I’m a fan without a doubt.
It was around that time I discovered Elvis Costello.
An extraordinarily talented musician and a lyricist without compare.
Elvis Costello - Beyond Belief
“History repeats the old conceits
The glib replies the same defeats
Keep your finger on important issues
With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues
I’m just the oily slick
On the windup world of the nervous tick
In a very fashionable hovel
I hang around dying to be tortured
You’ll never be alone in the bone orchard
This battle with the bottle is nothing so novel
So in this almost empty gin palace
Through a two-way looking glass
You see your Alice”
snip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZGNJTdh-Z0
“You Little Fool”
Daddy’s best girl in the world is not supposed to have a boyfriend
But she’s never wanted at home
Other girls are allowed to wear their makeup
She sneaks out her lipstick powder and comb
She surrounds his name with hearts and flowers
Talks on the telephone for hours and hours
But with the bird in his hand
And two on a string
The words of love have an imitation ring
You little fool (little fool, little fool)
I suppose that your going to stay all night
You little fool (little fool, little fool)
Don’t look at me that way you know it isn’t right
You little fool (little fool, little fool)
You little fool (little fool, little fool)
You little fool (little fool, little fool, little fool, little fool, little fool)
They say no news is good news
The little girl wants information
Mother just gives her some pills to chew
And says go and use your imagination
Daddy’s best girl in the world says just look what I have got
As she sits beside him on the high stool
With his arm around her neck snowball in one hand
And the other full of imitation jewels
She fingers a string of pearls
An imitation but he’ll never know it
Imitation lashes flutter above
Looking for an imitation of love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfzHtjTlB_8
My familiarity with Elvis Costello would not go too much past the more popular stuff, for me an offshoot of a period fascination with Ska. He produced an album or two for The Specials. I’d spent a little time in Jamaica at that point and had developed a taste for dub, somewhat related township music, etc. and heard echoes of it in his music. Never really pursued it too deeply but maybe I should.