That thread on 'Armed Forces' got me thinking about 'Chemistry Class'...which led me to the conclusion that 'are you ready for the final solution?!?' must be Elvis's most tasteless and indefensible pun.
Other contenders for Worst Elvis Costello Pun? Lay 'em on me.
When man has destroyed what he thinks he owns
I hope no living thing cries over his bones
The "step on the brakes to get out of her clutches" bit in "New Amsterdam" is a bit over-the-top. But I still love the song and was very happy when he played it a few years ago at the Beacon.
Perhaps technically these aren't puns so much as plays-on-words, but for me it's a tie between "you lack lust, you're so lackluster" and "now there's newsprint all over your face, well maybe that's why I can read you like a book".
If you're looking for the line that makes me cringe, the winner is "I wish you luck with a capital F".
Undoubtedly it rocks.
I always liked the puns - they always seemed tongue in cheek and I'm rather sad he doesn't do them anymore.
"More like a hand job than a hand jive" anyone?
Can't you see I'm trying to change this water to wine
Q: Do you find yourself having to resist the urge to make a pun in your lyrics?
A: Yeah, they do get a bit irritating. ...... There are certain lines when I look back . . . "A wave of her hand could be so tidal." It's just thrown away in the middle of one of the songs on "Armed Forces". It's a really terrible pun! There's other ones that people criticise - like the one in "Possession" that goes "You lack lust/You're so lacklustre." What's wrong with that? It makes sense. It makes a point."
Around the same time I remember a radio interview where Elvis gave the same lyric from Busy Bodies when asked about his least favourite line. He also said that Bruce always gave him a ribbing about that one....
I always thought that line from "The Imposter" went:
He's got double vision Wouldn't want him double-jointed
And I always liked it. I like most of the puns in this thread, actually, especially the brakes/clutches one, but then again, I like puns, which I think is incurable. I could do without most of "TKO (Boxing Day)"; all that slum/slumber numb/number nonsense. One thing has nothing to do with the other!
I like puns, too, and yeah, it's probably incurable. I think they are a sign of a sharp intellect, and that people who groan at puns are people who wish they had thought of it themselves.
Not a pun, but I like the "Business and Commerce/Gettin' Some" theme:
Now you're ready for the merger
With the company you're part of
And you do the dirty business
With your latest sleeping partner
I apologize for straying slightly off-topic here, but does anyone else think Elvis sounds like he's saying "A million farts go racing through my mind..." in Good Year For The Roses? Not that that would make a very good lyric of course...