Get Happy!!

For other uses of the title, see Get happy.

Get Happy!!
Studio album by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Released	February 15, 1980
Recorded	October 1979
Genre	New wave, punk, 2 Tone, blue-eyed soul
Length	48:08
Label	F-Beat Records UK Columbia US Demon/Rykodisc (April 29, 1994 Reissue) Rhino (September 9, 2003 Reissue) Hip-O (May 1, 2007 Reissue)
Producer	Nick Lowe
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (B) link Rolling Stone (not rated) link Stylus Magazine (favorable) link
Elvis Costello and the Attractions chronology
Armed Forces (1979) Get Happy!! (1980) Taking Liberties (1980)

The fourth album by Elvis Costello, his third with the Attractions, Get Happy!! is notable for being a dramatic break in tone from Costello's previous "trilogy" of commercially successful albums, and for being heavily influenced by R&B and soul music. The cover art was intentionally designed to have a "retro" feel, to look like the cover of an old LP with ring wear on both front and back.^[1]

The title may be a reference to gospel music, where "getting happy" is synonymous with receiving the Holy Spirit (a meaning that Costello himself hints at in the liner notes to the 2003 edition of the album). The title may also refer to the Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler song of the same name.

In 1989, it was rated #11 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.

Background

During the American concert tour for Armed Forces in April 1979, Costello engaged in a drunken argument with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett in a Columbus, Ohio, Holiday Inn hotel bar, during which Costello referred to James Brown as a "jive-arsed nigger," then upped the ante by pronouncing Ray Charles a "blind, ignorant nigger." Costello apologised at a New York City press conference a few days later, claiming that he had been drunk and had been attempting to be obnoxious in order to bring the conversation to a swift conclusion, not anticipating that Bramlett would bring his comments to the press.

It has been suggested that the R&B influence on the album was an attempt to atone for his comments^[2], but as Costello writes in the liner notes for the 2002 Rhino version,

The band had played some of the songs during the "Armed Funk Tour" and had rehearsed them for the record, but were dissatisfied with the sound, feeling it was too "New Wave"^[4] (some of the original versions can be found on disc 2 of the Rhino release). They then went back and re-arranged many of the songs with an R&B hook. On their U.S. tours, Costello had been able to find a number of R&B records of his favourite artists and having been listening to them during the rehearsals, decided to emulate the feel of those songs.^[3]

The band recorded the album at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands, in an attempt to isolate themselves from distractions, but they were still able to keep themselves drunk during the recording sessions.^[3] The exception to this was "New Amsterdam" which was recorded solo by Costello in a small studio in Pimlico.

With twenty songs on the original album, the vinyl cutting and pressing process had to be precise to fit all of them on the two sides of the record.^[4] A commercial for the album, added as a hidden track on the Rhino Records remaster, jokes about the album's length and number of songs.

Packaging and Artwork

The Get Happy!! sleeve was designed by F-Beat art director Barney Bubbles,^[5] who had worked with Costello at Stiff and Radar. He does not receive a credit in line with his insistence on anonymity.^{[citation needed]}

The UK version had the look of a worn sleeve with a circular ring (LP) on the front and back. The original album sleeve reversed the two sides; side one began with "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" (the current single) and ended with "Riot Act". The second side started with "Love for Tender" and ended with "High Fidelity". Only on the record labels themselves was the true running order revealed. The album was reviewed in the sleeve order by Charles Shaar Murray of the NME amongst others.

Track listing

All songs written by Elvis Costello unless otherwise indicated.

Side one

1. "Love for Tender" – 1:57
2. "Opportunity" – 3:13
3. "The Imposter" – 1:58
4. "Secondary Modern" – 1:58
5. "King Horse" – 3:01
6. "Possession" – 2:03
7. "Men Called Uncle" – 2:17
8. "Clowntime Is Over" – 2:59
9. "New Amsterdam" – 2:12
10. "High Fidelity" – 2:28

Side two

1. "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down" (Homer Banks, Allen Jones) – 2:06
2. "Black & White World" – 1:56
3. "5ive Gears in Reverse" – 2:38
4. "B Movie" – 2:04
5. "Motel Matches" – 2:30
6. "Human Touch" – 2:30
7. "Beaten to the Punch" – 1:49
8. "Temptation" – 2:33
9. "I Stand Accused" (Tony Colton, Ray Smith)– 2:21
10. "Riot Act" – 3:35

Bonus tracks (1994 Rykodisc)

1. "Girls Talk" – 1:55
2. "Clowntime Is Over" (Version 2) – 3:44
3. "Getting Mighty Crowded" (Van McCoy) – 2:09
4. "So Young" (Jeff Burstin, Joe Camilleri, Tony Faehse) – 3:23
5. "Just a Memory" – 2:16
6. "Hoover Factory" – 1:43
7. "Ghost Train" – 3:5
8. "Dr. Luther's Assistant" – 3:27
9. "Black & White World" – 1:50
10. "Riot Act" – 2:48
11. "Love for Tender" (Demo, ends abruptly, accidentally left on master) – 1:39 (not listed)^{[citation needed]}

Bonus Disk (2002 Rhino)

1. "I Stand Accused" (Alternate version) (Colton, Smith) – 3:10
2. "So Young" (Burstin, Camilleri, Faehse) – 3:28
3. "Girls Talk" – 1:56
4. "Human Touch" (Alternate version) – 2:20
5. "Temptation" – 2:28
6. "Motel Matches" (Alternate version) – 2:27
7. "Clowntime Is Over" – 3:46
8. "B Movie" (Alternate version) – 2:26
9. "Girls Talk" – 2:03
10. "Getting Mighty Crowded" (McCoy) – 2:09
11. "From a Whisper to a Scream" (Alternate version) – 2:30
12. "Watch Your Step" (Alternate version) – 2:02
13. "Dr Luther's Assistant" – 3:28
14. "Ghost Train" – 3:07
15. "New Lace Sleeves" (Alternate version) – 3:47
16. "Hoover Factory" – 1:45
17. "Just a Memory" – 2:17
18. "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" (Alternate version) (Banks, Jones) – 2:45
19. "New Amsterdam" (Alternate version) – 2:31
20. "Black & White World" (Demo version) – 1:51
21. "Riot Act" (Demo version) – 2:50
22. "5ive Gears in Reverse" (Demo version) – 2:33
23. "Love for Tender" (Demo version) – 2:07
24. "Men Called Uncle" (Demo version) – 2:06
25. "King Horse" (Demo version) – 2:45
26. "Seven O'Clock" (Demo version) – 2:00
27. "High Fidelity" (Live) – 3:17
28. "Opportunity" (Live) – 2:33
29. "The Imposter" (Live) – 2:11
30. "Don't Look Back" (Live) – 4:41

Note: The Rykodisc version has the original tracks and bonus tracks on one CD. The Rhino version has two CDs with the original tracks on the first CD.

Personnel

• Elvis Costello – vocals, guitar, organ on "Possession", all instruments on "New Amsterdam"
• Steve Nieve – piano, organ
• Bruce Thomas – bass, harmonica on "I Stand Accused"
• Pete Thomas – drums

Charts

Album

Certifications

References