Painted from Memory
Encyclopedia
Painted from Memory is a collaboration between Elvis Costello
and Burt Bacharach
. It was released September 29, 1998 on Mercury Records
, a division of Universal Music Group
.
The collaboration commenced with "God Give Me Strength", a commission for the 1996 film Grace of My Heart
, directed by Allison Anders
and starring Illeana Douglas
. Apparently pleased with the result, the pair expanded the project to this full album, the first for Costello after an absence of two years, and for Bacharach after an absence of 21 years. Lyrics and music are co-credited to both Bacharach and Costello.
A companion album, The Sweetest Punch
, was made concurrently by jazz
guitarist Bill Frisell
, released in 1999 on another Universal label, Decca Records
. It consists of jazz arrangements of the Painted From Memory songs done by Frisell and his studio group. It features vocals by Costello on two songs, and by jazz
singer Cassandra Wilson
on two songs, one of which is a duet employing both.
Costello had long been a Bacharach fan, and had recorded several Bacharach songs, beginning with "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself," released on a 1978 Stiff Records
compilation Live Stiffs Live
. Costello would also cover "I'll Never Fall in Love Again
" for the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
"I Still Have That Other Girl" won a Grammy Award
in 1998 for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" for Bacharach and Costello.
and Burt Bacharach
.
for the album itself and part of a promotional tagline
for the album. The hour-long documentary originally aired in the UK on Channel 4
on December 26, 1998, and in the U.S., Bravo, which was then expanding its original programming lineup during the midst of a major advertising campaign, aired it on October 20, 1999.
program Sessions at West 54th
, later released on VHS. Also at this time, however, Costello began playing a different style of live concerts, accompanied by only longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve
on piano. In 1999, Costello subsequently embarked on the Lonely World Tour, performed in this style with Nieve receiving equal billing; songs from Painted from Memory were a prominent part of the setlists on this tour.
Songs from the album remain in both Costello and Bacharach's live repertoires. A rendition of "God Give Me Strength" closes Costello's 2004 orchestrated live album My Flame Burns Blue
, while some of Bacharach's current concerts with regular singer John Pagano also incorporate "God Give Me Strength".
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
. It was released September 29, 1998 on Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, a division of Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
.
The collaboration commenced with "God Give Me Strength", a commission for the 1996 film Grace of My Heart
Grace of My Heart
Grace of My Heart is a 1996 film written and directed by Allison Anders, set in the pop music world, starting off in New York's Brill Building early 1960s era, weaving through the California Sound of the mid '60s and culminating with the adult-contemporary scene of the early 1970s.The plot follows...
, directed by Allison Anders
Allison Anders
Allison Anders is an American film and television director. Anders has directed many independent films, on which she frequently collaborates with fellow UCLA film school graduate Kurt Voss.-Biography:...
and starring Illeana Douglas
Illeana Douglas
Illeana Douglas is an American actress, director, screenwriter, and producer.-Background:Douglas is a granddaughter of the actor Melvyn Douglas and his first wife, artist Rosalind Hightower, and has said that her grandfather's performance in Being There, in particular, was influential on her own...
. Apparently pleased with the result, the pair expanded the project to this full album, the first for Costello after an absence of two years, and for Bacharach after an absence of 21 years. Lyrics and music are co-credited to both Bacharach and Costello.
A companion album, The Sweetest Punch
The Sweetest Punch
The Sweetest Punch is a 1999 album by Elvis Costello and Bill Frisell, released as a companion album to 1998's Painted from Memory. Many of the earlier album's songs are featured with new arrangements by Frisell, and mostly in instrumental versions....
, was made concurrently by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
guitarist Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, released in 1999 on another Universal label, Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. It consists of jazz arrangements of the Painted From Memory songs done by Frisell and his studio group. It features vocals by Costello on two songs, and by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating country, blues and folk music into her...
on two songs, one of which is a duet employing both.
Costello had long been a Bacharach fan, and had recorded several Bacharach songs, beginning with "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself," released on a 1978 Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
compilation Live Stiffs Live
Stiffs Live
Live Stiffs Live is a live album released in 1978, containing performances by various Stiff Records artists from the first "Live Stiffs Tour", which ran from 3 October to 5 November 1977....
