phrases such as "blackmail", "ransom", "somebody's watching" and "a voice in the shadows" offer sinister undertones that indicate an unexpected evil is growing upon us. Reviewer Dave McCullough opined that the song has that "familiar feeling of aggressive assurity, relayed in a sudden jerk at the end of every verse". Musically, Nelson compares the song to "circus music from the Weimar Republic" that is set against a "mechanized march" she likens to Kraftwerk and David Bowie's Berlin period. On the other hand, "New Amsterdam" stands apart from the rest of the album in that is a folk-like acoustic number, having been recorded entirely by Costello himself as a demo. A waltz, the nostalgic lyrics are about arriving in the New World and describe life there as being "almost like suicide". Hinton finds that it is the only song that comes from a non-persona. "High Fidelity" marks a return to the soul influences, with a sound echoing the Supremes; its opening line also quotes a song title by them. The lyrics are addressed to an ex-partner who now has found a new lover and contain Costello's signature wordplay to reference radios and record players. Side two Opening side two is the cover of "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down", a soul track that describes a hurtful love affair. Gouldstone argues that its presence adds "authentic sixties atmosphere" to the LP. On the other hand, the title of "Black and White World" recalls the early days of cinema and the simpler days of childhood. Like "New Amsterdam", the theme of the song is nostalgia, reflecting on days of innocence gone by, and also combines ideals of time, the media and battles between the sexes set against, in Gouldstone's words, "powerful and gripping music". "5ive Gears in Reverse" implies that society is digressing rather than progressing, with the chorus concerning hopelessness and futility. Driven by a guitar riff and a bassline, it is sung "lustfully" rather than "lustily". Hinton finds the track also acts as a "raison d'etre" for the album, or "backwards into the future". Both "B Movie" and "Motel Matches" contain wordplay that references Costello's life while on the road for three years, similar to the lyrics on Armed Forces. Described by McCullough as "a quivering skeleton of a song", the former is addressed to a woman, seemingly putting her down and casually references violence towards her. The latter, while