicable millionaire wedding his fourth trophy bride. As Costello told interviewers, it's a song about growing up and realizing that people with power and prestige aren't so special after all. Up close, they've got bad breath and toupees, and behind closed doors, they've got filthy secrets like the rest of us. Though the Costello of old would have railed against these clowns, he's now content to stand in the back and make snarky comments. They're to be pitied, not feared. | ||
The one thing Costello can still believe in, of course, is music, and that may be why he starts the disc with "45," one of only two punk-ish tunes he might have conceivably cut in the '70s. (The excellent "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)" is the other.) The title refers to the year the Brits won World War II, a popular type of handgun, Costello's age at the time of writing the song, and most importantly, those little round things he fell in love with as a kid and probably still collects today. | The one thing Costello can still believe in, of course, is music, and that may be why he starts the disc with "45," one of only two punk-ish tunes he might have conceivably cut in the '70s. (The excellent "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)" is the other.) The title refers to the year the Brits won World War II, a popular type of handgun, Costello's age at the time of writing the song, and most importantly, those little round things he fell in love with as a kid and probably still collects today. | ||
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'''Permanent Records is an ongoing closer look at the records that matter most. | '''Permanent Records is an ongoing closer look at the records that matter most. | ||
{{tags}}[[When I Was Cruel]] {{-}} [[45]] {{-}} [[Declan MacManus]] {{-}} [[George Gershwin]] {{-}} [[The Imposter]] {{-}} [[T Bone Burnett]] {{-}} [[The Brodsky Quartet]] {{-}} [[All This Useless Beauty]] {{-}} [[Burt Bacharach]] {{-}} [[Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me]] {{-}} [[Anne Sofie von Otter]] {{-}} [[Sugarcult]] {{-}} [[Island Records]] {{-}} [[Painted From Memory]] {{-}} [[This Year's Model]] {{-}} [[Armed Forces]] {{-}} [[The Attractions]] {{-}} [[Rhino]] {{-}} [[NJ|New Jersey]] {{-}} [[Greg Kot]] {{-}} [[:Category:Chicago Tribune|Chicago Tribune]] {{-}} [[Bob Dylan]] {{-}} [[Dublin]] {{-}} [[Pete Thomas]] {{-}} [[Steve Nieve]] {{-}} [[Davey Faragher]] {{-}} [[The Imposters]] {{-}} [[Ciaran Cahill]] {{-}} [[Kieran Lynch]] {{-}} [[Spooky Girlfriend]] {{-}} [[Tart]] {{-}} [[Alibi]] {{-}} [[Radio Silence]] {{-}} [[15 Petals]] {{-}} [[Dissolve]] {{-}} [[Soul For Hire]] {{-}} [[Episode Of Blonde]] {{-}} [[When I Was Cruel No. 2]] {{-}} [[Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)]] {{-}} [[The Beatles]] {{-}} [[Ornette Coleman]] | |||
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{{Bibliography notes header}} | {{Bibliography notes header}} |
Latest revision as of 13:03, 24 July 2019
Permanent Records is an ongoing closer look at the records that matter most.
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