Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

This Year's Model ''This Year's Model'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover (band), Clover for his debut album ''My Aim Is True'' (1977), Coste ...

the Attractions The Attractions were an English backing band for the English new wave musician Elvis Costello between 1977 and 1986, and again from 1994 to 1996. They consisted of Steve Nieve (keyboards), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Thomas (drums ...

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

Imperial Bedroom ''Imperial Bedroom'' is the seventh studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his sixth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas (musician), Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (drummer), Pete ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

baroque pop Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid-1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

New Orleans R&B New Orleans rhythm and blues is a style of rhythm and blues that originated in New Orleans. It was a direct precursor to rock and roll and strongly influenced ska. Instrumentation typically includes drums, bass, piano, horns, electric guitar, and ...

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descr ...

the Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

Sam & Dave Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (1935–2025) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", " ...

Jerry Chesnut Jerry Donald Chesnut (May 7, 1931 – December 15, 2018) was an American country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American Sou ...

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1974 song written by English singer/songwriter Nick Lowe. Initially released by Lowe with his band Brinsley Schwarz on their 1974 album ''The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz'', ...

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave,Brinsley Schwarz in 1974, but remained obscure until Costello released his version in 1979. Costello's own songs have been recorded by artists including

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

,

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

,

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

,

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh retired singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock and New wave music, new wave, having many hit record, h ...

,

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

and

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

. Costello has won two

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

awards, two

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

awards, four Edison awards, an

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

, a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

award, an

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

Founders award and a

Gemini Gemini most often refers to: * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Gemini (astrology), an astrological sign Gemini may also refer to: Science and technology Space * Gemini in Chinese astronomy, the Gemini constellat ...

award. In 2003, he was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

. In 2016, he was inducted into the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

. From 2008 to 2010, he hosted a television show, '' Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...'', on which he interviewed other musicians. In 2015, he published a well-received memoir, ''Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink''.

Early life

Elvis Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus, on 25 August 1954, at St Mary's Hospital in

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

, West London, the only child of a record shop worker and a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician. Both parents were from the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

area and had moved to London together a few years earlier. Costello's father was of Irish descent and a Catholic, while his mother is English and was raised a Congregationalist.

Family background

Costello's mother, Lillian MacManus (née Ablett, 1927–2021), was born and raised in

Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Liverpool, Canning, Dingle, Liverpool, Dingle, and Edge Hill, Merseyside, Edge Hill ...

, Liverpool, the daughter of a gas-main layer and a mother who became increasingly disabled by

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

as Lillian grew up. Responsible for caring for her younger brother and sick mother, Lillian left school at 13 and took the first of a series of jobs at music stores. After moving to London with her future husband Ross in 1951, she took a job in the record department in

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of upmarket department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1908. The historic Daniel Burnham-designed Self ...

department store and continued selling records through the 1960s. Even after she no longer worked selling records, Lillian maintained a keen interest in a wide variety of music, including the popular music of the day. Costello's father, Ross MacManus (1927–2011), was a professional trumpet player and singer, born and raised in

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

, across the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it h ...

from Liverpool. He began his career in music in the late 1940s, playing trumpet in

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

bands in Birkenhead and Liverpool. He segued to playing trumpet and singing in modern jazz bands after moving to London in 1951. By 1954, he was sufficiently well known for his son's birth to be announced in the ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

''. From 1955 to 1968, he was a featured singer in Joe Loss Orchestra, one of Britain's most popular

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

s. Ross had a solo cabaret act from 1969 through the 1990s, playing workingmen's social clubs in the North of England, Scotland, and Wales. Ross recorded for small record labels under a variety of aliases, including Day Costello – Costello being Ross's paternal grandmother's maiden name. He also recorded advertising jingles. In 1973, he sang the "Secret Lemonade Drinker" jingle featured in a series of advertisements for R. Whites, with Costello on backing vocals. Ross's father, Patrick Matthew McManus, known as Pat, was also a professional musician. Pat was raised in an orphanage from age eight, where he learned to play trumpet. He later played trumpet as an army bandsman, a ship's musician for the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...

, and an orchestra musician in music halls and in theatres showing silent films. Costello has said that Pat, being the first in the family to make a career in music, is the reason he himself is a musician.

Childhood and early musical influences

Costello spent most of his childhood in

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

, in west London, before moving to Liverpool with his mother in 1970. Costello was raised

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and served as an altar boy until he was 14. Costello's parents had separated by the time Costello was ten years old, after which he was raised by his mother. Ross continued to be a significant presence in Costello's life and the two remained close until Ross's death in 2011. Costello has said that a childhood spent watching his father work gave him an innate sense of how to be a musician but also an understanding that a career in music was a job like any other, requiring discipline and hard work. Costello's parents never insisted he take music lessons or otherwise pushed him to follow in the family business. Instead, they raised him in a home filled with music, encouraged his musical curiosity, and supported his efforts to find his own way towards a career in music. Lillian told journalists that she knew before he was born he would have a career in music and that she listened to a broad range of music while she was pregnant with him with the intention of giving him an early start in music appreciation. As a young child, Costello's musical influences came from his parents' record collection, which encompassed a wide range of styles but centred on

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...

and jazz. Ross's job with the Joe Loss Orchestra required him to sing many of the pop hits of the day for the band's weekly radio show. To learn these songs, Ross received demonstration copies of the original artists' records, which he brought home to rehearse. When Costello grew old enough to have an interest in the current pop hits, Ross began giving him five or six of these demonstration records per week. Costello has said, "That's why I know so many songs". Chief among Costello's early favourites among the hit-makers of the day were

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. Costello has said that, having turned nine years old in 1963, he was exactly the right age to experience the full force of Beatles fandom as he grew up. He has described the Beatles as his biggest musical influence. Costello was also deeply impressed by the songs of his future collaborator

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

, which he knew through the hits British artists

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...

and

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

had with them. As Costello grew into his teens, his favourites included British

beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...

groups

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

,

Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...

and

the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

, Jamaican

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

acts who were popular in Britain, and especially

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

artists, who he knew mainly through their British hit singles and through the Motown Chartbusters compilation series. By the time Costello reached his mid-teens,

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

had become an important and enduring influence on him. When Costello moved to Liverpool, he found he did not enjoy much of the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

that was popular with his peers, so, casting around for music he might like, he developed an interest in the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

and other

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

groups like

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

and

the Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

, and through them,

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

.

Education and decision to pursue a career in music

Costello was a well-behaved if sometimes argumentative student, but not generally an academically outstanding one. Not having scored well enough on his

eleven-plus The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardised examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academi ...

exams to go on to

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

, he attended Archbishop Myers

secondary modern school A secondary modern school () is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Secondary modern schools accommodated the majority (70–75%) of pupil ...

in

Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...

and then a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

in

Everton, Liverpool Everton is a suburb of north Liverpool, in Merseyside, England, and part of the Liverpool Walton (UK Parliament constituency), Liverpool Walton constituency. It is bordered by Vauxhall, Liverpool, Vauxhall to the west, Kirkdale, Liverpool, Kir ...

, for

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

. Costello did, however, show an early talent for writing. His mother told a journalist that, when Costello was 11 years old, his school entered him into a writing contest held by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' intended for people aged 16 to 25, for which he won a prize. As he finished secondary school, he earned one

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

, in English, despite having made a firm decision to pursue a career in music a few months earlier and putting little effort into his final months of school. Although he never had any alternative career plan, Costello had previously been reluctant to commit to a career in music, partly because his upbringing had made him aware of the potential pitfalls involved. The shock of witnessing a teenage friend's death in a traffic accident changed his mind. He would later write, "Suddenly, everything but music seemed like a waste of precious time". Costello completed his formal education in 1972 and, still living at home with his mother, set out to find a job that would earn him a steady wage while he pursued a career in music. He soon took a job as a

computer operator A computer operator is a role in IT which oversees the running of computer systems, ensuring that the machines, and computers are running properly. The job of a computer operator as defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics is to " ...

at the

Midland Bank Midland Bank plc was one of the Big Four (banks)#United Kingdom, Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birming ...

data centre A data center is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. Since IT operations are crucial for business ...

, in the

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

town of

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Bootle (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. It is pa ...

, because, at £20 a week, it paid slightly better than other unskilled work he felt he was qualified for. According to Costello, the job consisted of essentially manual labour such as mounting tape reels and loading

punched card A punched card (also punch card or punched-card) is a stiff paper-based medium used to store digital information via the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Developed over the 18th to 20th centuries, punched cards were widel ...

s. Because the job involved frequent periods of waiting for the

mainframe computers A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterpris ...

to complete their tasks before beginning them on the next one, it gave Costello time to write songs while at work. Except for a few months in 1973 when he worked as a clerk at the Midland Bank

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

branch, he continued to work full-time as a computer operator until a few weeks before his first album was released in July 1977.

Music career

1969–1976: Pre-professional career

Costello began writing songs and teaching himself to play guitar by age 14. To test his songs in front of an audience, he performed them in folk clubs that permitted amateur musicians to perform unpaid. He played these clubs regularly in London and continued in similar clubs when he moved to Liverpool at age 16, although folk music venues that welcomed original songs were scarcer in Liverpool than in London. By 17, he was occasionally being paid a little money. On the eve of the release of his debut album in 1977, Costello told a journalist that by that time he had written hundreds of songs.