. Costello would also cover "I'll Never Fall in Love Again
I'll Never Fall in Love Again
"I'll Never Fall In Love Again" is a popular song by composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. Originally written for the 1968 musical Promises, Promises, it soon became one of Bacharach and David's most enduring songs. It was nominated for Song of the Year in the 1969 Grammy awards...
" for the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
"I Still Have That Other Girl" won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1998 for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" for Bacharach and Costello.
Track listing
All songs written by Elvis CostelloElvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
.
- "In the Darkest Place" – 4:19
- "Toledo" – 4:35
- "I Still Have That Other Girl" – 2:46
- "This House Is Empty Now" – 5:10
- "Tears at the Birthday Party" – 4:38
- "Such Unlikely Lovers" – 3:24
- "My Thief" – 4:20
- "The Long Division" – 4:15
- "Painted from Memory" – 4:12
- "The Sweetest Punch" – 4:09
- "What's Her Name Today?" – 4:08
- "God Give Me Strength" – 6:11
1999 limited edition bonus disc
- "This House Is Empty Now" (live on Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, November 27, 1998) - "I Still Have That Other Girl" (live at Shibuya HallShibuya Public Hallor is a live theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was completed in 1964. In the 1964 Summer Olympics, the weightlifting events took place there.The theatre was sponsored by Dentsu and Suntory, which paid ¥80 million to have its name associated with the building from 2006 to 2011.-External links:*...
, Tokyo, February 10, 1999) - "In the Darkest Place" (live at the Athenaeum, MelbourneAthenaeum, MelbourneThe Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum is one of the oldest public institutions in Victoria, Australia, founded in 1839. The first President was Captain William Lonsdale, the first Patron was the Superintendent of Port Philip, Charles La Trobe and the first books were donated by Vice-President Henry...
, February 16, 1999) - "Painted from Memory" (live at the Athenaeum, Melbourne, February 16, 1999)
- "What's Her Name Today?" (live at Shibuya Hall, Tokyo, February 10, 1999)
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 |
78 |
Documentation
Prior to the recording of the album, Irish film producer Phillip King proposed to Costello that a film should be made to document the process. The resulting film, Because It's a Lonely World, was produced by King's company, Hummingbird Productions; the title, taken from the lyrics of "What's Her Name Today?", was also originally a working titleWorking title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
for the album itself and part of a promotional tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
for the album. The hour-long documentary originally aired in the UK on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on December 26, 1998, and in the U.S., Bravo, which was then expanding its original programming lineup during the midst of a major advertising campaign, aired it on October 20, 1999.
Live
Following the album's release, Costello and Bacharach performed songs from the album together at only a limited number of venues. One of these comprised a second-season episode of the American public televisionPublic broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
program Sessions at West 54th
Sessions at West 54th
Sessions at West 54th was an American television program that featured music performances, and was in some ways a pop music variation on the theme set by the long-lived Austin City Limits, though the featured musicians represented a number of musical genres. It was called Sessions at West 54th...
, later released on VHS. Also at this time, however, Costello began playing a different style of live concerts, accompanied by only longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve is an English keyboardist, best known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Elvis Costello and the Imposters.-Musical career:...
on piano. In 1999, Costello subsequently embarked on the Lonely World Tour, performed in this style with Nieve receiving equal billing; songs from Painted from Memory were a prominent part of the setlists on this tour.
Songs from the album remain in both Costello and Bacharach's live repertoires. A rendition of "God Give Me Strength" closes Costello's 2004 orchestrated live album My Flame Burns Blue
My Flame Burns Blue
My Flame Burns Blue is the twenty-second album by Elvis Costello, released on Deutsche Grammophon, B0005994-72. It is his second official live release after the El Mocambo bonus disc issued with the 2½ Years box set. It consists of recordings from the North Sea Jazz Festival in July 2004, made with...
, while some of Bacharach's current concerts with regular singer John Pagano also incorporate "God Give Me Strength".
External links
- Karen Schoemer The Odd Couple, originally from NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
10 May 1998, online on bacharachonline.com