Iconic singer-songwriter Elvis Costello is back with a new track. The track, titled “Hey Clockface/How Can You Face Me?” is a swanky track with rich trumpet, clarinet, cello and drums. The release follows the tracks, “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” and “No Flag.”
“Hey Clockface/How Can You Face Me?” opens with Elvis Costello’s iconic husky vocals, with a series of “Ba-Ba’s” arranged around soaring horns and cello. According to a press release, the track opens “with a trumpet and vocal duet, quoting the theme of the Fats Waller/Andy Razaf song, ‘How You Face Me?’ which dates back to the mid-1930s.” The lyrics deal with having a gripe with the clock, and Elvis Costello states that he “isn’t wasting any more time.” Sonically, the track sounds jazzy and embodies a spunky attitude.
Regarding the track, Elvis Costello stated that: “This is a song about picking an argument with time, the very clock face, either running too fast or too slow, depending on the company you keep.” The track was recorded in Paris and included an organic writing experience. Elvis Costello states to the press that: “None of our arrangements for this session were written down in advance. I sang the theme of ‘How Can You Face?’ to Mickaël and we kicked off this take right away, quoting a few lines of the song in the tag.”
The music video for the track embodies a retro aesthetic, with paintings of faces, clocks, horns and more. The lyrics are on full-display, alongside the vivid images of clocks turning and days flying by. In addition to this release, Elvis Costello has had a busy year, as he recently participated in a Live Stream benefit back in July alongside Joan Jett and Shawn Colvin.
Additionally, back in May, Elvis Costello joined The Jazz Foundation of America’s live stream festival with the likes of Sheryl Crow, Bootsy Collins, and more.
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