Rusty

At the beginning of 1972, Costello was invited to join a folk-rock band called Rusty by the band's founder, an 18-year-old veteran of the Liverpool music scene named Allan Mayes. As other members left, Rusty soon became a duo, with Mayes and Costello singing and playing acoustic guitars. For a little over a year, Rusty played regularly in small venues like pubs, clubs, schools, and community centres, mostly in and around Liverpool, unpaid or for small amounts of money. In Mayes's estimation, Costello was already a talented songwriter, able to quickly write songs in a variety of styles, and could sing like

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

or

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

. Mayes has said he introduced Costello to Brinsley Schwarz, a band that would be an important influence on him. While in Rusty, Costello wrote an early version of a song he would record in 1980 as "Ghost Train", although by then little remained of the Rusty version except the central narrative idea of a married

double act A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act, often highlighting differences in their characters' ...

making their way through the low end of show business. In 2022, Costello reunited with Mayes to record and release an EP called '' The Resurrection of Rust''. The EP contained songs that were typical of Rusty's shows in 1972, including the early version of "Ghost Train", then called "Maureen and Sam".

Declan Costello

By early 1973, Costello had determined that the music scene in Liverpool was too small to support his ambition to have a career in music, so he arranged to transfer from his job as a computer operator in the

Midland Bank Midland Bank plc was one of the Big Four (banks)#United Kingdom, Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birming ...

data centre in

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Bootle (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. It is pa ...

to a position as a clerk at the bank's

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

branch. Returning to London, Costello moved into the same

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

flat where he had lived with his mother a few years earlier, by then occupied by his father (Ross), Ross's second wife, and their infant son. When booking himself into London clubs, he began using the name Declan Costello, adopting a family name that Ross had once made a record under, because it was easier to spell and understand than MacManus when he spoke on the phone. Around this time, Costello accompanied Ross to Costello's first professional recording session, for the R. White's "Secret Lemonade Drinker" commercial jingle. Ross sang the lead vocal while Costello played guitar and sang backing vocals.

Flip City

In the second half of 1973, Costello formed a band called Flip City with several slightly older men who, like him, were fans of Brinsley Schwarz and other pub rock bands. The members of Flip City also shared Costello's enthusiasm for

The Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

, the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

, and

Clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...

. For most of 1974, Costello shared a rented house in southwest London with some of his bandmates. Flip City played the London pub rock circuit until the end of 1975, occasionally opening for more prominent bands such as Dr. Feelgood, but generally making little money and attracting little notice. Flip City's performances consisted of a mix of Costello's original songs and covers of rock, R&B, and country songs. Their repertoire of Costello originals included early versions of songs that would appear on his first two albums as "Pay It Back", "Miracle Man", "Living in Paradise", and "Radio Radio". Costello wrote all but one of Flip City's original songs, did most of the singing, and chose the cover songs they played. A friend from those days later told a journalist, "It wasn't so much that he imposed the ideas; he was the one who ''had'' the ideas". None of the other members of Flip City shared Costello's commitment to pursuing a career in music and some disapproved of his desire to make money from his music. Costello became engaged to marry a former schoolmate in late 1973. By then he had found a job as a computer operator at the

Elizabeth Arden Elizabeth Arden (December 31, 1881 – October 18, 1966), also known as Elizabeth N. Graham, was a Canadian-American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. Backg ...

cosmetics factory in

North Acton North Acton is a part of Acton in west London, and is within the London Borough of Ealing. It runs adjacent to the industrial district of Park Royal. Historically part of the Municipal Borough of Acton in the county of Middlesex, it has formed p ...

, in northwest London, similar to the one he had in Bootle and with similarly low wages. By early 1975, Costello was a husband and father and was struggling to support his family. Flip City's live engagements added little to his income, rarely paying more than the band's expenses. Costello recorded demos with Flip City at several sessions from mid-1974 until mid-1975, hoping to use them to get live bookings, secure a recording contract, or sell Costello's songs for other artists to record. All but the first of these sessions were at a small studio owned by Dave Robinson, future

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

founder. Robinson later said that he thought Flip City "could not play at all" but Costello was talented and ought to "find a real band". After Costello became successful, Flip City's demos were widely bootlegged, often misleadingly labelled to imply they were outtakes from the '' My Aim Is True'' sessions or otherwise affiliated with Stiff Records. The only Flip City recording to have been officially released is Costello's song "Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver)", recorded in early 1975, which appeared as a bonus track on the 1993 and 2001 reissues of ''My Aim Is True''. In the liner notes to the 2001 reissue, Costello wrote that, in retrospect, the song sounded to him like "a very early attempt to write a song like ' Alison.

D.P. Costello

Even before disbanding Flip City in late 1975, Costello was writing songs he did not include in the band's repertoire. He recorded some of these as solo demos for Dave Robinson in mid-1975. For the next year, he shopped these and other solo demos to music publishers and record companies, hoping to be hired either as a songwriter or a recording artist. He sent out as many as 20 songs on a single tape to publishers, not yet realising that no publisher would have the patience to listen to so many songs. Sometimes he went to publishers' offices to perform his songs in person. None of this generated anything but rejections until he began creating "show reels" of no more than six of what he believed were his most attention-getting songs, selected to appeal to the recipient of each demo tape. By February 1976, Costello was booking himself into clubs as a solo act under the name D.P. Costello, D.P. being his initials and a nickname he was sometimes called by his family. While working as D.P. Costello, he learned to sing and play guitar very loudly and developed a forceful stage presence, although he was still playing to small audiences for very little money. Few of the songs he had played with Flip City were included in these performances. Instead, he was debuting some of the songs that would start to get the attention of the music industry, such as "Mystery Dance" and "Wave a White Flag". Costello included both songs on a six-track demo tape he sent to London radio presenter Charlie Gillett, who thought "Wave a White Flag" was the best of the six. Gillett played several songs from the tape on his radio show later that year, the first time any Costello song received airplay. Sometime in 1976, lack of money forced Costello, his wife and their toddler son to move in with relatives near

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

, on the far west side of London. This meant Costello's commute to work in North Acton took him past the

Hoover Building The Hoover Building is a Listed building, Grade II* listed building of Art Deco architecture designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners located in Perivale in the London Borough of Ealing. The site opened in 1933 as the UK headquarters, manufactur ...

in

Perivale Perivale () is a mainly residential suburban town of Greater London, west of Charing Cross. It is the smallest of the seven towns which make up the London Borough of Ealing. Perivale is predominately residential, with a library, community ce ...

. Around the same time, he was starting to become aware of the nascent

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

movement, although he would not hear any of the British punk bands until they began releasing records. He was, however, inspired by the

Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers were an American rock band formed in Natick, Massachusetts in 1970 by Jonathan Richman. The original band existed from 1970 to 1974 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist ...

' song "

Roadrunner The roadrunners (genus ''Geococcyx''), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico and C ...

", with its reference to such quotidian landmarks as the

Stop & Shop The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, known as Stop & Shop, is an American regional chain of supermarkets located in the northeastern United States. From its beginnings in 1892 as a small grocery store, it has grown to include a 365-store chain ...

, to write a song about the historical

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

building he rode past every day. Although he did not record it until 1980, Costello regarded this song, "Hoover Factory", as an artistic breakthrough. In the period just prior, he had been trying to imitate songwriters

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...

and

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...

. "Hoover Factory", he later recalled, got him "through the door to a different, less ingratiating way of speaking" in his songwriting. The next song he wrote was "Radio Sweetheart", which would become the B-side of his first single.

1976–1977: ''My Aim Is True''

In mid-August 1976, Costello included "Mystery Dance" and "Radio Sweetheart" on a demo tape he gave to

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

, a new independent label that had just released its first single. Partly due to the airplay received from Gillett around the same time, Costello was soon evaluating offers from several record companies, including Gillett's own Oval Records. Costello chose to work with Stiff Records because they seemed prepared to move the fastest. Stiff had been founded by Jake Riviera, who managed several acts Costello admired, and Dave Robinson.

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave,Pathway Studios Pathway Studios was an independent recording studio in North London. Founded in 1970, the studio became an early favourite of Stiff Records' Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera, and was the location for early recordings by The Damned, The Count B ...

, an inexpensive studio in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, Stiff agreed to finance more sessions for Costello with

Clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...

, an American

country-rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

band from

Marin County, California Marin County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat a ...

, as the backing band. Starting in late November or early December, Costello travelled to Headley Grange in

East Hampshire East Hampshire is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Petersfield, although the largest town is Alton. The district also contains the town of Bordon along with many villages and surroundin ...

, where Clover were living, to spend the day rehearsing and working out arrangements for a batch of his songs and then recording the songs with the band the next day at Pathway. Costello still held a full-time office job, so the sessions were spaced over several weeks to accommodate his work schedule and Stiff's tight finances. ''My Aim Is True'' was recorded and mixed in six four-hour sessions for a total cost of about £1,000. The final mix was completed in late January 1977. Producer Nick Lowe, recording engineer Barry Farmer and Clover bassist John Ciambotti have all said they found Costello confident, well-prepared, and mature beyond his years during the making of the album. By February 1977, Riviera and Robinson, who were now Costello's managers, had given him his new stage name, Elvis. The reference to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, who was still alive at the time, was simply intended to get attention. Costello neither particularly liked nor disliked Presley. Because Costello had seen his father, Ross, work under a variety of stage names, he gave little thought to the name change. Riviera and Robinson also helped give Costello a distinctive appearance that contrasted with the contemporaneous ideas how pop stars looked; they swapped the unobtrusive rimless glasses Costello had worn to correct astigmatism since he was a teenager for a pair with large black frames. Costello's first single, " Less than Zero", was released at the end of March 1977. It received a few brief, mixed reviews in the British music press and sold very few copies. Two further singles, " Alison" and " (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes", also sold poorly; the former would become one of his best-regarded and best-known songs. However, Costello was receiving increasingly prominent, positive coverage in the British music press. '' My Aim Is True'' had been completed since the end of January but its release was delayed, first because Stiff had wanted to release records by other artists who seemed more tied to transient music trends and then because of legal difficulties with Stiff's distributor,

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

. It was released on 22 July 1977. Two weeks earlier, Costello had left his job as a computer operator at

Elizabeth Arden Elizabeth Arden (December 31, 1881 – October 18, 1966), also known as Elizabeth N. Graham, was a Canadian-American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. Backg ...

on the condition that Stiff pay him, as an advance on future royalties, a regular stipend equal to the wages he had been earning at his job.

