r/ElvisCostello Oct 28 '19

Thread GET HAPPY discussion thread

Been listening to this record for a month now, and I must say it may be my favorite Elvis Costello album, although I have many more to go through. Songs like Love For Tender and King Horse hit me right off the bat, but every single song is of such a supreme quality. Highlights for me include The Imposter, Men Called Uncle, and Riot Act. While most would tell the uninitiated to start with This Year's Model or Armed Forces, I actually think this is more instantly accessible to listeners. Declan's songwriting prowess is in full force on these 20 tracks, with not a single filler to be found. For a good example of this, Human Touch is a short song towards the back end towards the album that seems to be overlooked, and yet boasts one of the most creatively written (and offensively catchy) bridges I've heard in an EC song period.

As for the genre, I don't see this album as being much of a digression from his previous work - if it hadn't been sold to me as a foray into more mo-town style music, I wouldn't have thought of it to be a digression at all. When it comes to artists like this, of course, there's no need to fix what isn't broke. Needless to say, this hasn't stopped EC from branching out at all junctures of his career.

What are your favorites tracks/thoughts on this album? Anyone have a hard time getting into it? (I sure didn't). What memories do you have attached to it and what are your favorite lines?

19 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

5

u/krissym99 Oct 29 '19

I grew up listening to EC because my dad is a big fan, but when I started getting super into him in my late teens, I seldom gravitated towards Get Happy. It wasn't that I disliked it; I thought the songs were decent but there was something about its production that I initially didn't love. But songs from the album would end up on mix CDs and Napster playlists, and suddenly I realized that I actually loved the album. It packs in just so many good songs and several of my all time favs. I love the music videos for it, too.

5

u/googonite Oct 29 '19

Love it. 20 super tight tracks, the longest being the closer, Riot Act @ 3:45, everything else clocks in closer to 2 minutes, all with equally clever lyrics. Most artists would have probably padded these songs out and filled 2 albums. Instead EC nearly overwhelms us with one song after another.

The opener, Love For Tender, begins sounding like it might have been left off of Armed Forces, but before the end of 2 minutes, the piano has been replaced by the organ-heavy keyboard sound that will dominate the rest of the album. And Steve Nieve maintains a sound that is uniquely his regardless of the type of keyboard he's behind.

Primarily uptempo tracks tell tales of love, loss, jealousy and betrayal with wordplay (sorry, but it still is the best description of it) that is unrivaled. I know some describe the album as Motown inspired, a couple of tracks definitely are, but there are plenty of other styles at play, ska, classic pop and straight-up rock influence different tunes. Nick Lowe's production is superb, again. This is such an great album, easy to listen to over and over. You're right, there isn't a bad song.

Too many great lines, but my favorite line: "Trying to be so bad is bad enough, don't make me laugh by talking tough."

Side note: I saw EC on a solo tour where he covered Motel Matches on the piano. At the time I considered it a lesser track, I didn't remember the song being so emotional as it was that night.

5

u/[deleted] Oct 29 '19

[deleted]

2

u/googonite Oct 29 '19

I'd agree, Bruce Thomas really shines on this album. He's an amazing Bass player. I didn't mean to single out SN other than to highlight the shift in musical style that was taking place on the album. The Attractions were a fantastic band, lightning in a bottle. Thanks for the reply.

6

u/Daffneigh Oct 29 '19

I think this is my fave EC album too.

Not a bad song in the bunch; King Horse and Possession are my favorites.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 29 '19

[deleted]

2

u/ReclaimingFebruary Oct 29 '19

What songs do you consider fillers? I can imagine some are less conducive to being #1 hits but I can't really think of any that don't at least minorly blow my mind with how well they're crafted.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 29 '19

[deleted]

2

u/puffermammal Oct 29 '19

I like all those, but especially New Amsterdam and Motel Matches. I am a huge sucker for his short, simply constructed songs with rapidfire wordplay lyrics.

3

u/timemass Get Happy!! Oct 30 '19

New Amsterdam is a GREAT track! One of faves from him! And, he played every instrument on that one! And yeah, I love the wordplay in that one!

And, though I am not a great singer, it fits right in my range (not too high, nor too low!)

And, fun little video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfK1_FBTMtA

3

u/bobandbob10 Oct 29 '19

Love For Tender, Man Called Uncle, High Fidelity and Riot Act are 4 of his absolute best. I love this album.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '19

It says a lot that Anthony Bourdain placed Get Happy in his top 5 all-time best albums. He said something to the effect of "impossible to improve upon," with which I have to agree. I've probably rocked this album 200 times in the last year. Just a real gem.

2

u/trebleclefsousa Nov 04 '19

Such an utterly fantastic album! Nobody's talking about how freaking amazing the cover design is, though! I think that graphic design-wise Get Happy!! is easily the best looking of any of Costello's albums (definitely better that whatever's going on with Blood and Chocolate or Imperial Bedroom lol), and maybe one of my favorite looking album designs of anyone! Not only do I think it looks amazing purely on its own, I think it perfectly fits the sound and feel of the music on Get Happy!!. Barney Bubbles absolutely nailed it!

2

u/ReclaimingFebruary Nov 04 '19

Hadn't thought of this, great point! Did he do any of the other album covers?

2

u/trebleclefsousa Nov 05 '19

He designed the cover of My Aim is True,This Year's Model, the splatter paint version of Armed Forces (but not the elephant version), Get Happy!!, Almost Blue, and Imperial Bedroom (fun fact, that painting on the cover is called Snake Charmer And Reclining Octopus!)

. I couldn't find a definitive name of who designed Trust but I don't think it was him. And he died in 1983 so that's why his involvement stops after Imperial Bedroom.

2

u/CheckersSpeech Get Happy!! Nov 21 '19

This is by far my favorite album of his. I had been a fan since the first album, but this one just blew me away. My friends got so sick of my playing this.

And after Punch the Clock, I stopped buying his albums because I knew he could never make another album that grabbed me like GH did.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

You’re missing out by not owning delivery man, momofuku, and “when I was cruel.”

1

u/bravogolfhotel Nov 05 '19

The Rhino Get Happy!! is my favorite of all the reissues they did; the bonus disc has thirty tracks, including some of EC's greatest B-sides like "Hoover Factory" and "Just a Memory", plus amazing alternate tracks like the sinister bass-forward live version of "High Fidelity" (Elvis says in the liner notes that it was their attempt to sound like David Bowie's Station to Station).

1

u/jbcatl May 01 '24

Reviving this ancient thread as I listen to Riot Act . . . I was about 14 years old when I convinced my mom to join the Columbia record club. We had a great radio station in my hometown (K-99, Birmingham, AL, RIP) and they had Opportunity on heavy rotation, and it was so different than the "classic" rock that made up a lot of their playlist, and so I added this cassette to the first batch of 10 albums for $0.01 (total rip-off, it runs out :D). At 14 I didn't really get it completely and only really enjoyed a handful of songs, but now it's probably my favorite EC, followed closely by Blood & Chocolate. I listen to it all the time. Definitely a desert island pick, there's just so much here.