If you’re just joining us, check out the About This Project link for details. Basically, I make playlists of all the singles by certain musical artists and then try to order them using the guiding principle “do I like each song more than the last song.” I define “single” in a broad enough way to include any song that was released as a purchasable single in any format in any country; as a promotional single in any country; as a video; or generally any song that I know charted anywhere. My main sources are Wikipedia (mostly reliable) and Discogs (reasonably reliable). I welcome editing feedback since sometimes I favor speed over spelling.
My friend Rebecca commented to me the other day that these lists are a terrible way to be introduced to the musicians that I love because – for a person new to or unfamiliar with the music – one must start with the songs I like the least. Indeed, for new listeners, it might serve you better to wait until I’m finished with a list and then listen to my top ten. On the other hand, at least two songs on this chunk of list (one in particular) are among Costello’s more generally beloved songs, so maybe this is a fine place to start. At any rate, I like everything on this chunk of the list – just not as much as I like stuff on the chunks still to come.
90 . Party Party
(Artist: Elvis Costello and The Attractions with the Royal Guard Horns )
Single from the Soundtrack to Party Party (1982), released as a single in 1982
According to the Elvis Costello wiki, there are no known live performances of “Party Party.” In 2012, Costello curated an album of his songs that have been used in movies titled In Motion Pictures. He did not select this song for inclusion. Indeed, the only collection it has thus far been included in is an obscure UK only 45rpm singles box set titled Singles Vol 1-3. I’d not be the first to point out that Costello obviously has no lover for this song. However, I’m also an avowed fan of Big Dumb Songs and this is possibly as close to a Big Dumb Song as Costello ever composed. The film in question is an British variation on the 80’s teen party genre. Costello’s theme song is a made-to-order catchy new wave pop tune with a horn section in the UB40 mold. The lyrics are considerably more witty and acerbic than you’d typically hear in a youth movie and The Attractions are solid as ever. To project my own issues onto Costello – I completely understand not feeling any special connection to what is essentially a work of art for hire.
89. Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s A Doll Revolution)
First single from When I Was Cruel (2002), released as a single in 2002
Here we are, back with another decent song that I’ve unfairly ranked down in part because I wish other songs from the parent album were released as singles instead. Which songs, you ask? I’ll tell you. “Tart” for one, “15 Petals” for two, and “Dust 2″ for 3. The latter two were mixed together into the maybe-single “The Imposter vs The Floodtide (Dust and Petals)” (#106) but that does not count. A fourth song, “Radio Silence,” wouldn’t necessarily have made a great single, but it’s a fantastic song about the demise of radio. As I’ve been working on this list, this is another song that I’ve flipped to the top of the list and then flopped back down to the lower third.
The bass work on the original (by Davey Faragher, later Costello’s regular bassist in The Imposters) is excellent and Costello’s guitar line is catchy as heck. The lyrics – I read somewhere that they were inspired by a Japanese toy ad with odd English – turn into something of Costello’s version of female empowerment. Your mileage may vary, but it’s possibly for that reason that The Bangles later covered this song (and released it as a single) on their 2003 album Doll Revolution.
88. They Can’t Take That Away From Me
(Tony Bennett with Elvis Costello)
Europe only single from the Tony Bennett album MTV Unplugged (1994), released as a single in 1994
Cover of a song written by George and Ira Gershwin and originally performed by Fred Astaire (1937)
Tony Bennett went through something of a youth renaissance (for my generation of youth) in the early 90’s that culminated in his performance on MTV Unplugged. The resultant album was an award winning hit and Bennett earned himself a whole new generation of fans. Most of the performance was just Bennett with the Ralph Sharon Trio, though he did have two guests – kd lang and Elvis Costello. There seems to be a little moment where they’re unclear who is supposed to be singing a specific line, but Tony Bennett has a good sense of humor about it. Indeed, the gaffe must not have bothered him that much because he was a terrific guest on Costello’s music interview show Spectacle in 2008 (watch Bennett and fantastic jazz musician Diana Krall – also Costello’s wife – perform “I’ve Got The World On A String”). “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” is one of my favorite songs by the Gershwins and to my ear, the definitive version may be the Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong cover from 1956. Anyhow, the highlight of the Bennett/Costello version – in terms of Costello’s involvement – are the harmony bits. He’s provides great harmony and backing vocals, in my opinion. That said, my read on this take is that Bennett doesn’t need much rehearsal and kind of likes singing on the fly (you know, jazz), while perhaps Costello prefers a bit more preparation. To whit, Costello does all right but the track might be better with just Bennett.