1977–1979: Peak pop stardom

In mid-June 1977, Costello held auditions for a bassist and keyboardist for a backing band for a tour to promote ''My Aim Is True'', wanting a sparser sound than on the album. Pete Thomas, formerly of pub-rock band Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, who were managed by Riviera, agreed to be drummer, although Thomas was then living in California and needed to be brought back to England. Steve Goulding and Andrew Bodnar, rhythm section of

the Rumour The Rumour were an English prog rock new wave rock band active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known as the backup band for Graham Parker, whose early records (from 1976 to 1980) were credited to Graham Parker & the Rumour. ...

, also participated in these audition sessions, so that Costello could test how the musicians auditioning played as part of a band. Chosen were bassist Bruce Thomas (no relation to Pete), who was 28 years old and had ten years' experience in professional bands, the most successful being the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver; and keyboardist

Steve Nieve Steve Nieve ( "naïve"; born Stephen John Nason, 21 February 1958) is an English musician and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Nieve has been a member of Elvis Costello's backing bands the Attractions and the Imposters, as w ...

(then Steve Nason), a 19-year-old student at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

who had formal musical training but no experience in any kind of pop group. The band, soon named

the Attractions The Attractions were an English backing band for the English new wave musician Elvis Costello between 1977 and 1986, and again from 1994 to 1996. They consisted of Steve Nieve (keyboards), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Thomas (drums ...

, would be Costello's touring and recording band for the next seven years.

"Watching the Detectives" and commercial breakthrough

Costello used the time with Goulding and Bodnar to arrange and rehearse " Watching the Detectives". He recorded the song with them at Pathway a few days later. Costello had written the song a few weeks earlier, partly inspired by

the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

's newly released debut album. Some of the musical ideas, which Nieve fleshed out when he overdubbed his piano and organ parts a few weeks later, were inspired by film scores

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in film scoring. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely regarde ...

had done for

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

. Costello later called the recording of "Watching the Detectives" his first experience of "making records as opposed to recording some songs in a room". The song would be released as a non-album single in the UK and as a track on the US version of ''My Aim Is True''. ''My Aim Is True'' received extensive, favourable coverage in the UK music press through a combination of effective

publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utiliz ...

s, such as Costello

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuity, gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performa ...

in front of the London hotel hosting the CBS Records business convention, and genuine enthusiasm for his music among music journalists. The album reached number 14 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

within a few weeks of its release. "Watching the Detectives", released in mid-October, reaching number 15 in the UK Singles Chart, becoming Costello's first single to chart in any country. This was the first of an unbroken streak of eight Costello singles to reach the UK top 30. When Costello began touring the US in mid-November, he received prominent coverage in the US press, even though he played venues holding fewer than a thousand people. By this time, Costello had signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, who released ''My Aim Is True'' in the US in early November. The album gradually climbed to number 32 on the US ''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape chart and was named among the best albums of the year by US music critics. In mid-December, Costello and the Attractions appeared on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', where they angered the show's producer by unexpectedly playing the then-unrecorded song " Radio Radio" during the live broadcast. By late 1977, Costello had moved from Stiff Records to

Radar Records Radar Records was a UK-based record label formed in late 1977 by Martin Davis (managing director) who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Recor ...

, a new label founded by an associate of Jake Riviera. Riviera had split from Dave Robinson and was now Costello's sole manager. For the next year and a half, Costello's records were released on Radar in Britain.

''This Year's Model''

Costello recorded his second album and his first with the Attractions, ''

This Year's Model ''This Year's Model'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover (band), Clover for his debut album ''My Aim Is True'' (1977), Coste ...

'', during short breaks from touring, from November 1977 through January 1978. Produced by Nick Lowe, it was recorded at Eden Studios, in west London, in eleven days. Inspirations for the album's sound included 1960s

beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...

groups like the Who, the Kinks and Small Faces, as well as contemporary acts like

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

, but the biggest influence was

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' album ''Aftermath'' (1966). Costello himself called ''This Year's Model'' "a ghost version of ''Aftermath''" and "This Year's Girl" an

answer song An answer song, response song or answer record is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer son ...

to the Rolling Stones' " Stupid Girl". Elvis Costello 1978

Most of the songs on ''This Year's Model'' were written while Costello was still working a full-time office job, before his first album was released. Among them was " (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea", which was released as the album's first single in early March 1978, reaching number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. The second single, "Pump It Up", which reached number 24, was written later, while Costello was on tour with other Stiff acts, in reaction to what he later called his "first exposure to idiotic rock and roll decadence". Upon release in March, ''This Year's Model'' entered the UK Albums Chart at number 4. The US version of the album dropped "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Night Rally", a song written in response to the rise of the British National Front, and replaced them with "Radio Radio". The US release reached number 30 on the ''Billboard'' chart but spent fewer weeks on the chart than ''My Aim Is True''. "Radio Radio" was released as a non-album single in the UK in October 1978, where it reached number 29. ''This Year's Model'' was highly praised by critics in Britain and the US. ''Melody Maker'' called it an "achievement so comprehensive, so inspired, that it exhausts superlatives". The ''NME'' review read similarly, saying the album was "so ridiculously good that one's immediate inclinations are to clamber effusively over the top, superlative peaking superlative". The ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

''

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

critics' poll voted it the best album of 1978. ''Rolling Stone'' named it among the best five albums of 1978. For the seven months following the completion of ''This Year's Model'', Costello and the Attractions continued touring Britain, Europe and North America, playing larger venues and debuting new songs that Costello was writing for his next album. In July 1978, Costello performed at the Danish

Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...

, topping the bill with three other artists, premiering the song " Oliver's Army" that would become his biggest hit in the UK.

''Armed Forces''

Costello and the Attractions recorded his third album, ''Armed Forces'', at Eden Studios in six weeks from August and September 1978. It was again produced by Nick Lowe, but Costello himself provided greater creative control. Like ''This Year's Model'', the album's influences came from the music Costello and the Attractions listened to while touring, from the Berlin-era records of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

and

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

to

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

and

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

. Costello later said that ''Armed Forces'' was his first album of songs he wrote with an awareness of having an audience. The album's lyrics reflected his experiences on the road in the US, as well his continued concern over the rise of far-right political groups in the UK; the album was originally to be called ''Emotional Fascism''. Just before the album's completion in late September, Costello and the Attractions played to an audience of 150,000 in

Brockwell Park Brockwell Park is a park located south of Brixton, in Herne Hill and Tulse Hill in south London. It is bordered by the roads Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill and Dulwich Road. The park commands views of the skyline of City of Lond ...

, south London, as part of the second

Rock Against Racism Rock Against Racism (RAR) was a political and cultural movement which emerged in 1976 in reaction to a rise in racist attacks on the streets of the United Kingdom and increasing support for the far-right National Front at the ballot box. Betwe ...

music festival. A few weeks later, they began six months of touring that included, for the first time, Japan and Australia, as well as the UK, Europe, Canada and the US. Released in early January 1979, ''Armed Forces'' debuted at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, and spent 28 weeks on the chart. In the US, it spent 25 weeks on the ''Billboard'' chart, peaking at number 10 in mid-March. The US release replaced "Sunday's Best" with Costello's cover of Lowe's "

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1974 song written by English singer/songwriter Nick Lowe. Initially released by Lowe with his band Brinsley Schwarz on their 1974 album ''The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz'', ...

". Costello's best-selling single, " Oliver's Army", was released in Britain in February. Costello has said he wrote the song after his first visit to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and was inspired by seeing young British soldiers on the streets of

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

as a part of

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

. The song reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also his biggest hit single in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, reaching number 4 on the Irish singles chart. The second single, " Accidents Will Happen", was released in early May. According to Costello, the song was written in response to his own marital infidelities. The song reached number 28 in the UK. In the US, it reached number 101, missing the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but charting higher than any previous Costello single. The concert tour promoting ''Armed Forces'' was marked by bad publicity. Costello and the Attractions played some shows that audiences considered too brief and refused to return for encores. Audiences in Sydney, Australia, and Berkeley, California, responded by vandalising the concert venues. After a concert in Columbus, Ohio, on 15 March, Costello got into a drunken argument at a hotel bar with members of the

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

band and entourage. The argument culminated in Costello disparaging

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

and

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

with racially charged insults, in comments he would later call "the exact opposite of my true feelings". When Costello's comments were reported in the press a few weeks later, the bad publicity was sufficiently severe and widespread to be regarded, including by Costello himself, as the reason he never achieved the top-level commercial success in the US that had been predicted for him. In June, Costello had a hit as a songwriter when

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh retired singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock and New wave music, new wave, having many hit record, h ...

released his recording of " Girls Talk", a song Costello had written but not yet recorded. Edmunds' version reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 65 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

1980s

Costello's 1980 ''Get Happy!!'' album featured a sound based on vintage American

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

. Some songs marked a distinct change in mood from the angry, frustrated tone of his first three albums to a more upbeat, happy manner. The single, " I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down", was a rendition of a

Sam and Dave Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (1935–2025) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", " ...

song. Lyrically, the songs are full of Costello's signature wordplay. His only 1980 appearance in North America was at the

Heatwave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

festival in August near Toronto. In January 1981, Costello released ''Trust'' amidst growing tensions within the Attractions. The single " Watch Your Step" was released in the US only and played live on

Tom Snyder Thomas James Snyder (May 12, 1936 – July 29, 2007) was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows '' Tomorrow'', on NBC in the 1970s and 1980s, and '' The Late Late Show'' ...

