The Random iTunes Fairy is stealing a bit of my thunder.
I had planned to feature Elvis Costello next week as part of my musical genome project, and perhaps I still might. But today’s song would have been a perfect selection to demonstrate Costello’s ‘Country Plus’ credentials. I’ll table that discussion until the appropriate time.
The Delivery Man is one of Costello’s best albums of the new millennium. It’s a bit schizophrenic at times — jumping between hard-edged blues rockers and soft balladry — but it has a consistent tone and it sounds just beautiful.
A major part of its appeal is the presence of Emmylou Harris, the queen of backing vocals, who works her magic on three tracks, including today’s SOTD.
Or are you only teasing?
I felt the cold hard facts of life
Five degrees from freezing
Does it amuse you to always hurt me so?
I try my best it’s not enough
Should I give up and let you?
What more is there to take from me?
There’s nothing else to give you, dear
There’s nothing more that I can lose
Except this Heart Shaped Bruise
It will fade
From purple to violet
It will fade
Just as the day dissolves into twilight
Tell me now
Or am I only dreaming?
You said that you’d be mine for life
And now you say you’re leaving
If I could hold you once more before you go
When I approach you just lash out
Should I give up and let you?
What more is there to take from me?
There’s nothing else to give you, dear
There’s nothing more that I can lose
Accept this Heart Shaped Bruise
It will fade from purple to violet
It will fade?
She’s pulling out the pin
Meet Me In Montauk 
I really love this song to death, and I love the sound. Listen to it on good headphones and you can hear the faint sound of Elvis’s guide vocal playing underneath Emmylou’s verses.
I have said in earlier posts that I am less apt then you are to stray from the musical genomes I most enjoy, even when my favorite artists travel down those “country” or other roads. Having said that, I tend to be more willing to do so with Costello, perhaps because I find it fascinating to see a British guy with a punk rock background embody the soul of the American south. Or perhaps it’s because his songwriting talent is so damn good that it transcends the genre. Whatever it is, it works for me more often than not, including on today’s song.