What's your favorite Elvis Costello song?

[Left Is Write]

No reason for asking; I'm just curious. :D

[Shell Beau]

1. I really do not know a lot about his music.

:shrug:

[XNASA]

2. Shipbuilding

[redqueen]

11. Oh I do love that one...

hard to pick a favorite.

Hmm.

[bikebloke]

3. Pump It Up

From his early days as Elvis Costello and the Attractions. I like most of his other work from the same period.

[Midlodemocrat]

20. Mine, too.

[Nickster]

27. +2

[Dulcinea]

69. Oh yeah!

It always makes me start dancing.

[Symarip]

4. Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down)

The original seven inch is quite collectible.

[Beer Snob-50]

5. what's so funny bout peace love and understanding

and (i don't remember if this song was on this album or not) but the entire my aim is true album.

[achtung_circus]

16. +1 nt

[MajorChode]

18. +2

[Schema Thing]

29. +3

[Arugula Latte]

33. Yep -- Me too. That one was originally written by Nick Lowe. nt

[Lex]

36. Nick Lowe

wrote that one and it is excellent.

[Jamastiene]

59. +1

[unpossibles]

6. tough one! Chelsea or Shipbuilding are up there

But I love so much of his stuff, especially the earlier albums. The last few rock albums have been really good too.

[DinahMoeHum]

7. Watching the Detectives. . .

nice reggae beat.

[KamaAina]

8. Oliver's Army

way past time for a remix...

edit: way past

[Ohio Joe]

25. Seconded - nt

[MrCoffee]

28. Thirded

[Arugula Latte]

34. That one is right up there with "What's So Funny ..." for me. nt

[dysfunctional press]

55. +4

[Dr Fate]

9. "Beyond Belief" n/t

n/t

[redqueen]

13. That's a favorite of mine, too.

I also love his cover of Jones's A Good Year for the Roses.

[Dr Fate]

15. Yup- I once saw Elvis & George do that one together on TV...

I beleive it was on a GJ tribute TV show a few years back...

I doubt you could find a bigger George Jones fan than me. In fact, he has a restraining order out on me, but that is another story...

[Sebastian Doyle]

58. More Elvis & George here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSj6SayDnR0

Elvis actually recorded this song early in his career. Can't remember if it was actually released at the time, since country wasn't really topping the UK charts in the mid 70's, but it's since been included as a bonus track on Rykodisc's remaster of "My Aim is True".

[blondeatlast]

65. Oh, yes; loved the original and EC did it proud. nt

[Mike 03]

47. Stupendous. NT

[Sky Masterson]

10. I still love Allison

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLesCQvXVUw
Elvis Costello 1st TV Appearance. Allison

[redqueen]

12. Amost Blue.

[Lex]

35. written for Chet Baker

one of my all time favs

[mikeytherat]

14. "New Lace Sleeves"

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=new%20lace%20sleeves&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#

mikey_the_rat

[hibbing]

17. The Scarlet Tide

Hi,
He co-wrote this song. I saw him do an accoustic version when he opened for Bob and it was fantastic, and he added an anti-war touch to it.

Peace

[kimmerspixelated]

19. From A Whisper To A Scream

It's from one of his first I think, and Alison.

[DS1]

21. The sound of the needle slipping off the last track on the vinyl

[GCP]

43. +1

:thumbsup:

[Bossy Monkey]

22. Tramp the Dirt Down

with discussion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Znn5a-88tY
lyrics: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3065854

[gmoney]

23. "Lipstick Vogue" was one...

but just absolutely everything from the first 4 albums is flawless. Imperial Bedroom was great, as was most of Blood & Chocolate and King of America.

Sadly, after that, he just started taking himself too damn seriously. Refer to The Captain Howdy's "The Juliet e-Mails" for elaboration.

[Redstone]

24. "Long Journey Home" with the Chieftains.

Redstone

[CrownPrinceBandar]

26. "Clubland"

[Tikki]

30. In honor of the classic songs coming around today....

"My Funny Valentine"...

I am a true E. C. devotee and I love many of his songs..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP4D-nTnWv4
"Waiting For The End Of The World"...is simply great.



Tikki

[Va Lefty]

31. "High Fidelity"

[kwassa]

71. my favorite, too.

[redqueen]

32. I'm kinda surprised no one's said Radio Radio yet.

[MrPerson]

39. I was seriously thinking about hiding this thread when the switch

broke cause its old.

