Beyond Belief

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This is my favourite Elvis Costello song - it was on his Imperial Bedroom album and dates from 1982. It is lyrically impenetrable even by his standards, and impenetrability is not an aspect of Costello I enjoy. It also doesn't have much of a melody. So why do I like it? The dynamics and atmosphere - there's a subdued air of menace and desperation about the track which is tinted by the ultra-gnomic lyrics. Actually I don't really know why I like it, which is maybe why I'm starting a thread about a song which doesn't feel like much of a song at all.

― Tom, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I love the song. One of the great things about Costello is that he never settled for his current state, he constantly forced reinvention upon himself. I think Beyond Belief personifies this trait very well, the song does not confine itself to any specific style, lyrically in particular. As an opener its a perfect choice, it sums up the laid back literal angst of Imperial Bedroom brilliantly.

― tyler, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

(I don't like almost any of the rest of Imperial Bedroom, I wish the whole thing had been nasty mood pieces like BB)

― Tom, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh yeah, and the chords are great pop standards, essentially forming the melody themselves. About 75% of the song is 1-4-1-m3, which is beautiful. The minor third kind of catches you offguard and Elvis handles it well, simply dropping his voice down to follow the chords rather than trying to put a melody to it.

― tyler, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Most of the rest of Imperial Bedroom goes off on Costello's pension towards chordiness, he ends up half of the time forcing himself into difficult patterns.

― tyler, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's a fine opening track because the whole song sounds like an opening that never settles in. It's a series of vivid rhythmic themes strung together, each cleverly flowing each out the one before. In fact I'm now realizing I can't remember how it all ends.

― Curt, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Possibly an early draft of "Beyond Belief": "Green Shirt" off Armed Forces, which I thought was marred by typicallly English Comp lyrics.

― Curt, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It just kind of fades out at the end after introducing the chorus for the first time, it doesn't even count as a chorus. Certainly this is one of the very few times Costello doesn't use a chorus traditionally.

― tyler, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like the Lambchop cover version. I've never heard the original which is probably quite embarassing.

― Ronan, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i have never heard elvias costello. he looks too embarrassing. i know thats not really fair, but that mingus thingy he did or whatever, that just clinched it. ugh!

― gareth, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Is it about the Moors Murderers book "Beyond Belief", the one The Smiths took 'Suffer Little Children' from?

― DV, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i don't believe it is DV

― mark s, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Also my favorite EC song. It's on the first Best-of so I don't need Imperial Bedroom (though I remember liking "Tears Before Bedtime" back when I had it.)

― Mark, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Funny how generally useless Imperial Bedroom has become, and yet it has some of his best songs ("Beyond Belief," "Man Out of Time," and "... And In Every Home."

I guess there's a thesis in the thought that Imperial Bedroom combines the best and worst features of E.C. But tomorrow's my birthday and I ain't drawing no lines before that special day.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I was hoping that someone would finally mention "Man Out of Time" so I didn't have to -- but now I just did.

― paul, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Quite possibly my least favorite song on the first greatest hits (only EC I own), exactly for the reasons Tom stated. The lack of melody is what really gets me, but I've never been able to get much out of the lyrics either.

― Vinnie, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

*Lack of Melody* - WHAT?

― Dr. C, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The track is *fantastic*. Loads more to say about it. Tom E is right - it's barely a 'song' at least in a trad sense.

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Imperial Bedroom is a tough one. I've heard it highly praised, I've tried to get into it - but I think it has few high points, really. 'Almost Blue' masters a particular mode; 'Man Out Of Time' is obviously memorable, but I really prefer its beginning and end; 'Beyond Belief' is the one instance of blatant wayward genius that anyone can appreciate (without 'understanding' it).

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What about 'Shabby Doll', PF? I haven't listened to the album in ages, but it's always struck me as an example of EC at his most brutally *real* best. I love the atmosphere of 'Town Crier' - lovely late-60's brass cushioning a resigned EC. Actually I HAVE to listen to Imp Bed asap!

― Dr. C, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes - once you start naming names... I actually think that 'Boy With A Problem' is good!

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The vocal performance on "Kid About It" is truly astonishing. Cuts me up. Didn't we once have a thread once about best one-two LP punch by an artist? I would have nominated Trust and Imperial Bedroom.

There's a nice on-line review of ...Bedroom, inc. an excellent explanation of why Beyond Belief is so good, here.

― Jeff W, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"You Little Fool" sounds like something off Between the Buttons, which is a good thing.

― Curt, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The way he sings "and I suppose you're going to have to stay all night" in You Little Fool is genius beyond words. God, I have to listen to this tonight.

Personal Elvis C triv - his dad (Ross MacManus)lives close to me and brings his jazz band along to events at the school my kids go to, e.g the summer picnic and St. Patricks day parents piss-up etc. He can still sing! I live in hope that one of these events will co-incide with Declan visiting his old man.

― Dr. C, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Blah blah genius songwriting structure blah. The song and the album are supra-genius in my book. There are some artists for whom collections are a bad idea, I think EC, or this period of EC is one of them. Of his albums from TYM to IB, several are good enough to merit being purchased in original format. Collections just muck up the vibe.

― Hunter, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

five years pass...

dis song is tyte

― cankles, Saturday, 6 October 2007 07:14 (eighteen years ago)

so classic.

― sleeve, Saturday, 6 October 2007 07:33 (eighteen years ago)

6-7 years ago this was the only EC song i LOVED, and uh it still is. too bad the rest of his shit is a bunch of bullshitty ass fagbaby bullshit~~~~

― cankles, Saturday, 6 October 2007 07:36 (eighteen years ago)

dis song is tyte

LOL -- i wonder what EC would think about one of his songs being described as being "tyte".

― Eisbaer, Saturday, 6 October 2007 08:10 (eighteen years ago)

and this reminds me of one of my all-time favorite exchanges on ILM ever:

I liek Veronica. WHat's with Sting lately? Appearing on Ally MC Beal to sing "every Breath You Take? Going to Madonnas wedding? Is the same guy who wrote "Darkness" and "Walking on the Moon" ? I really have a special place in my heart for the Police, but egad, what has happened to the man? I hope Elvis COstello doesnt becoem liek him.

-- Mike Hanley, Tuesday, May 22, 2001 8:00 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Link
I hope Elvis Costello licks Sting.

-- proton, Tuesday, May 22, 2001 8:00 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Link
It would be fun to see Elvis COstello and Sting in a xxx film. Especially if Liz Taylor was watching in the backgruond and Michal Jackson was trying to mount her

-- Mike Hanley, Tuesday, May 22, 2001 8:00 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Link

― Eisbaer, Saturday, 6 October 2007 08:12 (eighteen years ago)

twelve years pass...

dis song is tyte

― cankles

― buzza, Tuesday, 28 January 2020 07:39 (six years ago)

this is the only good EC song

― doorstep jetski (dog latin), Tuesday, 28 January 2020 10:44 (six years ago)

actually that's not true. I like his cod reggae songs too

― doorstep jetski (dog latin), Tuesday, 28 January 2020 10:44 (six years ago)

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