Listening to Elvis Costello on Radio Paradise

Elvis Costello — Secondary Modern

Album: Get Happy
Avg rating:

6.3

Your rating:

Total ratings: 496

Released: 1980
Length: 1:52
Plays (last 30 days): 0

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This must be the place
Second place in the human race
Down in the basement
Now I know what he meant
Secondary modern
But there won't be a problem till the girls go home
This is the hand that you never shook
You never gave me the chance that I took
Secondary modern
But there won't be a problem till the girls go home

Is it out of the question
Between you and me
Is it pleasure or business
Or a packet of three?

Nobody makes me sad like you
Now my whole world goes from blue to blue
Secondary modern
But there won't be a problem till the girls go home...

Comments (40)add comment

GREAT to hear this track on RP, it is an excellent album overall, one of his best.

Posted 5 months ago by aspicer [ Reply ]

Interesting there's no mention in the comments of what this song is about. For those not from the UK, a Secondary Modern was once the school you went to if you didn't pass the exam for the grammar school. No matter how they tried to promote themselves, they were still seen by many as the schools for failures. Thankfully, in most parts of the UK, this sort of selection process is a thing of the past...

Posted 3 years ago by planet_lizard [ Reply ]

Even though this isn't my favourite Costello song I've rated it a 9 just to piss off Stingray.

Posted 3 years ago by Edweirdo [ Reply ]

kbs wrote:

What if his name was Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus?

Would still suck !

Posted 3 years ago by SRAY [ Reply ]

The question; does this rate as high as 3?

Posted 3 years ago by Andrew_C [ Reply ]

Stingray wrote:

ELVIS COSTELLO is the living confirmation
that one can turn SHIT into a CD!!

If he name were not ELVIS, but "HELMUT COSTELLO",
nobody would notice him!

I am SUUUUURE!

COSTELLO is BORING in 79 of 80 songs!

What if his name was Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus?

Posted 3 years ago by kbs [ Reply ]

This IT! My favorite EC album! Play more please. Guess I better go 10 to get the avg up for this one. Anti-EC’s please shut up and skip the song.

Posted 4 years ago by meatmike [ Reply ]

Stingray wrote:

Posted 5 years ago by alexandra.hom13963 [ Reply ]

I initially did not care very much for this CD when it came out, but now its one of my favorite EC albums. The run that he had from "My Aim is True" up through this CD (including all the singles that did not make it onto proper albums) is absolutely staggering. And you could really throw both "Trust" and "Imperial Bedroom" into that mix as well. So great, great stuff.

Posted 13 years ago by Darlington [ Reply ]

Oh my god! 13% voted 1? It truly is a sick twisted world we live in.

Posted 13 years ago by Fredrikson [ Reply ]

Stingray wrote:

Let me find it for you....oh there it is... behind that rock....a clue....just for you....heard you didn't have one.

Posted 13 years ago by lemmoth [ Reply ]

Sublime little ditto from a remarkable - 20 soul music inspired songs under 3 1/2 minutes - album.

Posted 13 years ago by lemmoth [ Reply ]

a_genuine_find wrote:

We knows how Brit-Bums are looking!
What an asshole!

Posted 14 years ago by Stingray [ Reply ]

To me, almost all Elvis is good! Like this song - a bit subdued, but still wicked-fun.

Posted 14 years ago by Cynaera [ Reply ]

Never heard this one, I like it! Good to hear the "good" Elvis!

Posted 14 years ago by sirdroseph [ Reply ]

Good tune. Nice little heard-it-through-grapevine-like opening riff.

Posted 14 years ago by weez [ Reply ]

Get Happy is such a great album—-that this song is only about the fifth, or sixth, best song on it.

Posted 14 years ago by david1045 [ Reply ]

Dam this is good stuff

Posted 15 years ago by cohifi [ Reply ]

Good shot1

Posted 15 years ago by helgigermany [ Reply ]

Posted 15 years ago by a_genuine_find [ Reply ]

fredriley wrote:

Another number from Declan McManus? I'm sure we had one less than an hour ago

...and?

Posted 15 years ago by copymonkey [ Reply ]

7 > 9... This is a super Elvis song.

Posted 15 years ago by whtahtefcuk [ Reply ]

Another number from Declan McManus? I'm sure we had one less than an hour ago

Posted 15 years ago by fredriley [ Reply ]

A beautiful song from a fantastic record!
(his fourth album in 30 months)
I mean, 20 songs > very short songs, but all good song-ideas.
overlooked Elvis record IMHO

Posted 15 years ago by bobcat1963 [ Reply ]

Shimmer wrote:

This may be sacrilege, but the more Elvis's songs feature the Attractions, the less I usually like them. The Attractions' sound is usually very busy without being musical.

This song is a good example - most of Get Happy! is horrible, but this is a solid, simple tune. It doesn't need alot of pointless decoration.

After listening to Elvis on and off for decades, I think his first album (pre-Attractions) is still the best. Wish he had stuck with those guys somehow.

Very interesting and well written and I totally respect what you say and how you said it.

You're 100% wrong, but

A question though - have you caught the Atrractions or the Imposters live to get a sense of just how tight Pete and Steve and Davey or Bruce work with EC?

Posted 16 years ago by lemmoth [ Reply ]

One of my all time favorites that I NEVER heard on the Radio. Thanks RP

Posted 16 years ago by lemmoth [ Reply ]

dmax wrote:

Man, Elvis was king.

Yeah, I can remember when almost everything he did was brilliant and catchy. Then came a long stretch when I couldn't understand what he was doing and so stopped caring. I started following him again after "When I Was Cruel" came out.

Posted 16 years ago by kcar [ Reply ]

This is a good cut off of Get Happy, more on the mellow side off a very bouncy five star CD!

Posted 16 years ago by guiguy [ Reply ]

This may be sacrilege, but the more Elvis's songs feature the Attractions, the less I usually like them. The Attractions' sound is usually very busy without being musical. This song is a good example - most of Get Happy! is horrible, but this is a solid, simple tune. It doesn't need alot of pointless decoration. After listening to Elvis on and off for decades, I think his first album (pre-Attractions) is still the best. Wish he had stuck with those guys somehow.

Posted 16 years ago by Shimmer [ Reply ]

Man, I love Elvis! ...and I dig the worn out record label ring in the middle of the pic (God, I miss vinyl LPs)!

Posted 17 years ago by scott4261 [ Reply ]

I wouldn't call a lobotomy relaxing...maybe after you have one, but getting one...definately not relaxing. JokesandJokesandJokes wrote:

Kinda like a labotomy!!

Posted 17 years ago by eastcoast [ Reply ]

love this song.

Posted 17 years ago by Wizzuvvoz [ Reply ]

Drunkenlilacwine wrote:

I like this song. very catchy and relaxing

I "second" that

Posted 17 years ago by siandbeth [ Reply ]

Seems its been a while since this was in the rotation. A little EC is never a bad thing.