These songs are really not about that, these songs are really not about death. Because it’s not forever, for anybody, you know? But I haven't written any songs about that. She was 93, and you can’t really count it as a surprise that eventually her incredible will to fight everything off could not last forever, you have to accept it. My mother also died recently, which was very painful because I wasn't able to be with her due to the pandemic. It's very tempting romantically to think that songs are influenced by this event… And I've had reason to ponder the passing of very good friends both in this last emergency and before that. And that's the only reason anybody knows about that incident. I'm rather inclined to think I am invulnerable, and I went back on the stage far too soon, before I was fully rested. I never was ill I made a miscalculation about my own energies. I was very fortunate to have something detected which surgery could solve. Sadly, many of my friends, too many of them, have died of cancer for me to even count myself among that number. Not be too melodramatic - but strictly factually, I didn't have a brush with death. It’s very sad to say goodbye… I wouldn’t sentimentalize that in a song.”Īnd what about influence from your own life? You endured a cancer scare in 2018 - I can imagine that was a powerful motivation for your art. I didn't have some big blueprint for all of these songs written down where it must start here and end here. In the end, the tune is a quite beautiful performance by the band and everybody just playing very simply.
But there's lots of very romantic images in that song, even though it's about a person who's not really admirable. I don't know where this idea came from! Really, honestly, I don’t. Sometimes the imaginative aspects of songwriting just accumulate in a coherent way, or you recognize little patterns or threads in the themes… For example with the song “Mr, Crescent” from my new album The Boy Named If, it’s about a man looking back on his sins.
I think sometimes songs just develop out of a little imagining! You have to follow and find the logic, and then find the musical carriage for it. I simply like to think about what the implication of events are, and if possible, if they give me a reason to write or sing, then that is great. I write and I try to respond to the impulse to write and try to make some coherence of that.
I never think of that ever! I never think of like, “Why am I doing this?” I'm just doing it. Costello, what is the force that drives your songwriting?
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