Veronica

Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello

About Veronica

"Veronica" is a single from Elvis Costello's 1989 album Spike, co-written by Costello with Paul McCartney. The song "Veronica" was co-produced by T-Bone Burnett and Kevin Killen, and features Paul McCartney on his iconic Höfner bass. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly voted it one of Costello's top ten greatest tunes. The song focuses on an older woman who has experienced severe memory loss. Costello's inspiration for this song was his grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's. When talking about the song on a VH1 interview, Costello reminisced about his grandmother having "terrifying moments of lucidity" and how this was the inspiration for "Veronica". In his 2015 autobiography, Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, Costello wrote of his collaboration with McCartney, "I'd brought an early version of "Veronica" that you would have recognized […] All the words I'd already written were about my paternal grandmother, Molly, or more formally, Mabel Josephine Jackson. In fact, her Catholic confirmation name, Veronica, provided the very title of the song"."Veronica" was also Costello's highest-charting Top 40 hit in the United States, peaking at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, No. 1 on its Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, and No. 10 on its Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. 


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Is it all in that pretty little head of yours?
What goes on in that place in the dark?
Well I used to know a girl and I could have sworn 
That her name was Veronica

Well she used to have a carefree mind of her own
And a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure 
If her name is Veronica

Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes,
Veronica has gone to hide?
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
Her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
Veronica

Did the days drag by? Did the favors wane?
Did he roam down the town all the while?
Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at the door, 
Reaching out for Veronica

Well it was all of sixty-five years ago
When the world was the street where she lived
And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea
With a picture of Veronica

On the "Empress of India"
And as she closed her eyes upon the world 
And picked upon the bones of last week's news
She spoke his name out loud again

Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes,
Veronica has gone to hide?
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
Her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
Veronica

Veronica sits in her favorite chair 
And she sits very quiet and still
And they call her a name that they never get right
And if they don't then nobody else will

But she used to have a carefree mind of her own
With devilish look in her eye
Saying "You can call me anything you like,
But my name is Veronica"

Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes,
Veronica has gone to hide?
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
Her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
Veronica
Oh Veronica

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Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus, 25 August 1954) is an English singer-songwriter. He began his career as part of London's pub rock scene in the early 1970s and later became associated with the first wave of the British punk/New Wave movement of the mid-to-late 1970s. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader than that of most popular songs. His music has drawn on many diverse genres; one critic described him as a "pop encyclopaedia", able to "reinvent the past in his own image". more »

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Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO, PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Collaboration
Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney wrote the song 'Veronica' together in the late 1980s, fusing Costello’s unique writing style with McCartney’s flair for melodious tunes.
Inspiration
The song was inspired by Costello's grandmother who had Alzheimer's disease. "Veronica" was meant to provide an insight into the mind of someone living with this condition.
Album Placement
"Veronica" appeared on Costello's 1989 album, "Spike," which became his most commercially successful album due to this particular hit.
Charts Achievement
“Veronica” became Costello's highest-charting solo hit in United States, peaking at No.19 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1989.
Grammy Nominations
Despite being a commercial success, "Veronica" did not win any Grammy awards, but it was nominated in the category of 'Best Male Pop Vocal Performance' in 1990.
Music Video
The music video for "Veronica" features Costello performing the song in a variety of settings, while narrating a story about an elderly woman's memories. Costello's ability to portray the emotional depth of the song in the video was praised by critics.
Song Meanings
The song's lyrics discuss the fading memory of an elderly woman, named Veronica. It paints a poignant picture of how those with Alzheimer's might see the world and their own experiences, starkly symbolizing the impact of the disease.
Paul McCartney Contribution
McCartney’s work on "Veronica" was significant. He contributed to the song’s structure, arrangement, and melody, as well as playing bass and singing backing vocals on the studio recording.
Album Collaboration
"Veronica" is one of several collaborations between Costello and McCartney that appeared on "Spike." Other songs written by the pair for the album include "Pads, Paws and Claws" and "This Town."
Latest Performance
Costello continues to perform the song during his concerts illustrating the enduring popularity of "Veronica" among his fans. In 2015, during an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," he performed a solo acoustic version of the song.

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    Veronica

    1.1M
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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1989

    Billboard #19


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