Rank Mighty Like A Rose

[bobster]

An interesting album for me -- to me, the first four on my list are pure, unadulterated delight/genius...then we decline to good second-tier Costello....then, starting at about nine that rarest of Costelliana...something approaching <shudder> filler....

1. So Like Candy
2. Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4
3. How To Be Dumb
4. The Other Side Of Summer
5. Invasion Hit Parade
6. Playboy to a Man
7. Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)
8. Sweet Pear
9. All Grown Up
10. After The Fall
11. Georgie & Her Rival
12. Broken
13. Harpies Bizarre

Interlude: Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 2 -- I don't think you can really call this a "song" -- it's really more of a riff, though a cool one...can't go wrong w/ the Dirty Dozen!

[so lacklustre]

Same top 4 as the filmguy, different order. Agree on CCIU No.2

01. How To Be Dumb
02. The Other Side Of Summer
03. Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4
04. So Like Candy
05. Harpies Bizarre
06. Invasion Hit Parade
07. All Grown Up
08. After The Fall
09. Broken
10. Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)
11. Georgie & Her Rival
12. Playboy to a Man
13. Sweet Pear

[Unexpected No.4]

The first one I bought when It was released, mainly because of the Macca connections & the review It got In Q mag, I was blown away by It 14 years ago (Is It really that long ago !! ) & still was last night when I played It. Not a bad song on It & still remains my fave.

1.SO LIKE CANDY
2.GEORGIE & HER RIVAL
3.COULDNT CALL IT UNEXPECTED NO.4
4.INVASION HIT PARADE
5.AFTER THE FALL
6.ALL GROWN UP
7.HURRY DOWN DOOMSDAY(THE BUGS ARE TAKING OVER)
8.SWEET PEAR
9.THE OTHER SIDE OF SUMMER
10.PLAYBOY TO A MAN
11.HARPIES BIZARRE
12.BROKEN
13.HOW TO BE DUMB
14.INTERLUDE:COULDNT CALL IT UNEXPECTED NO.2

[legman open to offers]

1 The Other Side Of Summer (I never tire of it, brilliant)
2 How To Be Dumb
3 CCUI #4
4 Hairpies Bizarre
5 All Grown Up
6 So Like Candy
7 After The Fall
8 Georgie and Her Rival
9 Sweet Pear
10 Hurry Down
11 Playboy to a Man
12 Invasion Hit Parade
13 Broken
14 Interlude: CCIU #2

[pophead2k]

1 CCIU #4
2 All Grown Up
3 The Other Side of Summer
4 Georgie and Her Rival
5 Hurry Down Doomsday
6 How to Be Dumb
7 So Like Candy
8 Harpie's Bizarre
9 Sweet Pear
10 After the Fall
11 Invasion Hit Parade
12 Broken
13 CCIU#2
14 Playboy to a Man

[mood swung]

CCIU #4
The Other Side of Summer
So Like Candy
How to Be Dumb
Hurry Down Doomsday
All Grown Up
After the Fall
Georgie and Her Rival
Playboy to a Man
Invasion Hit Parade
CCIU#2
Harpie's Bizarre
Sweet Pear
Broken

[alexv]

SONGS I REALLY LIKE

1. Couldn't Call it Unexpected
2. Other Side of Summer
3. So Like Candy
4. Broken
6. Hurry Down...
7.How to be Dumb
8. Sweet Pear
9. Georgie and her Rival

GREAT MELODIES; WEAK LYRICS

1. All Grown Up
2. After the Fall

SONGS I DISLIKE

1. Playboy to a Man
2. Invasion Hit Parade
3. Harpies Bizarre

Far be it for me to dis EC's lyrics, but why complicate the beautiful melody of All Grown Up, and the beautiful beginning of the song by adding after "Her promise was almost undone" these lyrics: "Under her tongue, dissolving her responsibilities To finally deny everyone with every unflattering comparison" Huh? Why. And then later, after "if all of this life has been such a disappointment to you", comes the ugly, and unnecessarily mean-spirited: "Why don't you stop blaming some guy And give the next one a try" Is he still talking about Bruce here? Is the whole album about him? Well, I guess he is, since he ends the song with "This night is the perfect antidote for all of the poison that you wrote". Oh, I see, the first and last stanzas are about a girl, the rest is Bruce and... but wait what about that last line, weren't we still talking about the girl here? Anyway, it's a beautiful melody, beautifully sung, and the lyrics just erase all the beauty and give me a headache.