's ''Tomorrow'' show, and received airplay on FM rock radio. In the UK, the single " Clubland" scraped the lower reaches of the UK Singles Chart; follow-up single " From a Whisper to a Scream" (a duet with

Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957, in Woolwich, London) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead singer and guitarist of the English new wave band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in th ...

of Squeeze) became the first Costello single in over four years to completely miss the chart. Costello also co-produced Squeeze's 1981 album '' East Side Story'' (with Roger Béchirian) and performed backing vocals on the group's hit " Tempted". October saw the release of '' Almost Blue'', a

cover album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

of country music including songs written by

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

("Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used to Do?)"),

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

("Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down"),

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

("How Much I Lied") and

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

("Brown to Blue"). The album received mixed reviews. The first pressings of the record in the UK bore a sticker with the message: "WARNING: This album contains country & western music and may cause a radical reaction in narrow minded listeners". ''Almost Blue'' did spawn a surprise UK hit single with a version of

Jerry Chesnut Jerry Donald Chesnut (May 7, 1931 – December 15, 2018) was an American country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American Sou ...

's " Good Year for the Roses", which reached number 6. Costello had long been an avid country music fan and has cited George Jones as his favourite country singer. He had appeared on Jones' duet album '' My Very Special Guests'', contributing " Stranger in the House", which they later performed together on a 1981

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

special dedicated to Jones. ''

Imperial Bedroom ''Imperial Bedroom'' is the seventh studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his sixth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas (musician), Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (drummer), Pete ...

'' (1982) featured lavish production by

Geoff Emerick Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums ''Revolver'' (1966), '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and ''Abbey Road' ...

, engineer of several

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

records. It remains one of his most critically acclaimed records, but again it failed to produce any hit singles—" You Little Fool" and the critically acclaimed " Man Out of Time" both failed to reach the Top 40 in the UK. Costello collaborated with

Chris Difford Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English musician. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze. Early life Difford was born in Greenwich, London, on 4 November 1954, the youngest of three sons. His m ...

, also of Squeeze, to write the song "Boy With a Problem". Costello has said he disliked the marketing pitch for the album. ''Imperial Bedroom'' also featured Costello's song " Almost Blue", inspired by the music of jazz singer and trumpeter

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

. Baker later recorded his own version of the song. ''Imperial Bedroom'' placed first on the ''Village Voices annual Pazz & Jop poll. In 1983, he released '' Punch the Clock'', featuring female backing vocal duo ( Afrodiziak) and a four-piece horn section (

the TKO Horns The TKO Horns were a horn section formed in 1982 when Big Jim Paterson ( trombone), Paul Speare (tenor saxophone) and Brian Maurice (alto saxophone) left Dexys Midnight Runners. After a brief spell touring with Paul Young's Q Tips they began pe ...

), alongside the Attractions.

Clive Langer Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' Brothers of the Head''. Biog ...

(who co-produced with

Alan Winstanley Alan Kenneth Winstanley (; born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer. Early life He was born in Fulham in November 1952 to parents Ken and Doreen. ...

), provided Costello with a melody which eventually became "

Shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

", which featured a trumpet solo by Baker. Prior to the release of Costello's own version, a version of the song was a minor UK hit for

Soft Machine Soft Machine are an English Rock music, rock band from Canterbury, Kent. The band were formed in 1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. Soft Machine were central in the Canterbury scene; they became o ...

founder

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is an English retired musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

. Under the pseudonym The Imposter, Costello released " Pills and Soap", an attack on the changes in British society brought on by

Thatcherism Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character a ...

, released to coincide with the run-up to the 1983 UK general election. ''Punch the Clock'' also generated an international hit in the single " Everyday I Write the Book", aided by a music video featuring lookalikes of

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

undergoing domestic strife in a suburban home. The song became Costello's first

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hit single in the US. Also in the same year, Costello provided vocals on a version of the Madness song "Tomorrow's Just Another Day" released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. Tensions within the band – notably between Costello and bassist Bruce Thomas – were beginning to tell, and Costello announced his retirement and the break-up of the group shortly before they were to record '' Goodbye Cruel World'' (1984). Costello later expressed disappointment with the final album's production, describing it as "probably the worst record that I could have made of a decent bunch of songs". The record was poorly received upon its initial release; the liner notes to the 1995

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label ...

re-release, penned by Costello, begin with the words "Congratulations! You've just purchased our worst album". Costello's retirement, although short-lived, was accompanied by two compilations, ''Elvis Costello: The Man'' in the UK, Europe and Australia, and '' The Best of Elvis Costello & The Attractions'' in the US.

Daryl Hall Daryl Franklin Hohl (born October 11, 1946), known professionally as Daryl Hall, is an American rock, R&B, and soul singer. He is best known as the co-founder and principal lead vocalist of Hall & Oates, with guitarist and songwriter John Oa ...

provided backing vocals on the song "The Only Flame in Town" on ''Goodbye Cruel World''. In 1985, he appeared in the

Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...

benefit concert in England, singing the Beatles' "

All You Need Is Love "All You Need Is Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in July 1967, with "Baby, You're a Rich Man" as its A-side and B-side, B-side. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lenn ...

" as a solo artist. Costello introduced the song as an "old northern English folk song", and the audience was invited to sing the chorus. In the same year Costello teamed up with friend T Bone Burnett for the single "The People's Limousine" under the moniker of The Coward Brothers. That year, Costello also produced ''

Rum Sodomy & the Lash ''Rum Sodomy & the Lash'' is the second studio album by the London-based, Irish folk punk band the Pogues, released on 5 August 1985. The album reached number 13 on the UK charts. The track " A Pair of Brown Eyes", based on an older Irish tune, ...

'' for the Irish punk/folk band

the Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...

and he sang with

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...

on the song "Adrian" from the Eurythmics record ''Be Yourself Tonight''. Growing antipathy between Costello and Bruce Thomas contributed to the Attractions' first split in 1986 when Costello was preparing to make a comeback. Working in the US with Burnett, a band containing a number of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

's sidemen (including James Burton and Jerry Scheff), and minor input from the Attractions, he produced ''King of America'', an acoustic guitar-driven album with a country sound. It was billed as performed by "The Costello Show featuring the Attractions and Confederates" in the UK and Europe and "The Costello Show featuring Elvis Costello" in North America. Around this time he legally changed his name back to Declan MacManus, adding Aloysius as an extra middle name. Costello retooled his upcoming tour to allow for multiple nights in each city, playing one night with the Confederates, one night with the Attractions, and one night solo acoustic. In May 1986, he performed at Self Aid, a benefit concert held in Dublin that focused on the chronic unemployment which was widespread in Ireland at that time. Later that year, Costello returned to the studio with the Attractions and recorded ''Blood & Chocolate'', which was lauded for a post-punk fervour not heard since 1978's ''This Year's Model''. It also marked the return of producer

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave,Veronica",[ "Veronica" – Elvis Costello – Chart History] Billboard.com; Retrieved 14 August 2023 one of several songs Costello co-wrote with

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

. At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards on 6 September in Los Angeles, "Veronica" won the MTV Award for MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video, Best Male Video. Costello and McCartney wrote several songs together over a short period, which were released over a number of years: * "Back On My Feet", the B-side of McCartney's 1987 single "Once Upon a Long Ago", later added as a bonus track on the 1993 re-issue of McCartney's ''Flowers in the Dirt'' * Costello's " Veronica" and "Pads, Paws and Claws" from his album Spike (Elvis Costello album), ''Spike'' (1989) * McCartney's "My Brave Face", "Don't Be Careless Love", "That Day Is Done" and the McCartney/Costello duet "You Want Her Too", all from McCartney's ''Flowers in the Dirt'' (1989) * "So Like Candy" and "Playboy to a Man" from Costello's ''Mighty Like a Rose'' (1991) * "The Lovers That Never Were" and "Mistress and Maid" from McCartney's ''Off the Ground'' (1993). * "Shallow Grave" from Costello's ''All This Useless Beauty'' (1996). * Costello has also issued solo demo recordings of "Veronica", "Pads, Paws and Claws" and "Mistress and Maid" (a song he did not otherwise record). Two other McCartney/Costello compositions remained officially unissued, while existing as widely bootlegged demos ("Tommy's Coming Home" and "Twenty Fine Fingers"). These two tracks, along with demos of other songs from their collaboration, did eventually see release on the Paul McCartney Archive edition of ''Flowers in the Dirt''. In 1987, Costello appeared on the Home Box Office, HBO special ''Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night'', a tribute to his long-time idol

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

. Costello co-wrote "The Other End (Of the Telescope)" with the American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. It appears on the 1988 album ''Everything's Different Now'' by Mann's band Til Tuesday.

