The Other Side Of Summer

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The sun struggles up another beautiful day
And I felt glad in my own suspicious way
Despite the contradiction and confusion
Felt tragic without reason
There's malice and there's magic in every season

(chorus):
From the foaming breakers of the poisonous surf
The other side of summer
To the burning forests in the hills of Astroturf
The other side of summer

The automatic gates close up between the shanties and the palace
The blowtorch amusements, the voodoo chalice
The pale pathetic promises that everybody swallows
A teenage girl is crying 'cos she don't look like a million dollars
So help her if you can
'Cos she don't seem to have the attention span

(chorus)

Was it a millionaire who said "imagine no possessions"?
A poor little schoolboy who said "we don't need no lessons"?
The rabid rebel dogs ransack the shampoo shop
The pop princess is downtown shooting up
And if that goddess is fit for burning
The sun will struggle up, the world will still keep turning

Madman standing by the side of the road saying
"Look at my eyes, look at my eyes, look at my eyes, look at my eyes"
Now you can't afford to fake all the drugs your parents used to take
Because of their mistakes, you'd better be wide awake

(chorus)

The mightiest rose
The absence of perfume
The casual killers
The military curfew
The cardboard city
An unwanted birthday
The other side of summer

The dancing was desperate, the music was worse
They bury your dreams and dig up the worthless
Goodnight
God bless
And kiss "goodbye" to the earth
The other side of summer

The Other Side Of Summer
Written byDeclan MacManus
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byMitchell Froom, Kevin Killen & D.P.A. MacManus
Vocal arrangementElvis Costello & Mitchell Froom
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, intro bass, acoustic 12-string guitar
Larry Knechtel - grand piano
Pete Thomas - drums, tambourine, sleigh bells, side drum, castanets
T-Bone Wolk - bass
Jerry Scheff - fuzz 6-string bass
James Burton - acoustic guitar
Benmont Tench - tack piano
Mitchell Froom, Larry Knechtel - toy piano, tack piano, Vox Continental calliope, Cox organ, Stereophonic Optigon
Elvis Costello, Richard Page, Steven Soles, Steve George - vocal group
Recordedlate 1990-early 1991, Ocean Way, Hollywood, and Westside Studios, London
ReleasedApril 1991
AlbumsMighty Like A Rose, 1991
SinglesThe Other Side Of Summer, 1991
So Like Candy (Germany/Australia)
CollectionsExtreme Honey: The Very Best Of The Warner Bros. Years, 1997
The Very Best Of Elvis Costello, 1999
Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album, 2015
Various Artists collectionsMontreux Jazz Festival 25 Ans, 1991
It's A Warnerful World, 1995
Il British Pop, 2004 (Italy)
PromosFollow Our Trax Volume Six: Fluid Formations, 1991
HitDisc 888B, 1991
Top Selection 1991 June, 1991
Promo Nr. 11, 1991
Malice And Magic (Japan), 1994
Selections From Armed Forces - Imperial Bedroom - Mighty Like A Rose, 2002
VideosThe Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello - The Videos, 2005
Length3:53

First known performance:
May 18, 1991, Saturday Night Live
Last known performance:
August 27, 2016, Dana Point, CA
     (86 known performances)


Alternate versions

The Other Side Of Summer (Unplugged Version)
Performed byElvis Costello (& The Rude 5)
Produced byBiff Dawes
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal, acoustic guitar
Marc Ribot - guitar
Jerry Scheff - bass
Larry Knechtel - keyboards
Pete Thomas - drums
RecordedJune 3, 1991, MTV Unplugged, Warner Hollywood Studios
ReleasedNovember 18, 2002
AlbumsMighty Like A Rose (Rhino reissue), 2002
Length4:06
Mighty Like A RoseMLAR album cover large.jpg

The Other Side Of Summer singleThe Other Side Of Summer UK 7" single front sleeve.jpg

Extreme Honey: The Very Best Of The Warner Bros. YearsEH album cover 500.jpg

The Very Best Of Elvis Costello, 1999The Very Best Of Elvis Costello (2CD) album cover.jpg

Follow Our Trax Volume Six: Fluid FormationsFollow Our Trax Volume Six Fluid Formations album cover.jpg

The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello - The VideosTRS dvd cover.jpg

Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack AlbumUnfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album album cover.jpg

Covers

Terry Walsh and Dan Kowalke performed live, 2021-01-26, Minneapolis webcast 2021 BelfastCowboys.comYouTube
Verena Lo The Loser's Lounge Tribute to Elvis Costello 2002 LosersLounge
Oliver's Army (Dallas) performed live, Dallas-area Costello tribute band 2003 archive.org
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2019 YouTube

Chords

Bass Intro:

4/4                3/4
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , .
|-----------------|-------------|
|-0-----0---0-----|-------------|
|---------------2-|---0---------|
|-----------------|-------3-----|


     G
The sun struggles up another beautiful day
             Em       Am      D
And I felt glad in my own suspicious way
G             C/G         G           Cm/G
 Yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah)
    G              Em             Am
Despite the contradiction and confusion
       D             C
Felt tragic without reason
                            D
There's malice and there's magic in every season

Chorus
 
G                   G/F            Am7/E     Cm/Eb
 From the foaming breakers of the poisonous surf
    G      Em      Am D
The other side of Summer
G               G/F            Am7/E   Cm/Eb
To the burning forests in the hills of Astroturf
    G     D       Am/G G
The other side of Summer

G Bm Am G

               Dm                          Bb              A7
The automatic gates close up between the shanties and the palace
      Dm                       Gm      A7
The blowtorch amusements, the voodoo chalice
     Dm             Dm/C        Bb          A7
The pale pathetic promises that everybody swallows
  D                      A7               D            (B C  B    A  D)   D
A teenage girl is crying 'cos she don't look like a million dollars
   (B    C  B   A   D)  D
So help her if you can
(B   C   B     A    D) D
'Cos she don't seem to have the attention span
 
Chorus

                Dm               Bb           A7
Was it a millionaire who said "imagine no possessions"?
  Dm                              Gm                A7
A poor little schoolboy who said "we don't need no lessons"?
     Dm          Dm/c    Bb                A7
The rabid rebel dogs ransack the shampoo shop
     D               A7               D
The pop princess is downtown shooting up
(B  C  B     A  D)
And if that goddess
 D (B C   B   A  D)  
    is fit for burning
 D    (B   C   B    A    D) 
  The sun will struggle up the world will still keep turning

 G
Madman standing by the side of the road saying
                   Em               Am               D      
"Look at my eyes, look at my eyes, look at my eyes, look at my eyes"
G             C/G         G           Cm/G
 Yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah)
 G               Em          Am                  D               C
Now you can't afford to fake all the drugs your parents used to take
                     D
Because of their mistakes you'd better be wide awake

Chorus

     G         G/F
The mightiest rose
    Am7/E       Cm/Eb
The absence of perfume
     G      Em
The casual killers
     Am       D
The military curfew
     G         G/F
The cardboard city
       Am7/E     Cm/Eb
And an unwanted birthday
    G      D/G     Am/G G
The other side of summer
     G           G/F               Am7/E     Cm/Eb
The dancing was desperate and the music was worse
      G         Em         Am         D
They bury your dreams and dig up the worthless
     G           G/F
Goodnight, God bless
           Am7/E          Cm/Eb
And kiss "goodbye" to the earth
    G      D/G     Am/G G
The other side of summer

(repeat last line)

Internal links

External links