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"Beyond Belief" is a song written by new wave musician
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
and recorded by Costello with his backing band
the Attractions The Attractions were an English backing band for the English new wave musician Elvis Costello between 1977 and 1986, and again from 1994 to 1996. They consisted of Steve Nieve (keyboards and ukulele), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Tho ...
. The song appeared on Costello's 1982 album, ''
Imperial Bedroom ''Imperial Bedroom'' is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his sixth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation). It was released on 2July 198 ...
''. With vague, hazy lyrics, "Beyond Belief" features an active drum line from a hungover Pete Thomas as well as a frantic vocal line Costello composed after the backing track was completed. Though not released as a single, "Beyond Belief" appeared on several Costello compilation albums and remains a fan favorite. It has been lauded by critics and has made several appearances in Costello's live setlist.


Background

"Beyond Belief" originated from an earlier song that Costello wrote, entitled "The Land of Give and Take". Sonically, the song represented an attempt by Costello to incorporate elements of the "big open-spaced music" from U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen that was popular at the time. Costello further described it as a "ranting kind of song", stating, "I was consciously writing words that didn't make sense — to make a blurred picture, because I was living a blurred life". Such a lyrical approach meant that "there rethree or four points of view going on at the same time" throughout. "Beyond Belief" was radically rearranged in the studio, largely in response to drummer Pete Thomas' energetic performance. Per Costello, In his autobiography, Costello noted that this restructuring of the song's structure over an existing backing track was "unprecedented" for him, concluding that the novelty of such a form of construction was a "real liberation". This strategy influenced Costello to reconsider the vocal lines of other songs on ''Imperial Bedroom'', leading to similar tweaks throughout the sessions.


Release

"Beyond Belief" was released as the opening track of Costello's 1982 album ''
Imperial Bedroom ''Imperial Bedroom'' is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his sixth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation). It was released on 2July 198 ...
''. The song was not released as a single, though it later appeared as a B-side on the 1985 single for "
Green Shirt "Green Shirt" is a song written by new wave musician Elvis Costello and recorded by Costello with his backing band the Attractions. The song appeared on Costello's 1979 third album, ''Armed Forces''. Lyrically inspired by the influence of the Na ...
". Costello later lamented this, noting that "Beyond Belief" would have been a "bolder" choice for a single than the album's first single, "
You Little Fool "You Little Fool" is a song written by New wave music, new wave musician Elvis Costello and performed by Elvis Costello and the Attractions on their 1982 album, ''Imperial Bedroom''. The lyrics detail a teenage girl's romantic encounter with an o ...
". Since its release, "Beyond Belief" has been included on several Costello compilation albums, including '' The Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions'', '' Girls Girls Girls'', and '' The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years''. ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' commented, "If there are any ''Imperial Bedroom'' songs casual fans know beyond '
Almost Blue ''Almost Blue'' is the sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his fifth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (drummer), Pete Thomas (no relation). It was reco ...
,' they're '
Man Out of Time "Man Out of Time" is a song written by new wave musician Elvis Costello and performed by Elvis Costello and the Attractions on their 1982 album, ''Imperial Bedroom''. With lyrics detailing a political scandal, "Man Out of Time" features a lush a ...
' and 'Beyond Belief,' as both have rightly been included on various career anthologies." The song also served as the title for a now-defunct Costello fanzine.


Critical reception

"Beyond Belief" has attracted critical acclaim from music writers. In a 1982 review of ''Imperial Bedroom'', Simon Hills of ''
Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...
'' praised the Costello's "silky yet muscular voice" on the track. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' singled out the opening lyric of "History repeats the old conceits/The glib replies, the same defeats" as being "sung from the inside". Retrospective writers have similarly expressed admiration for "Beyond Belief". ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' praised the song for its "masterful
ocal Ocal or OCAL may refer to: * Öcal, Turkish surname * Öçal, Turkish surname * Open Clip Art Library Openclipart, also called Open Clip Art Library, is an online media repository of free-content vector clip art. The project hosts over 160,000 ...
performance from Costello" as well as Thomas's "manic drumming." ''Stereogum'' similarly singled out the song because it "does deliver one of the great anxious Costello vocal recordings." ''
Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focused ...
'' stated, "Amid the current controversy over whether a songwriter is worthy of recognition among the pantheon of Serious Literature, 'Beyond Belief' is certainly as good an exemplar for The Pop Song As High Art as any." ''
Paste Magazine ''Paste'' is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publication fro ...
'' ranked "Beyond Belief" number 19 on their list of the top 20 Elvis Costello songs, writing, "Few songs set out so confusingly sprawling, and this introduction to the Attractions' abilities to adapt to Costello’s increasingly diverse muses was hugely impressive."


Live history

Since its release, "Beyond Belief" has appeared regularly in Costello's live setlist, though the song "had to be stripped of many of the tudioembellishments" as with many others from ''Imperial Bedroom''.


References

Citations Sources * * {{Elvis Costello 1982 songs Elvis Costello songs Songs written by Elvis Costello Song recordings produced by Geoff Emerick