All This Useless Beauty (song)

It's at times such as this she'd be tempted to spit If she wasn't so ladylike She imagines how she might have lived back when legends and history collide So she looks to her prince finding since he's so charmingly slumped at her side Those days are recalled on the gallery wall And she's waiting for passion or humour to strike (Chorus:) What shall we do, what shall we do with all this useless beauty? All this useless beauty Good Friday arrived, the sky darkened on time 'Til he almost began to negotiate She held his head like a baby and said "It's okay if you cry" Now he wants her to dress as if you couldn't guess He desires to impress his associates But he's part ugly beast and Hellenic deceased So she finds that the mixture is hard to deny (Repeat Chorus) She won't practice the looks from the great tragic books That were later disgraced to face celluloid It won't even make sense but you can bet If she isn't a sweetheart or plaything or pet The film turns her into an unveiled threat Nonsense prevails, modesty fails Grace and virtue turn into stupidity While the calendar fades almost all barricades to a pale compromise And our leaders have feasts on the backsides of beasts They still think they're the gods of antiquity If something you missed didn't even exist It was just an ideal -- is it such a surprise? (Repeat Chorus Twice)

All This Useless Beauty Written by Elvis Costello Performed by Elvis Costello & The Attractions Produced by Geoff Emerick & Elvis Costello Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal, guitar, celesta Steve Nieve - grand piano, keyboards Bruce Thomas - bass Pete Thomas - drums Pete Whyman - bass clarinet Roy Babbington - double bass Recorded August-September 1995, Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, and/or February 1996, Westside Studios, London Released May 13, 1996 Albums All This Useless Beauty, 1996 Singles All This Useless Beauty, 1996 Collections Extreme Honey: The Very Best Of The Warner Bros. Years, 1997 Various Artists collections Pure Genius, 2002 Songs: The Best Of The Singer/Songwriters, 2002 Promos Music Matters Volume 8, 1996 Selections From My Aim Is True, Spike, And All This Useless Beauty, 2001 UK Elvis Costello, 2002 Length 4:37 First known performance:  November 18, 1994, London, England      (219 known performances) Alternate versions All This Useless Beauty (Live 1996 - Los Angeles) Performed by Elvis Costello Produced by Patrick Dorn Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal, guitar Recorded May 13, 1996, KSCA Music Hall, Los Angeles, CA Released November 25, 1996 Various Artists collections Live From The Music Hall Vol. 3, 1996 Length 4:22 All This Useless Beauty (Live 1996 - New York) Performed by Costello & Nieve Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal, guitar Steve Nieve - piano Recorded May 15, 1996, San Francisco, CA Released December 3, 1996 Albums Costello & Nieve, 1996 Promos Live At The Fillmore, San Francisco, 1996 Length 5:59 All This Useless Beauty (Live 1996 - Conan O'Brien) Performed by Costello & Nieve Produced by Jim Pitt Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal, guitar Steve Nieve - piano Recorded May 21, 1996, Late Night With Conan O'Brien Released October 7, 1997 Various Artists collections Live From 6A: Musical Performances From Late Night With Conan O'Brien, 1997 Length 4:57

Internal links

• Elvis Costello Home Page: All This Useless Beauty  •  lyrics  •  chords  •  ATUB info page 1
• Elvis Costello Home Page: Live From The Music Hall, Vol. 3 info page  •  Live From 6A info page
• Lyrics  •  Covers

External links

• Elvis Costello Reissues: All This Useless Beauty