This is obviously about surveilance and paranoia, but also has that feeling of Costello's brilliant ability to meld personal and political. The chorus is obviously personal, but the rest of the song deals with the concept of someone listening in. I think it may deal with apathy as in all this is going on and you just wanna flirt and look good. Dunno.
The way he says it, though is so great. "Short time typist taking seconds over minutes" is a great play on the word 'minutes', as it is a measure of time, but also the transcript of a meeting. I can't remember if the Armed Forces version has it, but on the demo, there's a great catchy little bridge that goes as such:
"There were wires in the window
There were wires in the walls
There were wires in the kitchen
and wires in the halls.
There were wires on poles
there were wires in your face
there were wires in holes comin' out all over the place."
This is obviously about surveilance and paranoia, but also has that feeling of Costello's brilliant ability to meld personal and political. The chorus is obviously personal, but the rest of the song deals with the concept of someone listening in. I think it may deal with apathy as in all this is going on and you just wanna flirt and look good. Dunno. The way he says it, though is so great. "Short time typist taking seconds over minutes" is a great play on the word 'minutes', as it is a measure of time, but also the transcript of a meeting. I can't remember if the Armed Forces version has it, but on the demo, there's a great catchy little bridge that goes as such: "There were wires in the window There were wires in the walls There were wires in the kitchen and wires in the halls.
There were wires on poles there were wires in your face there were wires in holes comin' out all over the place."
@tackledspoon Excellent take on this great song. Thanks.
@tackledspoon Excellent take on this great song. Thanks.
@tackledspoon ShortHAND typist
@tackledspoon ShortHAND typist