[begin_within]

37. New Amsterdam, Accidents Will Happen, Alison, Pump it Up, Watching the Detectives

[MrPerson]

38. Red Shoes

[SPKrazy]

40. my aim is true

[redqueen]

41. Another favorite of mine...

I love the love songs. :)

[abq e streeter]

42. Tough call..hmmm...Deep Dark Truthful Mirror... or maybe Radio Radio..or...

maybe Alison ..or...I'm Not Angry...........or ........

[Mike 03]

48. Lovely song. One of four brilliant songs off an under-appreciated album. NT

[abq e streeter]

51. Am I correct in remembering that the Dirty Dozen Brass Band plays on that cut?

[FarLeftRage]

44. Welcome to the Working Week...

and Crawling to the USA are my faves.

Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe8mkdqD5B0

Couldn't find the other...

[6000eliot]

45. "Pump It Up," "Watching the Detecives," and "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding."

It's hard to choose.

[Mike 03]

46. Hardest Question Ever.

To me, the entire album "Get Happy" is like one masterpiece after another.

Also, almost half the songs on "Imperial Bedroom." "..and in every home." "Beyond Belief." "Little Fool." "Pidgin English."
Favorite song to play on guitar: "Pump it UP", "Love for Tender," "Black and White World," "Five Gears in Reverse," "Human Touch," "Beaten to the Punch." "Lipstick Vogue." "Lip Service." "No Action." "Hand In Hand." "You Belong to Me."

Trust: "Luxenberg," "Whisper to a Scream," "New Lace Sleeves."

And the severely under-rated "Blood and Chocolate" album. ("Battered old Bird," "Tokyo Storm Warning," "Uncomplicated," "Hope You're Happy Now," "Blue Chair," and "Crimes of Paris")

"Mightly Like a Rose" - half the songs on it, especially "Other Side of Summer," "Playboy to a Man," "How to Be Dumb," and the bug song ("the bugs are taking over"--I can't recall the damned title.

Also the beautiful song "The Invisible Man" off the album "Punch the Clock." (Also off that album, "Element within Her," "King of Thieves" and "The World and His Wife."

"King of America" - three quarters of the songs on it.

There's no possible way to answer your question, ambitious though it is. I will be fascinated to read what others say.

If you put a gun to my head, I would probably answer "America Without Tears."

ON EDIT: Sorry, I have to keep updating this. Every few minutes I think of some amazing song or album I forgot.

[Mike 03]

49. I hope you tell us what you think at some point. I LOVE this question.

It's one of the most stimulating and unexpected (in a good way) topics I've ever seen here, since someone else posted on the "Jesus and Mary Chain."

[Left Is Write]

52. It's hard to pick a favorite Elvis song, but I think I'll have to go with Radio, Radio or Pump It Up

[Mike 03]

54. Thanks for sharing this, and thanks for one great OP/question.

It really took me out of my head and back to a great time in my life.

Peace

[Left Is Write]

53. BTW,..something did prompt me to ask.

I was listening to Dave Edmunds singing Girls Talk, another song I really like.

[abq e streeter]

68. Hey that Edmunds album is great too

great versions of Almost Saturday Night , the Race is On...and I was singing Edmunds' versions Of Crawlin From the Wreckage and I Knew the Bride in the band I was in ( late 80's)...

[sundog]

50. Pump It Up

just cause it always gives me a rush

[cherish44]

56. "Veronica"

It's just one of those songs I can never get out of my head when I hear it

another is "Every Day I Write the Book"

ahhh time to dust off my EC cd's

[Left Is Write]

57. Veronica is very catchy.

[blondeatlast]

66. +1; I shouldn've looked further thru the thread before posting.nt

[CreekDog]

74. Veronica

me 3! :hi:

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

60. New Amsterdam

dunno why. it just is.

[Dammit Ann]

61. Not a song. He produced the specials.

My favorite!

Other than that, his wife.

And "Red Shoes".

[Amerigo Vespucci]

62. "Party Girl"

At the time, I thought of it as a tougher, more fully developed version of "Allison," which would be my second favorite.

:toast:

[enigmatic]

63. "Peace In Our Time"

http://recluseshow.blogspot.com/2008/01/peace-in-our-time-elvis-costello.html

[blondeatlast]

64. Veronica, then Shipbuilding (SB makes me weep EVERY time). nt

[bikebloke]

67. A story

Back in the early 80's, I was working on a kibbutz in Israel. There was an English bloke there whose father had a pub in London. One of the patrons was a young struggling musician, who didn't bathe often. His stage name was Elvis Costello.

[Orsino]

70. Possibly "Moods For Moderns"...

...or his version of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding."

[Iggo]

72. The only one I've ever heard, I guess.

Allison.

[alsame]

73. The Beat.