1990s

In 1991, Costello released ''Mighty Like a Rose'', which featured the single "The Other Side of Summer". He also co-composed and co-produced, with Richard Harvey (composer), Richard Harvey, the G.B.H. (soundtrack), title and incidental music for the mini-series ''G.B.H. (TV series), G.B.H.'' by Alan Bleasdale. This entirely instrumental, and largely orchestral, soundtrack garnered a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

, for Best Music for a TV Series for the pair. In 1993, Costello experimented with classical music with a critically acclaimed collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet on ''The Juliet Letters''. During this period, he wrote a full album's worth of material for Wendy James, and these songs became the tracks on her 1993 solo album ''Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears''. Costello returned to rock and roll the following year with a project that reunited him with the Attractions, ''Brutal Youth''. In 1995, he released ''Kojak Variety'', an album of cover songs recorded five years earlier, and followed in 1996 with an album of songs originally written for other artists, ''All This Useless Beauty''. This was the final album of original material that he issued under his Warner Bros. contract, and also his final album with the Attractions. In 1994, he sang "They Can't Take That Away from Me" with Tony Bennett for ''MTV Unplugged'', appearing on MTV Unplugged (Tony Bennett album), the album released from the broadcast. In the spring of 1996, Costello played a series of intimate club dates, backed only by Steve Nieve on the piano, in support of ''All This Useless Beauty''. An ensuing mid-year tour with the Attractions proved to be the death knell, with relations between Costello and bassist Bruce Thomas at a breaking point, Costello announced that the current tour would be the Attractions' last. The quartet performed their final US show in Seattle, Washington on 1 September 1996, before wrapping up their tour in Japan. Costello continued to work frequently with Attractions Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas; eventually, both became members of Costello's new back-up band, The Imposters. To fulfill his contractual obligations to Warner Bros., Costello released a greatest hits album titled ''Extreme Honey'' (1997). It contained an original track titled "The Bridge I Burned", featuring Costello's son, Matt, on bass. In the intervening period, Costello had served as artistic chair for the 1995 Meltdown Festival, which gave him the opportunity to explore his increasingly eclectic musical interests. His involvement in the festival yielded a one-off live Extended play, EP with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, which featured both cover material and a few of his own songs. In 1998, Costello signed a multi-label contract with Polygram Records, sold by its parent company the same year to become part of the Universal Music Group. Costello released his new work on what he deemed the suitable imprimatur within the family of labels. His first new release as part of this contract involved a collaboration with

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

. Their work had commenced earlier, in 1996, on "God Give Me Strength" for the movie ''Grace of My Heart''. This led the pair to write and record the critically acclaimed album ''Painted From Memory'', released under his new contract in 1998, on the Mercury Records label, featuring songs that were largely inspired by the dissolution of his relationship with Cait O'Riordan. Costello and Bacharach performed several concerts with full orchestral backing, and also recorded an updated version of Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" for the soundtrack to ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', with both appearing in the film to perform the song. He also wrote "I Throw My Toys Around" for ''The Rugrats Movie'' and performed it with No Doubt. The same year, he collaborated with Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains on "The Long Journey Home" on the soundtrack of the PBS/Disney ''The Irish in America: Long Journey Home'' miniseries. The soundtrack won a Grammy Award in 1999. In 1999, Costello contributed a version of "She (Charles Aznavour), She", released in 1974 by

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

and Herbert Kretzmer, for the soundtrack of the film ''Notting Hill (film), Notting Hill'', with Trevor Jones (composer), Trevor Jones producing. Costello's version of the song reached number 19 on the UK singles chart. For the 25th anniversary of ''Saturday Night Live'', Costello was invited to the programme, where he re-enacted his abrupt song-switch: This time, however, he interrupted the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage", and they acted as his backing group for "Radio Radio". He also co-wrote another song with Aimee Mann, "The Fall of the World's Own Optimist", for her 2000 album ''Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo, Bachelor No. 2''.

2000s

From 2001 to 2005, Costello re-issued his back catalogue in the US, from ''My Aim Is True'' (1977) to ''All This Useless Beauty'' (1996), on double-disc collections on the Rhino Records label. These releases, which each contained second discs of bonus material, ultimately fell out of print by 2007 after Universal Music acquired the rights to Costello's catalogue. Universal subsequently released new deluxe editions of ''My Aim Is True'' and ''This Year's Model'' with new bonus material of full-length concerts from the time of each album's release. These deluxe editions also fell out of print and Universal has reverted to re-releasing Costello's pre-1987 albums in their original context without bonus material. In 2000, Costello wrote lyrics to "Green Song", a solo cello piece by Svante Henryson; this song appears on the Anne Sofie von Otter album ''For the Stars''. In 2000, Costello appeared at The Town Hall (New York City), the Town Hall, New York, in Steve Nieve's opera ''Welcome to the Voice'', alongside Ron Sexsmith and John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants. In 2001, Costello was artist-in-residence at University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA and wrote the music for a new ballet. He produced and appeared on an album of pop songs for the classical singer Anne Sofie von Otter. He released the album ''When I Was Cruel'' in 2002 on

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

, and toured with a new band, the Imposters (essentially the Attractions but with a different bass player, Davey Faragher, formerly of Cracker (band), Cracker). On 23 February 2003, Costello, along with Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and Dave Grohl, performed a version of The Clash's "London Calling (song), London Calling" at the 45th Grammy Awards ceremony, in honour of Clash frontman Joe Strummer, who had died the previous December. In March, Elvis Costello & the Attractions were inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

. In May, he announced his engagement to Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

singer and pianist Diana Krall, whom he had seen in concert and then met backstage at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. That September, he released North (Elvis Costello album), ''North'', an album of piano-based ballads concerning the breakdown of his former marriage, and his falling in love with Krall. The song "Scarlet Tide" (co-written by Costello and T Bone Burnett and used in the film ''Cold Mountain (film), Cold Mountain'') was nominated for a Academy Awards, 2004 Academy Award; he performed it at the awards ceremony with

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

, who sang the song on the official soundtrack. Costello co-wrote many songs on Krall's 2004 CD, ''The Girl in the Other Room'', the first of hers to feature several original compositions. In July 2004, Costello's first full-scale orchestral work, ''Il Sogno'', was performed in New York. The work, a ballet based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', was commissioned by Italian dance troupe Aterballeto, and received critical acclaim from classical music critics. Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, the recording was released on CD in September by Deutsche Grammophon. In September 2004, Costello released the album ''The Delivery Man (album), The Delivery Man'', recorded in Oxford, Mississippi, on Lost Highway Records, and it was hailed as one of his best. Elvis Costello - European Walk of Fame

A CD recording of a collaboration with Marian McPartland on her show ''Piano Jazz'' was released in 2005. It featured Costello singing six jazz standards and two of his own songs, accompanied by McPartland on piano. A 2005 tour included a gig at Glastonbury that Costello considered so dreadful that he said "I don't care if I ever play England again. That gig made up my mind I wouldn't come back. I don't get along with it. We lost touch. It's 25 years since I lived there. I don't dig it, they don't dig me....British music fans don't have the same attitude to age as they do in America, where young people come to check out, say Willie Nelson. They feel some connection with him and find a role for that music in their lives". In 2005, Costello performed with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. They played both Costello and Green Day songs together, including " Alison", "This Year's Model, No Action", "Basket Case (song), Basket Case" and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)". In November, Costello started recording a new album with

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descr ...

and producer Joe Henry. Costello had a collaborative history with Toussaint, beginning with a couple of scattered album tracks in the 1980s. In September 2006, Costello and Allen Toussaint performed in New York at a series of benefit concerts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. By week's end, Costello had written ''The River in Reverse'', performed it with Toussaint and discussed plans for an album with Verve Records executives. Costello turned to older songs to reflect the national malaise at the time. In a studio recording of Nieve's opera ''Welcome to the Voice'' (2006, Deutsche Grammophon), Costello interpreted the character of Chief of Police, with Barbara Bonney, Robert Wyatt, Sting (musician), Sting and Amanda Roocroft, and the album reached No. 2 in the ''Billboard'' classical charts. Costello later reprised the piece on the stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in 2008, with Sting, Joe Sumner (Sting's son) and Sylvia Schwartz. Also released in 2006 was a live recording of a concert with the Metropole Orkest at the North Sea Jazz Festival, entitled ''My Flame Burns Blue''. The soundtrack for ''House (TV series), House, M.D.'' featured Costello's interpretation of "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera, with the song appearing in the second episode of Season 2. Costello was commissioned to write a chamber opera by the Danish Royal Opera, Copenhagen, on the subject of Hans Christian Andersen's infatuation with Swedish soprano Jenny Lind. Called ''The Secret Songs'', it remained unfinished. In a performance in 2007 directed by Kasper Bech Holten at the Opera's studio theatre (Takkelloftet, Takelloftet), finished songs were interspersed with pieces from Costello's 1993 collaborative classical album ''The Juliet Letters'', featuring Danish soprano Sine Bundgaard as Lind. The 2009 album ''Secret, Profane & Sugarcane'' includes material from ''Secret Songs''. On 22 April 2008, ''Momofuku (album), Momofuku'' was released on Lost Highway Records, the same imprint that released ''The Delivery Man'', his previous studio album. The album was, at least initially, released exclusively on vinyl (with a code to download a digital copy). That summer, in support of the album, Costello toured with the Police on the final leg of their The Police Reunion Tour, 2007/2008 Reunion Tour. Costello played a homecoming gig at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 25 June 2006. and, that month, gave his first performance in Poland, appearing with The Imposters for the closing gig of the Lake Malta, Malta theatre festival in Poznań. In 2006, Costello performed with Fiona Apple in the Decades Rock TV special. Apple performed two Costello songs and Costello performed two Apple songs. In 2007, Costello collaborated with the Argentinean/Uruguayan Electro music, electro-tango (music), tango band Bajofondo on the song "Fairly Right" from the album ''Mar Dulce (album), Mar Dulce''. In 2008, Costello collaborated with Fall Out Boy on the track "What a Catch, Donnie" from their album ''Folie a Deux (album), Folie a Deux''. In Jenny Lewis' 2008 release, ''Acid Tongue'', Costello provided vocals for the song "Carpetbaggers". In November 2009, Costello appeared live with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Madison Square Garden and performed the Jackie Wilson song "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher". In July 2008, Costello (as Declan McManus) appeared in his home city Liverpool where he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Liverpool. Costello was featured on Fall Out Boy's 2008 album ''Folie à Deux (album), Folie à Deux'', providing vocals on the track "What a Catch, Donnie", along with other artists who are friends with the band. Costello appeared in Stephen Colbert's television special ''A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All''. In the program, he was eaten by a bear, but later saved by Santa Claus; he also sang a duet with Colbert. The special was first aired on 23 November 2008. Costello released ''Secret, Profane & Sugarcane'', a collaboration with T Bone Burnett, on 9 June 2009. It was his first on the Starbucks Hear Music label and a return to country music in the manner of "Good Year for the Roses". Elvis Costello in 2012

In May 2009, Costello made a surprise cameo appearance on-stage at the Beacon Theatre (New York City), Beacon Theatre in New York as part of Spinal Tap (band), Spinal Tap's ''Unwigged and Unplugged'' show, singing their fictional 1965 hit "Gimme Some Money" with the band backing him up. In December 2009, Costello portrayed The Shape on the album ''Ghost Brothers of Darkland County'', a collaboration between rock singer John Mellencamp and novelist Stephen King. In February 2010, Costello appeared in the live cinecast of Garrison Keillor's ''Prairie Home Companion'', singing some of his own songs, and participating in many of the show's other musical and acting performances. On 30 April 2011, he played the song "Pump it Up" with the Odds before the start of a Vancouver Canucks playoff game at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.

