Two Little Hitlers

Emotional Fascism was the working title of Elvis Costello's 1979 release with the Attractions, what would become Armed Forces. It's no surprise that the record features military metaphors for relationships throughout, and perhaps nowhere moreso than on its closing track.

Yet at the risk of launching the actual content of this blog with a shit-stirring opinion, I have to ask: What's up with EC's use of Holocaust imagery and metaphors?

I'm not slamming the central concept of the song necessarily; "Two Little Hitlers" is as perfect a definition of an untenable relationship as I can imagine. I'm thinking more about the concluding lines of the chorus:

I will return
I will not burn
Down in the basement

It's a minor moment, perhaps, a passing nod at best; he gets far more explicit in utilizing Holocaust metaphors on other songs throughout his career, most notably the 1983 protest song "Pills and Soap."

With "Pills and Soap," however, the metaphor is a blunt object used to bring home a point about the political climate in Britain. On "Hitlers," it's a tossed-off bit, which makes it a little...disturbing to me? It certainly fits in the theme of the song--the brutal impasse between lovers when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object--but is the defiance of a passionate argument really deserving of comparison to the death of millions?

Aw, now, I think I've already lost some of you. Sorry. I know why he really did it--the early career of Costello was especially informed by a need to flout convention, to flagrantly defy expectations at every turn, while at the same time delivering exceptionally refined pop/punk/rock music.

"Hitlers" is no exception. You can feel the fluidity of the Attractions at their height in the backing track, Bruce Thomas and Pete Thomas laying down a loose, sinewy rhythm while Steve Nieve provides light organ accents and EC himself weaves in slight guitar riffs. There's a nice contrast between the brutality of the song's central metaphor and the easy flow of the tune's melody.

It's hard to imagine the level at which Costello was working through these early years; churning out albums at an alarming rate, each of them seemingly more packed with unforgettable tunes and endlessly clever lyrics than the last. I mean, does it get any better than this:

Dial me a valentine
She's a smooth operator
It's all so calculated
She's got a calculator
She's my soft touch typewriter
And I'm her great dictator

That is, as they say, the SHIT right there.

There's also a slight hint on "Hitlers" of EC's ongoing fascination with ska-tinged music; the organ part certainly provides a light ska touch. He would go on to produce the debut album by English ska stalwarts The Specials. One of Costello's first great songs, "Watching the Detectives," delivers its own jerky ska beat; his next record after Armed Forces, Get Happy!!, would include the driving ska of "Human Touch."

(I mention it cause I did a paper on it in college. Yes, I wrote about Elvis Costello in college classes--I was one of THOSE people. You should see my Springsteen paper on the myth of the American dream.)

Buy mp3 from Amazon: "Two Little Hitlers"
Buy CD from Amazon: Armed Forces