And now we move to the other beatifully melody, After the Fall, and here my problem is simpler. First, can someone explain the following lyric:

Beneath them applause from the balcony whenever they
accomplished making love
Other times they thought they heard laughter
Coming from the balcony above

Okay, here's my question: At the beginning, the applause is coming BENEATH them from the BALCONY. Okay, they must be pretty high somewhere, but it could happen. Then they hear laughter coming from the balcony ABOVE. Huh? Can someone explain the logistics here? I know artists are not held to the laws of nature, but couldn't he have edited this a little. And why "accomplished making love"? Why stick in (no pun intended) "accomplished"?

And then, in the rest of the song, why do we get lines like the following which read like bad parodies of early EC: "The ceiling was festooned with phosphorous stars" and "you were sharp and ideal as a bobby pin". "Festooned". Did someone yell "Jump the Shark?"

[pophead2k]

And now we move to the other beatifully melody, After the Fall, and here my problem is simpler. First, can someone explain the following lyric:

Beneath them applause from the balcony whenever they
accomplished making love
Other times they thought they heard laughter
Coming from the balcony above

Okay, here's my question: At the beginning, the applause is coming BENEATH them from the BALCONY. Okay, they must be pretty high somewhere, but it could happen. Then they hear laughter coming from the balcony ABOVE. Huh? Can someone explain the logistics here? I know artists are not held to the laws of nature, but couldn't he have edited this a little. And why "accomplished making love"? Why stick in (no pun intended) "accomplished"?

I always pictured this Arthur Miller/Marilyn Monroe tryst taking place at some hotel, hence balconies above and below where other occupants are very close to them, and yet they have created an isolated environment for themselves ("she put up a little tent in the bedroom...."). The Arthur Miller character is ashamed of the liaison, yet felt, at one time, a powerful attraction to her, which could explain the idea of 'accomplished' in terms of making love. It has become a task to one of or both of the parties. That's the way I've always 'read' it.

[Extreme Honey]

It is apparent someone here dosn't like this album, but don't try to spoil it. The 2 songs that you called "Lyrically devastating" are two of the most talented songs elvis ever grasped. Lyrically beautiful, if anything. You must concentrate in the music rather than the lyrics my friend. All grown up could possible be about Bruce or Mary, I don't really give a rat's ass. The song is about the psycological,emotional and social change in a woman growing up to be an adult. After the fall is one of my favourite Costello songs, If you close you eyes and listen to the song rather than read the lyrics and tune out his voice, you would feel the scene and beauty of the song. You must try to picture what he is telling you, read the song like a book. It is simply beautiful. I beleive is about a woman that this man used to have a relationship with, that got a new man and took him to a Hotel (one of those love hotels) and made his life incredible, making their room like a camp in the country and loving him. After the story is told, the man than speaks saying "You changed but not for the better babe, I'd tell you why but what's the use? 'Caus it's the same kind of pitty a drunkard gives as his excuse". I respect opinion, you may call this song whatever you desire, but for the sake of intelligence, don't call it a bad work of the pen, least of all, Costello's pen. You know, some of the Costello fans are better off waith This Year's Model, easier to digest really.

[alexv]

Thomasso, did I spoil Mighty Like a Rose for you? Oh, I'm so sorry. That was not my intent at all. Did I say the lyrics to the two songs were "lyrically devastating"? I don't think so. Not my style. Perhaps yours?

