After putting out nine albums over the previous eight years, Elvis Costello took a brief hiatus, waiting two years to release his next album, 1986’s King of America.
Of course he made up for lost time by releasing another new album later the same year, but that will have to wait for next week.
King of America was Costello’s first album since his debut not recorded with The Attractions (though they do show up on one track). Instead he was joined by a group of backing musicians he called The Confederates, traditional country and jazz players assembled by producer T. Bone Burnett.
The album was a return to the country stylings Costello explored on Almost Blue, only this time the songs were his own. Costello has dabbled in every conceivable genre but for my money he’s at his best when applying his sensibility to country music, and King of America is the third (chronologically) of the three records I consider his masterpieces.
I consider it second in terms of quality, with one or two forgettable tracks keeping it just shy of Imperial Bedroom, but the highs on this album represent Costello’s very finest work.
Among those is ‘I’ll Wear It Proudly,’ one of the first Costello songs that really struck me, both musically and lyrically. In one of his liner note essays about King of America, Costello describes this as a song “about the danger and uncertainty of desire.”
This is one of those songs that starts out incredibly easy to interpret… the opening verses and chorus paint a vivid picture of a man head over heels in love (quite literally in the evocative chorus). From there, naturally, things take a more Costell-ian twist, painting a more complicated and perverse picture of this relationship.
I hate these striplights they’re not so undoing as your stare
I hate the buttons on your shirt when all I wanna do is tear
I hate this bloody big bed of mine when you’re not here
[chorus]
Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down
And nail my feet up where my head should be
If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown
And you can all die laughing because I’ll wear it proudly
Well you seem to be shivering dear and the room is awfully warm
In the white and scarlet billows that subside beyond the storm
You have this expression dear no words could take its place
And I wear it like a badge that you put all over my face
[chorus]
I’ll wear it proudly through the dives and the dancehalls
If you’ll wear it proudly through the snakepits and catcalls
Like a fifteen year old kid wears a vampire kiss
If you don’t know what is wrong with me
Then you don’t know what you’ve missed
We are arms and legs wrapped round more than my memory tonight
When the bell rang out and the air outside turned blue from fright
But in shameless moments you made more of me than just a mess
And a handful of eagerness says What do you suggest?
[chorus]
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’m curious what you consider the one or two forgettable tracks. I consider this album nearly perfect and a masterpiece from start to finish.
And I’m not sure I agree that Elvis is at his best when he applies his talents to country, though I will say that I like country done by Elvis better than nearly anyone else.
Anyway, this is a wonderful song from a truly wonderful album.
‘Eisenhower Blues’ and ‘The Big Light’ have always felt a little superfluous to me. They’re enjoyable for what they are but they seem outclassed by the rest of the album.
I like “Eisenhower Blues” well enough for a cover—-always kinda dug the fade out and back in. And I like “The Big Light” as well, though I wouldn’t say it is ranks among my favorites on the album.
While the imager is certainly quite evocative, I don’t know that the songs becomes so much more complicated. Maybe I’m missing something, which is always possible where Costello is concerned.
That said, this is easily one of my five favorite Costello songs, as the chorus alone earns it one of those spots.