In 1979, Costello stirred up controversy and damaged his career with some drunken racist remarks about Ray Charles and James Brown. He made them in a bar during a fight with some other musicians and days later saw them plastered on the news.
His next album, Get Happy, was a collection of 20 quick-burst soul songs that many listeners read as a reaction to the embarrassing episode. Get Happy is also one part of my Costello Holy Trinity — the three albums I consider his most spectacular achievements (I’ll reveal the other two as they come up chronologically).
It’s not so much the existence of standout songs (though such tunes as ‘Possession,’ ‘King Horse,’ ‘High Fidelity’ and today’s track would belong on any Elvis greatest hits collection). Rather, Get Happy has such a consistent energy and such uniformly excellent songcraft that the whole ends up as so much more than the sum of its parts.
Today’s song is my favorite on the album. ‘Riot Act’ is a direct response to the racism controversy and perhaps owes its passion to the very real emotions that inspired it. Costello bemoans his “slip of the tongue” and really lashes into himself in the final verse. The last couplet is one of my very favorite Costello lyrics. And that’s saying something.
I said forever
But it doesn’t look like I’m gonna be around much anymore
When the heat gets sub-tropical
And the talk gets so topical
Riot act – you can read me the riot act
You can make me a matter of fact
Or a villain in a million
A slip of the tongue is gonna keep me civilian
Why do you talk such stupid nonsense
When my mind could rest much easier
Instead of all this dumb dumb insolence
I would be happier with amnesia
They say forget her
Now it looks like you’re either gonna be for me or against me
I got your letter
Now they say I don’t care for the colour that it paints me
Trying to be so bad is bad enough
Don’t make me laugh by talking tough
Don’t put your heart out on your sleeve
When your remarks are off the cuff
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’ve always been a bit confounded by your ranking of this album amongst your favorite by Costello. I certainly agree that it is a fine album. Elvis has really never made a bad one, but this album has never held that vaunted place with me. I assume your other 2 in the trinity will be Imperial Bedroom and King of America, and, to me, those albums simply blow this one away by a fair measure.
Riot Act is certainly a fine song, but I can’t say it’s among my favorites of Elvis’. It’ is one of the standouts on this album, however, along with Secondary Modern, New Amsterdam, Motel Matches and Temptation
And while the last verse is certainly very good (again, does the man write a bad lyric?), I don’t see anything particular special about it.
“Don’t put your heart out on your sleeve when your remarks are off the cuff” — I just love that line… it’s a marriage of two cliches that becomes a powerful expression of regret, especially as delivered by Costello here.
I don’t think I’m alone in considering this among his best works. Rolling Stone, for example, ranked it #11 in their top 100 albums of the 80s (Imperial Bedroom came in at #38).
my holy trinity is get happy imperial bedroom and mighty like a rose
IT’s a good line–but this is the same man who has written:
The sky was just a purple bruise, the ground
was iron
And you fell all around the town until you
looked the same
and
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this hurtin’ feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
It was a fine idea at the time
Now it’s a brilliant mistake
and
You were the spice of life
The gin in my vermouth
And though the sparks would fly
I thought our love was fireproof
Sometimes we’d fight in public darling
With very little cause
But different kinds of sparks would fly
When we got on our own behind closed doors
and
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
and
and
I’m just the mere shadow of my former selfishness
I crave the silhouette of your kiss….
and
The way you walk
The way you talk, and try to kiss me, and laugh
In four or five paragraphs
All your compliments and your cutting remarks
Are captured here in my quotation marks
and
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.
and
Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
There’s a girl here and she’s almost you
and
The salty lips of the socialite sisters
With their continental fingers that have
never seen working blisters
Oh I know they’ve got their problems
I wish I was one of them
I could go on and on, but my point is that the man has written truly remarkeable lyrics, and the verse you say is one of your favorites has never even been on my radar screen.
That’s because it’s one of my favorites! 😉
And yes, all of those are excellent.
I can see why Clay likes the play on words that makes original too wholly unoriginal thoughts. Still, I’m with Dana (as I helped him choose some of that arsenal) in saying that there are many other lyrics that make a stronger impression on me.
(I mean, come on. I wish that I could press a button and talk in the past and not the present tense?! That’s frakkin brilliant!)
two (not too) 🙂 I was getting ahead of myself.
Paste made a list of the 100 best living songwriters and put Elvis Costello at #8. The two lines they quote in their write-up are a verse from ‘Watching the Detectives’ and those lines from ‘Riot Act.’
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2006/07/pastes-100-best-living-songwriters-110.html
Ah, so THAT’S why it’s your favorite—because Paste Magazine said so:)
I don’t think they’re citing the lyrics they believe to be the best produced by the songwriter featured at that moment. Certainly those mentioned in the article are not the best lyrics written by Prince, Bruce, or Joni. They’re just throwing samples out there. I do think what they write overall is worthwhile, but the lyric selection leaves something to be desired. Besides, what the hell is Paste?
I base all of my opinions on Paste‘s coverage. 😉 It’s a well-respected music magazine… and the first “official” source I could find to back up my opinion.
All of the examples they give are good… who says ‘Atlantic City’ doesn’t contain some of Bruce’s best lyrics? Those are great lyrics!
You think they’re just throwing random samples on the page? Certainly they chose lyrics they consider worthy of highlighting. You might disagree with the choices, but I think it’s fair to assume they are putting those lyrics out there as examples of good writing.
I think they’re just throwing random lyrics at the page 😉
No, I’m sure those are some lyrics they feel are emblematic of the artist’s style, but I hope those aren’t the ones they’re singling out as the best example of the artist’s lyrics. Besides it’s a list recognizing songwriters, not lyricists. They may be recognizing the music that accompanies those lyrics as well.
Finally, I never heard of Paste, so I don’t know how well-respected a music magazine it is. Spin, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Interview, Blender… these I’ve heard of or seen on the magazine stand at the bookstore. Paste? Not so much. Did all the other “official” sources we would actually recognize mention the lyrics Dana cited? 😉
Courtesy of Wikipedia: In 2005, Paste was listed at #21 on The Chicago Tribune’s list of “50 Best Magazines”. Paste appeared on that newspaper’s list again in 2007. Paste was also named “Magazine of the Year” by the PLUG Independent Music Awards in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2008, Paste was nominated for a National Magazine Award in the category of General Excellence.
I said good day! 🙂
I did mention that Rolling Stone placed Get Happy at #11 on their list of the best albums of the 80s, but they didn’t cite any lyrics.
Clearly the Colbert nation has been busy hacking away at Wikipedia again. ;-P
21st ranking is impressive—but apparently also not true. Here is the actual Chicago Tribune List, and the famous Paste isn’t on it–not 21, not in the top 50. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0606140373jun15,0,6029160.story
Now, it apparently did make the list in 2007, but so did such household name magazines as Juxtapoz, Mental Floss and Venus Zine.
Anyway–can we just admit that any of us can find something somewhere in some publication to support or refute opinions…..
Looking forward to tomorrow’s pick:)
That’s the 2006 list… the Wikipedia entry says it made the list in 2005 and 2007!
Ah, well it came up as the 2005 list, but perhaps the magazine wasn’t around in 05 or just blew chunks until 06:)
Only we could have an extended debate over Paste‘s placement on the Chicago Tribune‘s annual list of best magazines! 🙂
how about – the chairman of this boredom is a compliment collector
i’d like to be his funeral director