And you go on to say that these two songs are "two of the most talented songs elvis ever grasped"? What the hell does that mean? Then you suggest I "concentrate in the music" rather than lyrics. Thanks for the advice. I can usually manage to "concentrate" on, though never "in", both, sometimes even at the same time!!

I suggest you read Pophead's response to my questions, for a lesson on how to engage in a mature exchange of opinions on a work of the imagination without making things personal. I have been a fan of EC's music since the late 70s, and I am happy to say that I can look at his work with the objectivity and intelligence it deserves, which from the tenor of your posts is more than I can say about you.

[Extreme Honey]

Haha, nicely done. Very well, you can claim this one, I kinda lost the bitter feeling anyway. however, being a fan from the 70's, 80's, 90's or ten years from now does not really matter. There shouldn't be such discord and bitterness in this thread after all, this album is too great to have such a childish antic on it's thread anyway. I don't really care what you think about the album, alexv. Sorry if I was a tad nasty. I find myself disagreeing with a lot of people here since I joined anyway. I'm the minority Elvis fans. You don't find too many topic on Painted From Memory and The Juliet Letter here then again, do you? Still, although I may sound forgiving, I still find it more than absurd to like Mighty like a rose and say AGU and ATF are lyrically weak. Odd, if anything. What do you suppose is lyrically better, in that case (for a "Mature" exchange of opinion, alexv )?

[King Hoarse]

I'd just like to say that whenever the Imposters play something from PFM (just In The Darkest Place and Toledo so far? Still waiting for The Sweetest Punch) the posters here seem to think of it as a highlight of the show, me included.

I started these ranking threads chronologically about a year ago, and now last month or so many new members dug out the old posts to join the fun, which meant there was an unnatural amount of writing about those early albums. "It will pass; be seated."

I'm closing the bag on this one on Sunday or so, when I'm back from my midsummer's Springsteen trip around the country, and then it's onto the next album, but which one is it to be - Kojak Variety (the next recording) or The Juliet Letters (the next release)?

[bambooneedle]

Thomasso- It's good to be in the minority about one's opinions, isn't it.

[bambooneedle]

"I'm trouble" she said
Spread out on the floor of her father's house
Her promise was almost undone

Under her tongue, dissolving her responsibilities
to finally deny everyone with every unflattering comparison"


I think they are clever lines. I see:

"her promise was almost undone under her tongue (putting across a one-two punch couple of idea variations, of ways that she dissolves her responsibilities) to finally deny everyone with every unflattering comparison"

as because she's corrupted herself and it's liberating to be as corrupt as the people she used to adore, having now 'grown up'. People which she now hates because she finally understands how ugly they are. Or something like that.

[Mike Boom]

1 CCUI #4
2 So Like Candy
3 The Other Side Of Summer
4 Hurry Down Doomsday (the unplugged version rocks even more)
5 Sweet Pear
6 Georgie and Her Rival
7 How To Be Dumb
8 All Grown Up
9 Harpies Bizarre
10 After The Fall
11 Broken
12 Playboy to a Man
13 Invasion Hit Parade
14 Interlude: CCIU #2

[oily slick]

1. The Other Side of Summer
2. How To Be Dumb
3. Hurry Down Doomsday
4. CCUI 4
5. All Grown Up
6. So Like Candy
7. After the Fall
8. Sweet Pear
9. Harpies Bizarre
10. Invasion Hit Parade
11. Georgie and Her Rival
12. Playboy to a Man
13. CCUI 2
14. Broken

this record is just so difficult, combining some of the more interesting tracks of his career and others that are almost impossible to endure.

[MegJS]

1. So Like Candy
2. Hurry Down Doomsday
3. Couldn't Call it Unexpected No. 4
4. Harpies Bizarre
5. The Other Side of Summer
6. All Grown Up
7. Broken
8. Couldn't Call it Unexpected No. 2
9. How To Be Dumb
10. After the Fall
11. Sweet Pear
12. Invasion Hit Parade
13. Georgie and Her Rival
14. Playboy to a Man