5. “Veronica”
Videos by American Songwriter
A great songwriter can take even an uncomfortable or difficult subject and turn it into an enjoyable and inviting song. When two of the best songwriters in the world come together, they can take that same subject and not only create a hit but also illuminate the subject in ways both surprising and moving.
“Veronica” was written by Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney, so that’s a good start. When it was first reported that the two would be writing together, the press jumped on the angle that Costello would be filling the John Lennon role of providing the bitter to McCartney’s sweet. That wasn’t really how it went down at all (as a matter of fact, that wasn’t always how it worked for John and Paul either, but the simplest story is the one that usually sticks, right?)
In the case of “Veronica,” for example, Costello wrote early drafts of the song based on his experiences with his grandmother and her struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. McCartney came in and edited the song, tightening the lyrics and music up and infusing his unerring sense of song structure on a track that Elvis admitted was too personal for him to view objectively. The end result is a seamless song that really pops, with Paul lending his melodic bass-playing to the recording for the coup de grace.
The gleaming pop package is a crucial part of the song’s success, because it gives Costello a head start in engaging listeners who don’t have any clue what the song is about and might simply think that it’s an ode to a very special girl. And, in a way, that’s exactly what it is, because Elvis’ point is that his grandmother’s spark and uniqueness was in no way diminished by the disease that ravaged her brain.
Throughout the song, Costello focuses heavily on his grandmother’s name. In the first verse, the narrator “would have sworn that her name is Veronica,” but then admits that “These days I’m afraid she’s not even sure that her name is Veronica.” It is a way of showing how this awful disease can rob those who suffer from it of their identity.
As the song progresses, Elvis details how his grandmother’s mind would rocket back and forth from the present time to decades in the past at random. He shows the contrast between the rich life she led as a young girl and her addled present condition. (The brilliant video for the song, directed by Evan English, really brings this aspect of the song home.)
Yet one of the benefits of being a songwriter is that you can grant whatever fate you want to the characters in songs, even if that fate doesn’t jibe with reality. Thus Costello imagines that his grandmother is actually living a rich interior life that she chooses to keep to herself. “All the time she laughs at those who shout her name and steal her clothes,” he sings in the chorus. And, in the end, she defiantly takes her name back: “Saying, ‘You can call me anything you like, but my name is Veronica.’”
We are sadly at a point where most of us have had some experience with Alzheimer’s disease affecting a family member or loved one. “Veronica” may be a fantasy, but, if only for the duration of this fantastic song by Elvis and Paul, it’s an uplifting one in which to believe.
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