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Write your comment and send it
to:jc@elvis-costello.net A Discussion of "Alison" from My Aim is True By Andrew White There has been much discussion about the meaning of Elvis Costello's slow-tempo ballad, "Alison" -- the lyrics of which the album "My Aim is True" takes its title. While EC himself purportedly mentioned in an interview that this song was about a woman he used to see in the grocery store, and that "my aim is true" meant that his focus on fame would result in bringing evil into the world, a careful analysis of the lyrics gives us a different meaning. The first stanza: "Oh it's so funny to be seeing you after so long, girl. And with the way you look I understand that you are not impressed." What is the way she looks? Later on, we will learn that EC means that the way she looks is pregnant. Why is she not impressed? "But I heard you let that little friend of mine take off your party dress." Here we have our first hint that the song has a sexual aspect to it -- hinting at her pregnancy. Who is EC's "little friend"? Perhaps the little friend is EC's evil alter ego to which he oft refers, with the double entendre meaning, of course, is that his "little friend" is his unmentionables. "I'm not going to get too sentimental like those other sticky valentines, cause I don't know if you've been loving somebody. I only know it isn't mine." The end of the first stanza confirms that she's pregnant: "I only know it isn't mine". We have another hint above, too, when he uses the adjective "sticky". We can also guess that EC thinks that the child may in fact be his, but that he is in denial about it. The lyrics continue: "Alison, I know this world is killing you. Oh, Alison, my aim is true." Here EC is perhaps trying to alleviate his guilt. The world is killing Alison, so EC will be not really be at fault if she dies -- for example, by murder. We suspect murder at the end of the second stanza: "Sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking when I hear the silly things that you say. I think somebody better put out the big light, cause I can't stand to see you this way." Alison is perhaps telling EC he is the father, and he can't stand to hear it -- so somebody has better put out "the big light" of Alison's life, because EC can't stand to see her pregnant and accusatory. Then the repeated lyric "my aim is true, my aim is true", which ends the song, hints that EC may be talking about killing her himself -- as in aiming a gun. What a dark song! If one did not listen to the lyrics, "Alison" sounds like a love ballad in its tempo and crooning sound. The motif of dark and brooding lyrics focused on death, guilt, and the irony of presentation in a ballad or uptempo poppy tune is a hallmark of EC! Keep'em coming, Elvis. We love you! -Andrew White Philadelphia, PA
For years I have tried toi figure out who EC wrote You Bowed about. In every interview I have read, he steadfastly refuses to spill the proverbial beans. Does anybody know ? Does anybody have a good guess ? somebody tell me!!! ????? ELVIS COSTELLOS VOICE HYPNOTIZES
ME LIKE AN EVENING ON THE SHORES OF THE HOOD CANAL. A FULL MOON
IN THE SKY. MOONSHADOWS ON THE SAND..... THE LYRICS THAT HE WRITES
ARE SO VERY PERFECT ITS LIKE HES EXPLAINING MY HEART AND SPIRIT.......
WITH THE BEATS OF WATCHING THE DETECTIVES, HE HAS THE POWER TO MAKE
EVEN A NUN FEEL SEXY. HE MAKES A LONLEY, BROKEN HEARTED, TURN BACK
TIME AND EXPIERIENCE THOSE FIRST DAYS OF LOVE, THAT YOU WISHED WOULD
NEVER CAMERON ROSAS Greetings!
Enjoyed the interview. Off and on Elvis fan for 25 years. Big fan again after the live '96 solo/Nieve show in San Francisco. Haven't lost sight..... . . Keep up the good work. John Philipp I thoroughly enjoyed reading your interview with Elvis. I've been a fan for close to 20 years and thought your questions were both interesting and done by someone who knows Elvis' music and what he's been doing these past few years. Michael Woznica Oh boy did i enjoy the interview.
I am most interested in the directions that he has been going in.
The juliet letters is my favorite album of all time. Did you hear
the orchestral stuff? I can't stand the wait for new material, he
gets better all the tome. i saw the steve opera in ny, elvis sang
fantastically. Thanks for the interview. Many thanks for posting your EC interview
on your web site. It made for fascinating reading in a year when
Elvis has been out of the public eye. It sounds like he is still
being frustrated by all the nonsense of the record business. To
me, it seems a long time ago that he was trumpeting his new deal
with PolyGram which would allow him to make so many records on different
labels. It seems to have all gone up in smoke, doesn't it? EXCELLENT site! - particularly enjoyed
the update on what he is up to this month! and also the articles
(eg the one on how he and Chrissie Hyne got to know each other).
I've just read the interview,
and it was a real pleasure to see him being asked some interesting,
original questions for a change. It must have been a pleasure for
him too, having someone who was genuinely interested and informed
interviewing him. And thanks for asking my question about Dvorak/string
quartets. I'm relieved to hear that it was an oversight to leave
his works out!! Your
interview was the best I've ever read with EC........... A great
deal of personal incite; extremely thorough. Well done, Damon! Great interview...
thoughtful and imaginative questions.
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