And my second Random Weekend selection is… ‘Temptation’ from Billy Joel’s 1986 album, The Bridge.
Well, it could have been worse. It could have been ‘This is the Time.’
The Bridge is an interesting album in that it features some of Joel’s most ambitious, complex work (songs such as ‘Big Man on Mulberry Street,’ ‘Running On Ice’ and ‘Code of Silence’) but also some of his worst forays into MOR sap.
When he’s on top of his game, Elvis Costello has no equal as a lyricist. His ability to twist and turn the English language, to fracture and reassemble puns and cliches with devilish glee, borders on the surreal. Particularly on his early albums, Costello’s wordplay is almost frighteningly intricate.
To quote a song on a future Costello album, he calls to mind “a chainsaw running through a dictionary.”
For all of that lyrical ingenuity, or perhaps because of it, it’s often nearly impossible to tell what Costello’s songs are actually about. Often I’ll find myself thinking, “These lyrics are amazing… if only I knew what the hell they meant.”
Meet Me In Montauk 