Sunday, January 20, 2008

Watching the Detectives



Continuing along with my "Help, I'm stuck in the 80s" theme of late, I bring you this clip of Elvis Costello doing perhaps the most perfect pop song ever. Watching the Detectives. I reordered the hard to find Deep Dead Blue last week, a CD of Elvis and Bill Frisell playing together live in 1995. Years ago this one went missing in a Real Change break-in and I've missed it since. It's been my sound track recently, and so comes this morning's moment of Elvis appreciation.

Watching the Detectives
Nice girls, not one with a defect
Cellophane shrink-wrapped, so correct
Red dogs under illegal legs
She looks so good that he gets down and begs

(CHORUS) She is watching the detectives
"Ooh, he's so cute"
She is watching the detectives
When they shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot
They beat him up until the teardrops start
But he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no heart

Long shot at that jumping sign
Invisible shivers running down my spine
Cut to baby taking off her clothes
Close-up of the sign that says "We never close"
He snatches at you and you match his cigarette
She pulls the eyes out with a face like a magnet
I don't know how much more of this I can take
She's filing her nails while they're dragging the lake

(REPEAT CHORUS)

You think you're alone until you realize you're in it
Now fear is here to stay, love is here for a visit
They call it instant justice when it's past the legal limit
Someone's scratching at the window, I wonder who is it?
The detectives come to check if you belong to the parents
Who are ready to hear the worst about their daughter's disappearance
Though it nearly took a miracle to get you to stay
It only took my little fingers to blow you away

Just like watching the detectives
Don't get cute
It's just like watching the detectives
I get so angry when the teardrops start
But he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no heart

Watching the detectives
It's just like watching the detectives
Watching the detectives
Watching the detectives
(REPEAT AND FADE)

— Elvis Costello

1 comment:

Martian Bracelets said...

80s?

1977, brother Harris.

Thanks for posting that. It is a great song. Although, I like Radio Radio better from that time.