87. Baby Plays Around
UK only single from Spike (1989), released as an extended play single in 1989
“Baby Plays Around” was the featured song on an EP released from Spike in 1989. Per UK tradition, EPs chart on the singles chart, so we’re going to count this here. For your information, however, the other songs on the EP were “Poisoned Rose” (from King of America), “:Almost Blue” (from Imperial Bedroom) and “My Funny Valentine” (the B-Side of the “Oliver’s Army” single). On some pressings, a cover of Gene McDaniels’ “Point of No Return” replaced “Poisoned Rose” – this is the more desirable version of this EP, if you’re collecting, because this was the first and (at the time) only appearance of that track. All of those are least very good or even classic – in the case of “Poisoned Rose” and “Almost Blue” – tracks. “Baby Plays Around,” record in Los Angeles by Costello (on vocals and guitar) and Mitchel Froom (on organ), is a simple, stripped down lament about being in a relationship with the titular character. On it’s own, it is a pretty enough song, but it suffers in comparison to the tracks it was paired up with. There’s some nice jazz guitar work from Costello at the song’s coda. I should point out that Costello’s then-wife Cait O’Riordan, wrote some of this and a few of Costello’s other songs (notably “Tokyo Storm Warning”).
86. Different Finger
(Artist: Elvis Costello and The Attractions)
Canada only single from Trust (1981), released as a single in 1981
“Different Finger” is an original country music piece about infidelity (a topic which sometimes seems to be Costello’s favorite vein to mine). Costello would dive much deeper into the genre on his album of country covers, Almost Blue, the following year and has continued commiting himself to American county and bluegrass music throughout his career. When I was a lad, I thought Costello’s interest in country music was ironic because that’s the only way I could enjoy it. My father loves country music and, as a teenager, it was my duty to stand in opposition to his… well, his genuinely excellent taste in country music. It wasn’t until King of America – when I was a freshman in college – that I realized Costello was dead serious about his love for the genre, which led me to reconsider my feelings about the genre. It doesn’t take a whole lot of research to discover some truly remarkable, lovely and musically compelling country songs, provided you’re willing to keep an open mind. Anyhow, I have labored under the impression that “Different Finger” was a cover of a classic country song until this very month, which I think speaks to the both Costello’s understanding of the genre as well as to his outstanding songwriting.
85. Alison
Second single from My Aim Is True (1977), released as a single in 1977
I know, I know. This used to be my favorite Elvis Costello song, too – for ten years or more. Maybe I played it too much in my younger days, but now when i hear that first little guitar figure, I have to struggle not to press “next.” In his career, Costello has performed this song over 1,500 times. He was using the Spectacular Spinning Songbook (a giant wheel that he had audience members spin to determine which song he’d play next) when I saw him perform at Brown in 1987 (I note, with some shock, that a mini-review I wrote of the concert years later on a list-serv is linked). A young lady came on stage and said she hoped the wheel would land on “Alison.” When it didn’t, Costello obliged her and turned the wheel so it pointed at that song with a comment like “if you can’t cheat at Brown, where can you cheat?” I sort of wish he had but only because even in 1987, there were a dozen other songs I wanted to hear more than “Alison.”
So what can I offer that could possibly justify ranking this beloved tune so low on my list – other than contempt borne of familiarity? Well, first, I find most of the production on Costello’s debut album, My Aim Is True, to be a little rough. Costello, Producer Nick Lowe and hired-hand U.S. backing band Clover (who, no kidding, would later transform into Huey Lewis and The News) “spent roughly 16 hours recording and five hours mixing a set of songs that Costello had allegedly written in two weeks.” By necessity, they had no time to really rerecord anything and, thus, the whole album has a live-in-the-studio feel. I know there are a lot of people who love this sound, but to me it sounds like the whole band is playing behind a wall of cheesecloth for most of the record (the exception being on the remarkable “Watching the Detectives” – coming up much, much later).
Furthermore, as fine a band as Clover may have been, they were no Attractions. Indeed, listen to the interplay of Steve Nieve’s keyboard with Costello’s guitar in this live performance or how Nieve takes it in a creepier direction in this one. The Attractions weren’t hired hands – certainly not in the same sense that Clover were. They play expertly, but they don’t seem to be especially invested in the music. Why should they be? It was a quick, small paycheck backing an unknown artist. Costello’s guitar work is, of course, lovely on the original (and the lyrics are, of course, direct and in the end moving, especially the almost recited “my aim is true” refrain). If you’re curious, here’s the chapter from Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink where he discusses composing “Alison.”
So, in conclusion, I don’t have much more of a reason to place it here than “I just don’t like it as much as I did before I heard it a thousand times” and “I just want to spend more time listening to Costello’s other songs that are not ‘Alison.'” Unlike other classic songs by other artists that I’ve ranked low on my lists, I do like “Alison.” I mean, jeez, I ranked it higher than “Party Party.”
Postscript: compare this song to “Party Girl” from Armed Forces which has a lot in common and it – to my ear – the superior song. For further research, compare Linda Ronstadt’s versions of both “Alison” and “Party Girl.”