2010–present

Costello released the album ''National Ransom'' in autumn of 2010. On 26 February 2012, Costello paid tribute to music legends Chuck Berry and Leonard Cohen, who were the recipients of the first annual PEN Awards for songwriting excellence, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, JFK Presidential Library, in Boston, Massachusetts. In September 2013 Costello released ''Wise Up Ghost'', a collaboration with

the Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

. On 25 October 2013, Costello was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the New England Conservatory. In 2012, he played ukulele, mandolin, guitar and added backing vocals on Diana Krall's 11th studio album, ''Glad Rag Doll (album), Glad Rag Doll'' (as "Howard Coward"). On 10 September 2013, he played during the Apple September 2013 Event after the introduction of iTunes Radio, iPhone 5C and 5S at Town Hall, at the Apple campus. On Gov't Mule's album ''Shout! (Gov't Mule album), Shout!'', released in September 2013, he sang on the track "Funny Little Tragedy". In March 2014, Costello recorded ''Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes'' with Rhiannon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith, Jim James and Marcus Mumford. During the 2016 Detour, he performs with Larkin Poe. On 12 October 2018, Costello released his first studio album in five years, ''Look Now'', recorded with The Imposters. The album features three songs co-written with Burt Bacharach, and one song co-written with Carole King. Costello wrote and produced a large majority of the album himself, with help from producer Sebastian Krys. On 26 January 2020, ''Look Now'' won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards. Costello was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to music. In 2021, Costello released ''Spanish Model'', a remix of 1978's ''This Year's Model'' with Spanish lyrics. Singers from Spanish-speaking parts of the world, with help from Spanish-speaking songwriters, translated all 16 songs of the album into Spanish, with the new vocals set to the original recording and instrumentation by the Attractions. The singers included Juanes, Jorge Drexler, Luis Fonsi, Francisca Valenzuela, Fuego (singer), Fuego, Draco Rosa, and Fito Páez. In 2021, Costello appeared at the Royal Variety Performance playing two songs with the Imposters. He was introduced by the MC Alan Carr as a man who has achieved everything except appearing at the Royal Variety Performance. Between songs Costello informed the audience that he was the second McManus to appear. His father Ross appeared in the 1960s singing "If I Had a Hammer". In January 2022, he performed on ''The Graham Norton Show''. That same month he released the LP ''The Boy Named If'', recorded with the Imposters. '' The Resurrection of Rust'' by a reformed Rusty followed later that year. In April 2023, Costello collaborated with Slovenian band Joker Out on their single, "New Wave". The compilation ''The Songs of Bacharach & Costello'' was also released at this time. In August 2023, he made a three-dates mini-tour together with Italian singer-songwriter Carmen Consoli, a project the two had originally planned in 2012 but that at the time had been shelved due to Consoli's pregnancy. In November 2024, Costello and T Bone Burnett released a scripted comedy audio series on Audible (service), Audible, directed by Christopher Guest, as the Coward Brothers, characters the two created in the 1980s. The series features guest appearances by Harry Shearer as the radio host interviewing the two, along with Rhea Seehorn, Edward Hibbert, Stephen Root and Kathreen Khavari. An accompanying soundtrack album was released via New West Records.

Writing

Since the early 1980s, Costello has written about music for publications including ''Hot Press,'' Details (magazine), ''Details'', Mojo (magazine), ''Mojo'', Musician (magazine), ''Musician'', ''NME'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', and Vanity Fair (magazine), ''Vanity Fair.'' He has also written several articles about Association football, football (soccer), as an avid and knowledgeable fan, for the The Times, ''Times'' of London. A ''Vanity Fair'' editor who worked with Costello said his "Copy (written), copy was clean, elegant, and ready to run". Costello has written liner notes for releases by artists including Gram Parsons, the The Fairfield Four, Fairfield Four,

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Burt Bacharach, and Bill Frisell. He has written forewords to books by Geoff Emerick, Loretta Lynn, and Wanda Jackson. In 1993, Costello began reissuing his catalogue of albums from 1977 through 1986, on Rykodisc, and wrote detailed liner notes for each reissued album. Reviewers praised these liner notes as frank and charming. In 2001, he began a second round of reissues, this time of his catalogue from 1977 through 1996, on Rhino Entertainment, and wrote even more detailed liner notes. ''Goldmine (magazine), Goldmine'' said the Rhino liner notes brought "a wealth of insight into the songs and the creative process itself" and that "liner notes simply don't get any better than this". ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork'' called them "truly fascinating". Several journalists noted that, at a total of 60,000 words, the Rhino liner notes amounted to a serialised memoir. In 2012, ''Slate (magazine), Slate'' magazine published a book review of the Rhino liner notes in which it called them "one of the best rock-star memoirs of the last decade". In 2015, Costello published ''Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink'', a memoir that had little overlap with his reissue liner notes. In this book, Costello recounted his life in music and traced parallels between his own experiences and those of his father and grandfather, both of whom were musicians. The book received enthusiastic positive reviews from prominent publications. The The New York Times, ''New York Times'' said that it contained "some of the best writing – funny, strange, spiteful, anguished – we've ever had from an important musician". The The Washington Post, ''Washington Post'' praised it as having more in common with Frank McCourt's memoir ''Angela's Ashes'' than Mötley Crüe's The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, ''The Dirt'' and said it was more enjoyable than Keith Richards' Life (Keith Richards), ''Life'' and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

's ''Chronicles: Volume One''. However, some positive reviews noted that the quality of the writing in the book was uneven and that the book might have been improved by being shorter, more focused thematically, or both. The few negative reviews the book received criticised its nonlinear structure, its relative lack of emphasis on Costello's pop-star period, and its lack of details about his romantic relationships. The book reached number 7 on the The New York Times Best Seller list, ''New York Times'' Best Seller list. It was shortlisted for the Penderyn Music Book Prize, a British award for excellence in writing about music. The audiobook, narrated by Costello, was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Acting and television presenting

Costello has played himself or fictional characters very similar to himself in movies and television shows including ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999), ''The Simpsons'' (2002), ''Frasier'' (2003),"''Frasier'': Farewell, Nervosa (2003)"
. MSN Movies. Retrieved 30 July 2011. ''Two and a Half Men'' (2004), ''30 Rock'' (2009), ''Treme (TV series), Treme'' (2010), and ''Sesame Street'' (2011). He has also played more character-based roles, such as the title character's eccentric brother in screenwriter Alan Bleasdale's television series ''Scully (TV series), Scully'' (1984), an inept magician in Bleasdale's movie ''No Surrender (1985 film), No Surrender'' (1985)'','' a teacher at an impoverished school in the movie ''Prison Song (film), Prison Song'' (2001), and the title character's father in the children's animated series ''Pete the Cat, The Adventures of Pete the Cat'' (2017). In 1995, he appeared as a guest pundit on the British football commentary television show ''Football Italia''. In 2003, Costello substituted for an ailing David Letterman as the host of ''Late Show with David Letterman'', making him the only musical guest of the show to have served as guest host. Costello's performance on that show led to interest in developing a music-orientated talk show with him as the host, which came to fruition a few years later. In 2008, Costello began production on '' Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...'', a show on which he interviewed and performed songs with other musicians. Guests included Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Bono and the The Edge, Edge of U2, opera singer Renée Fleming, and former president (and accomplished saxophonist) Bill Clinton. The series ran for 20 episodes over two seasons from 2008 through 2010. It aired on Sundance TV, Sundance Channel in the US, CTV Television Network, CTV in Canada, and Channel 4 in the UK. The show received favourable reviews in the US, with reviewers praising Costello's ability to get his guests to reveal insights into their creative processes and calling him a "deeply knowledgeable, erudite and witty host". In Canada, the show won a Gemini Awards, Gemini Award for Best Talk Series. In Britain, however, it was aired in an overnight time slot and largely ignored.

Public image and controversies

Costello revealed little about his background and gave few interviews in the first five years of his career, so the few widely published interviews he gave played a large role in forming his early public image. In a widely quoted August 1977 interview with Nick Kent, Costello said the only things that mattered to him were "revenge and guilt". This phrase would be associated with him throughout his career.

1977 ''Saturday Night Live'' appearance

On 17 December 1977, Costello and the Attractions appeared on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' as last-minute replacements for the Sex Pistols. One of the songs Costello was scheduled to perform, at the request of his record company, was "Less than Zero (Elvis Costello song), Less Than Zero", a song Costello wrote in reaction to seeing British fascist Oswald Mosley being treated with what Costello felt was undeserved deference during an interview on British television. Costello did not want to play the song because he thought the subject was too obscure for American audiences and the song was too low-key to make a strong impression. Instead, he wanted to play the then-unrecorded song, "Radio Radio". During the live broadcast, Costello played a few bars of "Less Than Zero" and then told the Attractions to play "Radio Radio", which they played in its entirety. This angered the show's producer, Lorne Michaels, because Michaels was not prepared for the change and because "Radio Radio" had not been cleared by NBC's censors. When asked about the incident on NBC's ''The Tomorrow Show, Tomorrow Show'' three years later, Costello said he was told he would never appear on American television again. He appeared as musical guest on ''Saturday Night Live'' again in 1989 and 1991. Although the incident provoked little comment at the time, by 1999 it had become so well known that ''Saturday Night Live'' invited Costello to perform a parody of it with the Beastie Boys on the show's 25th anniversary special.

