King of America – Elvis Costello (1986)
ELvis Costello’s King of America was the second album I received from my sister and her future husband for my high school graduation (the first, you may recall, was Michael Penn’s March).
Talk about a gift that kept on giving.
I’m featuring the album’s opening track, ‘Brilliant Mistake,’ not just because it’s a wonderful song but because it represents my first Elvis Costello exposure. I imagine it took about 60 seconds of this song to make me a fan for life.
I recently read an article about how our memories play tricks on us, and etch a history in our brains that turns out to be factually impossible. You might remember watching a movie with your girlfriend on your second or third date only to discover that it was released two years after you met. Facts get jumbled, we recall things that didn’t happen in quite the way we think they did.
And so I must confess that I have realized King of America was not my first exposure to Elvis. I owned Costello’s Spike during my senior year of high school. I bought it at a local record store because I’d read good things about the artist and the album and I was intrigued by the cover art.
But I choose to go with the better memory. King of America, given as a gift — a shiny metal disc that led to 23 years (and counting) of fandom bordering on obsession.
Costello’s London by way of the American South approach to this album is just divine. Produced with T-Bone Burnett, the record captures the same soulful Americana vibe that he has brought to so many albums since. But that sound is tempered by the hard-edged wit and wisdom of Costello at the top of his game.
I think one reason King of America ranks near the very top of Costello’s albums is that it’s one of his most straight-forward records, lyrically. While he doesn’t hold back on the verbal gymnastics (“like a chainsaw ripping through a dictionary,” as he sings on one track), the meaning is less opaque.
Just look at the chorus of today’s SOTD… “I wish that I could push a button and talk in the past and not the present tense… it was a fine idea at the time, now it’s a brilliant mistake.” Great wordplay, but also a resonant statement about regret. The whole album works on that level.
King of America isn’t the highest-ranked Elvis Costello album on this list, but it could have been. Decisions like this expose the silly side of list-making. If I reshuffle the deck, this one could easily show up in the top five.
And despite my little dalliance with Spike, this album remains my first Elvis Costello love, and that counts for a whole lot.
Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine
Now I try hard not to become hysterical
But I’m not sure if I am laughing or crying
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this hurtin’ feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
It was a fine idea at the time
Now it’s a brilliant mistake
She said that she was working for the ABC News
It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use
Her perfume was unspeakable
It lingered in the air
Like her artificial laughter
Her mementos of affairs
“Oh” I said “I see you know him”
“Isn’t that very fortunate for you”
And she showed me his calling card
He came third or fourth and there were more than one or two
He was a fine idea at the time
Now he’s a brilliant mistake
He thought he was the King of America
But it was just a boulevard of broken dreams
A trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals
The words of love in whispers
And the axe of love in screams
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this lovin’ feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
I was a fine idea at the time
Now I’m a brilliant mistake
Meet Me In Montauk 
I LOVE this album. Great writeup. Have you heard the extended version containing the home demos of a few unreleased songs? “Suffering Face” is my absolute favorite. I wrote a drunken, mushy post about it: http://jorgefarah.com/2011/12/18/bedhead-melodies-2-elvis-costello-suffering-face/
Nice post, Jorge. I, too, love that bonus disc. ‘King of Confidence’ is a favorite of mine and ‘The People’s Limousine’ is a whole lot of fun.
Ah, how I do love this album!
While my memory may too be playing tricks on me, my recollection is that, while in Cambridge, my new friend at the time, Ned, gave me two tapes to introduce me to Costello. One contained a greatest hits compilation and a bunch of B sides featured on Taking Liberties. The other contained King of America on one side and Imperial Bedroom on the other. Talk about a great introduction to Elvis! I was instantly hooked, and today’s song was one that made me take notice more than most (though it had a run for it’s money with “New Lace Sleeves,” “Shipbuilding” and a few other tracks.
I agree with you that it is a toss up for me as to which album I ultimately love more between KOA and Imperial Bedroom. Frankly, as Amy did when she listed her top 20 of the 80’s recently, I would be inclined to cheat and just list them both together. After all, they were on the same tape when I first heard the albums:)
Excellent choice!
I too am a huge Costello fan, and it was largely due to the exposure of “Spike” and “King of America”. I knew his other material from radio/video exposure, but never purchased the CD’s. I heard “Veronica” and just had to buy the CD. My brother than told me about “King of America … so out I went to buy that. I wasn’t disappointed. This CD consistently makes my Top 25 Favorite CD’s. The liner notes in the deluxe edition are exquisite. Since then I’ve purchased every Costello CD released, including the hard to find “Kojak Variety” (I found it in a used CD store … for $5 … an absolute steal). Not every CD is a hit, but most are. Definitely one of the greatest songwriters of our generation.
I love this album and certainly think of it as my introduction to Elvis, though I was simultaneously introduced to Elvis in the form of KOA, Imperial Bedroom, and, soon thereafter, Spike. The lyrics are probably what I love most about this album. Time and again I pause to admire a particular turn of phrase that is so simple, obvious, and fascinating at the same time – the chorus of this song providing one perfect example.