84. I Wanna Be Loved
(Artist: Elvis Costello and The Attractions)
Second single from Goodbye Cruel World (1984), released as a single in 1984
Double A-Side with “Turning The Town Red” (#91)
Cover of a song originally recorded by Teacher’s Edition (1973)
I did not first encounter “I Wanna Be Loved” on it’s parent album, Goodbye Cruel World, No, I first heard it on my cassette copy of the 1985 compilation The Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions. Back in those days – end of high school, beginning of college – I didn’t quite grasp that compilation albums generally weren’t really “the best” and were more frequently “a collection of singles and other songs you might have heard (and thus will spend money to own) since you clearly can’t be bothered to buy the original album, you poxy little wanker.” I didn’t realize that this collection was more or less chronological and, thus, didn’t really know for sure where “I Wanna Be Loved” fell on Costello’s musical timeline. In the liner notes for the 1995 reissue of Goodbye Cruel World, Costello famously wrote “Congratulations! You’ve just purchased our worst album.” I encourage you to read the rest if you’re curious. Costello mentions that the delightful Green Gartside of Scritti Politti sings the high parts on this track, which makes me like it more because I adore that band. I was not aware that this song was a cover (much like I thought “Different Finger” was a cover) until I started researching this piece. Now I know. So, in summary, I still like this cover slightly more than “Alison” and it is worth a bit of your time.
83. It’s Time
(Artist: Elvis Costello and The Attractions)
First single from All This Useless Beauty (1996), released as a single in 1996
The writers at The Elvis Costello Song Of The Week at Trunkworthy love “It’s Time.” I’m a fan, but my feelings are a bit more ambivalent. First, it should be noted that in the liner notes for the 2001 reiissue of All This Useless Beauty, Costello points out that this song is something of a sequel to his classic anti-Thatcher tune “Tramp The Dirt Down.” I have waxed philosophical before about how Margaret Thatcher was sort of a muse to UK musicians during her time as prime minister elsewhere (see #27). I believe it’s important to acknowledge that this song is another kiss off to the iron lady because it gives lines like “if you do have to leave me/who will I have left to hate?” a different resonance. The piece is built around a very 90’s sounding drum loop that – in 2019 – sounds like a very 90’s sounding drum loop. At the time, I remember being quite excited about it. Costello has always been eager to experiment with emerging production techniques (sometimes to the detriment of his records). Back in 1996, this was one of my favorite songs from All This Useless Beauty, but over the years my interest in it has waned even as I’ve grown to love some of the other songs on that record.
82. Good Year For the Roses
(Artist: Elvis Costello and The Attractions)
First single from Almost Blue (1981), released as a single in 1981
Cover of a song originally recorded by George Jones (1970)
We’re ending this chunk of songs with a pair of covers. I believe that the lyrics of “Good Year For The Roses,” are an excellent match for Costello’s voice and, uh, overall ouevre. They detail the bitter and sometimes sarcastic thoughts of a man whose wife is in the process of leaving him. The Attractions – backed by The Nashville Edition on vocals, John McFee (who was a member of Clover back during the My Aim Is True sessions) on guitar and Tommy Millar on fiddle – sound like a bona fide country band. Famed Nashville producer Billy Sherrill personally identified this song as a potential hit (he was right – it was top 10 in the UK) and pulled out all the stops finishing it. As I’ve mentioned, Costello has returned to county music time and again in his career – he clearly connects to it and you can hear that connection in his voice on this cover.
81. Getting Mighty Crowded
(Artist: Elvis Costello and The Attractions)
Canada only single from Taking Liberties (1980), released as a single in 1980
Cover of a song originally recorded by Betty Everett (1965)
One of my cousins and I had a conversation as tweens about whether we’d listen to R&B/soul or country/western if we could no longer listen to rock music. I was pretty firmly in the “soul” camp and he was equally committed to “country.” Fortunately, we had a shared love of Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden to bring us together. This has virtually nothing to do with this song except that when I couldn’t decide whether to place this song at 81 or to place “Good Year For The Roses” at 81, the side of me that likes R&B knew EXACTLY what to do. “Getting Mighty Crowded” was recorded during the Get Happy!! sessions in 1980. It was initially relegated to B-Side status (for the single of “High Fidelity” – coming up later) but then was made an A-Side in Canada only to promote the rarity and B-side compilation album Taking Liberties. Costello and the band attack the song with buoyant joy and while I get that they didn’t feel it fit on Get Happy!!, I still think it’s one of their stronger R&B covers. The Attractions in particular sound great from start to finish on this track. Anyhow, strong, upbeat R&B about leaving your partner upon discovering they have a new partner beats earnest country song about watching your partner leave you if only because I still prefer R&B.
Coming Soon: Another beloved song ranked wicked low
Elvis Costello Singles Ranked – 111-116 – 101-110 – 91-100 – 81-90 – 71-80 – 61-70 – 51-60 – 41-50 – 31-40 – 21-30 – 11-20 – 1-10