1979 Columbus incident

In March 1979, during a drunken argument with Bonnie Bramlett and other members of the

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

band, at a Holiday Inn bar in Columbus, Ohio, Costello referred to

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

as a "blind, ignorant nigger" and made similar comments about

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

. At a New York City press conference a few days later, Costello said he had been drunk and had been attempting to be obnoxious to bring the conversation to a swift conclusion, not anticipating that Bramlett would bring his comments to the press. According to Costello, "It became necessary for me to outrage these people with about the most obnoxious and offensive remarks that I could muster". In his liner notes for the expanded version of ''Get Happy!! (Elvis Costello album), Get Happy!!'' Costello writes that some time after the incident he had declined an offer to meet Charles out of guilt and embarrassment, although Charles himself had forgiven Costello, saying "Drunken talk isn't meant to be printed in the paper". Costello worked extensively in Britain's

Rock Against Racism Rock Against Racism (RAR) was a political and cultural movement which emerged in 1976 in reaction to a rise in racist attacks on the streets of the United Kingdom and increasing support for the far-right National Front at the ballot box. Betwe ...

campaign both before and after the incident. In an interview with Questlove (drummer for

the Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

, with whom Costello collaborated in 2013), he stated: "It's upsetting because I can't explain how I even got to think you could be funny about something like that" and further elaborating with, "I'm sorry. You know? It's about time I said it out loud."

2010 cancelled Tel Aviv concerts

In early 2010, Costello was invited to play his first concert in Israel, on 30 June of that year, at the Caesarea Amphitheater north of Tel Aviv. Due to high demand for tickets, a second concert was added for 1 July. At first, Costello seemed resolved to resist political pressure on artists to refrain from performing in Israel due to the country's controversial treatment of Palestinians. In early May, Costello told Israel's largest daily newspaper, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'', "As soon as you play you are going to get criticised". Costello told the newspaper he did not agree with organisations that "think that they need to boycott Israel to pressure it", saying he thought "culture is the only way in which humanity shares experiences, and that is why I need to come and perform here". Two weeks later, he announced on his website that he had cancelled the concerts because of what he called the "grave and complex" sensitivities of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He told ''The Jerusalem Post'' his decision was part of a "30-year conundrum" that he had been dealing with regarding playing in Israel. He also told the ''Post'' that he had not been threatened or coerced, but that he "woke up one day and realised [he] couldn't go on with the shows". The promoters of the concerts expressed shock. Israeli Culture Minister Limor Livnat, a member of right-wing Likud Party, denounced the decision. The organisation Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel praised it.

Personal life

Costello has no full siblings. He has four half-brothers from his father's second marriage, all of whom are musicians. In November 1974, Costello married Mary Burgoyne. Costello has said he had hoped to marry Burgoyne since he was 14 years old and they were at school together in London, although they did not begin dating until four years later, when Costello moved back to London after living with his mother in Liverpool for two and a half years. They have one child, Matthew MacManus, born in early 1975. Costello's rapid rise to fame put a strain on their marriage almost immediately. The couple separated in early 1978 but reconciled the following year. They separated permanently in mid-1984 and finalised their divorce in 1988. Costello has said that his inability to remain faithful in his first marriage, and the emotional turmoil it caused him, has been a major inspiration for his songs. In early 1985, Costello began a romantic relationship with Cait O'Riordan, then bass player for

the Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...

, whom he met in October 1984 while their respective bands were on tour together. In May 1986, they exchanged wedding rings and thereafter presented themselves, and were regarded, as husband and wife. They were never legally married. In September 2002, Costello ended the relationship. O'Riordan said that she was never married, that there was "no piece of paper with marriage on it". They have no children. Since their split, both Costello and O'Riordan have described the union as unhappy. In early 2003, Costello became engaged to and went on to marry singer and pianist Diana Krall, whom he met at the Grammy Awards ceremony the year before. They married in December 2003. The couple has twin sons, born in December 2006.

Health

In July 2018, Costello announced that he had been successfully treated for a cancerous growth six weeks earlier, but needed to cancel the remaining six dates of his European tour to continue recovering from the surgery. Costello said he had underestimated how much time he would need to recover. He resumed performing in September 2018.

Humanitarian causes

In 2017, Costello helped establish the Musician Treatment Foundation as a member of its board of directors. The foundation, which is based in Austin, Texas, helps under- and uninsured professional musicians receive free orthopaedic care for upper limb injuries. He performed concerts for the foundation's benefit in October 2017 and December 2022. Costello sits on the advisory board of the board of directors of the Jazz Foundation of America, which provides emergency financial support and other services to working and retired musicians.

Vegetarianism

A pescatarian since the early 1980s, Costello says he was moved to reject meat after seeing the documentary ''The Animals Film'' (1982), which also helped inspire his song "Pills and Soap" from 1983's ''Punch the Clock''. In January 2013, Costello teamed up with Paul McCartney to create an advertisement campaign backing vegetarian foods produced by the Linda McCartney Foods brand.

Legacy

Costello is considered by experts in pop and rock music to be one of the best songwriters of his generation. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic summarised Costello as the "most evocative, innovative, and gifted songwriter since Bob Dylan, with songs that offer highly personal takes on love and politics". In 2015, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked him 24th their list of the greatest songwriters of all time, calling him a songwriter of "almost unparalleled versatility". When he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016, the induction announcement said the impact of Costello's songs "far out-distanced their commercial performance". Costello's debut album, ''My Aim Is True'', is widely considered one of the best debut albums in the history of rock music. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the album's release, ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' called it "one of the most influential albums in the history of rock and punk" and "one of the strongest debut albums in history". Although Costello never applied the term "new wave" to his music, Costello's early records helped defined the new wave music genre. AllMusic said, "Costello's early albums changed the face of pop music by harnessing punk's energy to a leaner, more incisive aesthetic that included pop hooks, virtually inventing new wave in the process". In their 2013 list of greatest albums of all time, the ''NME'' described ''This Year's Model'' as "defining the British new wave". In their 2009 list of greatest albums of all time, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' said "the keyboard-driven sound of [Costello's 1979 song] 'Accidents Will Happen' helped define New Wave". Musical artists with little connection to new wave have also claimed influence by Costello. Bruce Springsteen has said that comments Costello made in the press criticising Springsteen's early songs as overly romantic led Springsteen to write darker songs for his 1978 album ''Darkness on the Edge of Town''. Thom Yorke of Radiohead called ''Blood & Chocolate'' "the album that made me change the way I thought about recording and writing music [and] lyrics". Liz Phair, in her appreciation of Costello for Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, ''Rolling Stone'' 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, wrote: "I'd pay a great amount of money to audit a course taught by him". Suzanne Vega has called Costello one of the "melodic geniuses" whose music she listens to in order to "stretch my sense of melody". Prominent artists in other fields have claimed influence or inspiration from Costello. Filmmaker and comedian Judd Apatow has called Costello "a gigantic inspiration to me" and has suggested that he and other comedians are "fanatical" about Costello's music because of the "spirit of standing up for what you believe in and the humor" in it. Satirist and television host Stephen Colbert has described Costello as "probably my favourite rock artist" and said he sees parallels between his own humour and Costello's "wry, sardonic" songs. Novelist Bret Easton Ellis titled his 1985 novel Less Than Zero (novel), ''Less Than Zero'' after a Costello song and its 2010 sequel ''Imperial Bedrooms'' after a Costello album. Ellis has said Costello was once his "idol". Visual artist Peter Blake (artist), Peter Blake featured Costello prominently in his 2012 reworking of the artwork he created for the cover of the Beatles' 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Blake said he included people he admired and who had contributed to British culture since he created the original work.

Awards and honours

Entertainment industry awards

United States: * ASCAP Founders Award (2003) * Grammy Award, Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, "I Still Have That Other Girl" (1998) * Grammy Award, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, ''Look Now'' (2019) * Grammy Hall of Fame, '' My Aim Is True'' (2007) *

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

, Best Male Video, "Veronica (song), Veronica" (1989) *

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

, with

the Attractions The Attractions were an English backing band for the English new wave musician Elvis Costello between 1977 and 1986, and again from 1994 to 1996. They consisted of Steve Nieve (keyboards), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Thomas (drums ...

(2003) *

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

(2016) United Kingdom: * BAFTA, Best Original Television Music, G.B.H. (soundtrack), ''G.B.H.'' (1992) * Ivor Novello Awards, Ivor Novello Award, Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection (1995) * Ivor Novello Awards, Ivor Novello Award, PRS Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award (1997) Netherlands: * Edison Award, Pop category, '' My Aim Is True'' (1978) * Edison Award, singer-songwriter, ''Spike (Elvis Costello album), Spike'' (1989) * Edison Award, Extra/special production, innovative, ''The Juliet Letters'' (1993) * Edison Award, International singer, ''Painted from Memory'' (1999) Canada: * Gemini Awards, Gemini Award, Best Talk Series, '' Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...'' (2010)

Critics' best-of lists and music press awards

Best of year: * NME Awards List of NME Award winners#NME Awards 1978, Best Songwriter (1978) * NME Awards List of NME Award winners#NME Awards 1983, Best Songwriter (1983) * NME Awards List of NME Award winners#NME Awards 1983, Best Album, '' Punch the Clock'' (1983) * The Village Voice, ''Village Voice'' Pazz & Jop, Pazz and Jop critics' poll, number 1 album of the year, This Year's Model, ''This Years Model'' (1978) * The Village Voice, ''Village Voice'' Pazz & Jop, Pazz and Jop critics' poll, number 1 album of the year, ''

Imperial Bedroom ''Imperial Bedroom'' is the seventh studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his sixth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas (musician), Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (drummer), Pete ...

'' (1982) Best of all time: * Five albums on NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, NME's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2013): ** ''This Year's Mode''l (#256) ** ''My Aim is True'' (#281) ** ''Imperial Bedroom'' (#316) ** ''Punch the Clock'' (#345) ** ''Blood and Chocolate'' (#483) * Four albums on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2009): **''This Year's Model'' (#98) ** ''Imperial Bedroom'' (#166) ** ''My Aim Is True'' (#168) ** ''Armed Forces'' (#475) * Number 24 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time (2015) * Number 80 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (2010)

Honorary degrees

* Doctor of Music, University of Liverpool (2008) * Doctor of Music, New England Conservatory of Music (2013)

Discography

Albums as solo artist and bandleader

*'' My Aim Is True'' (1977) *''

This Year's Model ''This Year's Model'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover (band), Clover for his debut album ''My Aim Is True'' (1977), Coste ...

'' (1978) *''Armed Forces (album), Armed Forces'' (1979) *''Get Happy!! (Elvis Costello album), Get Happy!!'' (1980) *''Trust (Elvis Costello album), Trust'' (1981) *'' Almost Blue'' (1981) *''

Imperial Bedroom ''Imperial Bedroom'' is the seventh studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his sixth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas (musician), Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (drummer), Pete ...

'' (1982) *'' Punch the Clock'' (1983) *'' Goodbye Cruel World'' (1984) *''King of America'' (1986) *''Blood & Chocolate'' (1986) *''Spike (Elvis Costello album), Spike'' (1989) *''Mighty Like a Rose'' (1991) *''Brutal Youth'' (1994) *''Kojak Variety'' (1995) *''All This Useless Beauty'' (1996) *''When I Was Cruel'' (2002) *''North (Elvis Costello album), North'' (2003) *''The Delivery Man (album), The Delivery Man'' (2004) *''Momofuku (album), Momofuku'' (2008) *''Secret, Profane & Sugarcane'' (2009) *''National Ransom'' (2010) *''Look Now'' (2018) *''Hey Clockface'' (2020) *''The Boy Named If'' (2022)

Collaborative albums

*''The Juliet Letters'', with the Brodsky Quartet (1993) *''Painted from Memory'', with

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

(1998) *''For the Stars'', with Anne Sofie von Otter (2001) *''Piano Jazz'', with Marian McPartland (2005) *''My Flame Burns Blue'', with the Metropole Orkest (2006) *''The River in Reverse'', with

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descr ...

(2006) *''Wise Up Ghost'', with

the Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

(2013) *''Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, Lost on the River'', as member of The New Basement Tapes (2014) *'' The Resurrection of Rust'', with Allan Mayes (2022) *''The Coward Brothers (album), The Coward Brothers'', with T Bone Burnett (2024)

Composer, soundtracks and scores

*''G.B.H. (soundtrack), G.B.H.'', with Richard Harvey (composer), Richard Harvey (1991) *''Jake's Progress (soundtrack), Jake's Progress'', with Richard Harvey (composer), Richard Harvey (1995) *''Il Sogno'' (2004)

Producer for others

*''Specials (album), The Specials'' – The Specials, Specials (1979) *East Side Story (Squeeze album), ''East Side Story'' – Squeeze (1981, with Roger Béchirian) *"Free Nelson Mandela" – the The Special A.K.A, Special A.K.A (1984) *''Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, Rum Sodomy & the Lash'' – the The Pogues, Pogues (1985)

Filmography

As actor

* 1979 film debut as "The Earl of Manchester" in ''Americathon''. Costello and the Attractions mime the song "Crawling to the U.S.A." in the film, which also appears on its Americathon (soundtrack), soundtrack album. * 1984 as "Henry Scully" in the UK TV series, ''Scully (TV series), Scully'' * 1984 as "Stone Deaf A&R Man" in ''The Bullshitters: Roll Out The Gunbarrel, The Bullshitters'', a movie made by members of the comedy troupe The Comic Strip, first aired on Channel 4 * 1985 as inept magician "Rosco de Ville" in the Alan Bleasdale film, ''No Surrender (1985 film), No Surrender'' * 1987 as "Hives the Butler" in the Alex Cox film, ''Straight to Hell (film), Straight to Hell'', starring Joe Strummer and Courtney Love. Costello's "Big Nothing" (AKA "Town Called Big Nothing") appears in the film and on its Straight to Hell (film)#Soundtrack, soundtrack album. * 1994 as himself on ''The Larry Sanders Show'' in the episode "People's Choice" * 1996 as himself on ''The Larry Sanders Show'' in the episode "Everybody Loves Larry" * 1997 as a barman in ''Spice World (film), Spice World'' * 1999 as himself in ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', performing Burt Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" (with Bacharach), which also appears on its Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me#Soundtrack, soundtrack album. * 1999 as a younger version of himself in ''200 Cigarettes'' * 2000 as himself, filling his car with petrol in the full-length feature ''Sans plomb (film), Sans plomb'', whose soundtrack includes several of his songs * 2001 as himself performing "Fly Me to the Moon" on the series finale of ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' * 2002 as himself on the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" of ''The Simpsons'' * 2003 as Ben on ''Frasier'', in the Frasier (season 10), season 10 episode "Farewell Nervosa" * 2003 as himself in ''I Love Your Work'' * 2004 as himself in the UK TV ''Dead Ringers (comedy), Dead Ringers'' New Year Special, apparently and reportedly having serendipitously entered a filming venue. * 2004 as himself in ''Two and a Half Men'' – Season 2, Episode 1 * 2004 as himself in ''De-Lovely'' * 2006 as himself in ''Delirious (2006 film), Delirious'' * 2006 as himself in ''Before the Music Dies'' * 2006 as himself in ''Putting the River in Reverse'' * 2006 as himself in ''Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'' * 2008 as himself in ''A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!'' * 2009 as himself on the ''30 Rock'' episode "Kidney Now!" * 2010 as himself on ''Treme (TV series), Treme'' * 2017 as himself in ''Ex Libris – The New York Public Library'' * 2017–2019 as Pete's Dad (voice) in ''Pete the Cat'' (Season 1)

As part of soundtracks

* 1983, "Party Party" appears in the Party Party (film), film of the same name and on its Party Party (film)#Soundtrack, soundtrack album. * 1991, "Days (The Kinks song), Days" (a cover of the The Kinks, Kinks song) appears in the film ''Until the end of the World'' and on its Until the End of the World (soundtrack), soundtrack album. * 1995, "My Dark Life", a collaboration with Brian Eno, appears on the album ''Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files, Songs in the Key of X''. * 1996, "God Give Me Strength", a collaboration with Burt Bacharach, appears in the film ''Grace of My Heart'' and on its Grace of My Heart#Soundtrack, soundtrack album. Nominated for Satellite Award for Best Original Song. * 1998, "My Mood Swings" appears in the film ''The Big Lebowski'' and on its The Big Lebowski#Soundtrack, soundtrack album. * 1998, "I Throw My Toys Around", a collaboration with No Doubt, appears in the film ''The Rugrats Movie'' and on its The Rugrats Movie#Soundtrack, soundtrack album. * 1999, "She (Charles Aznavour song)#Elvis Costello version, She" (a cover of the

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

song) appears in the film ''Notting Hill (film), Notting Hill'' and on its Notting Hill (film)#Soundtrack, soundtrack album. The song peaked at No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart. * 2003, "The Scarlet Tide", written by Costello and T Bone Burnett and performed by

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

, appears in the film ''Cold Mountain (film), Cold Mountain'' and on its Cold Mountain (soundtrack), soundtrack album. Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. * 2019, "I Want You" appears twice in the critically acclaimed British film ''Only You (2018 film)#Music, Only You''.

Bibliography

*1980: ''A Singing Dictionary'' sheet music *1983: sheet music *2016: memoir

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

External links

*
Official Elvis Costello Lost Highway Records Artist Page
* * *
The Elvis Costello Wiki
(moved 2007 from origina
The Elvis Costello Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costello, Elvis Elvis Costello, 1954 births 20th-century English male singers 20th-century English singer-songwriters 21st-century English male singers 21st-century English singer-songwriters 2 Tone Records artists Columbia Records artists Concord Records artists Deutsche Grammophon artists Diana Krall Elvis Costello & the Attractions members English autobiographers English buskers English expatriate musicians in the United States English male guitarists English male new wave singers English male rock singers English male singer-songwriters English new wave singers English people of Irish descent English punk rock guitarists English punk rock singers English record producers English rock guitarists Grammy Award winners Island Records artists Living people Lost Highway Records artists Mercury Records artists Musicians from the City of Westminster The New Basement Tapes members Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Paddington Radar Records artists Rykodisc artists Second British Invasion artists Singers from the City of Westminster Stiff Records artists Warner Records artists

Early life

Family background

Childhood and early musical influences

Education and decision to pursue a career in music

Music career

1969–1976: Pre-professional career

Rusty

Declan Costello

Flip City

D.P. Costello

1976–1977: ''My Aim Is True''

1977–1979: Peak pop stardom

"Watching the Detectives" and commercial breakthrough

''This Year's Model''

''Armed Forces''

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010–present

Writing

Acting and television presenting

Public image and controversies

1977 ''Saturday Night Live'' appearance

1979 Columbus incident

2010 cancelled Tel Aviv concerts

Personal life

Health

Humanitarian causes

Vegetarianism

Legacy

Awards and honours

Entertainment industry awards

Critics' best-of lists and music press awards

Honorary degrees

Discography

Albums as solo artist and bandleader

Collaborative albums

Composer, soundtracks and scores

Producer for others

Filmography

As actor

As part of soundtracks

Bibliography

Notes

References

Sources

Further reading

External links