Tag Archives: King of America

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Song of the Day #1,152: ‘Jack of All Parades’ – Elvis Costello

Best Songwriters – #4 – Elvis Costello

I’m sure it’s no surprise that a man who posted half a year’s worth of Elvis Costello Weekends would have Elvis Costello on his list of favorite songwriters. The surprise is probably that he doesn’t place higher than fourth.

Costello is what I consider the quintessential songwriter. He’s the guy you hear every aspiring pop star list as an influence. He has mastered his art form in a dozen different ways, working in every conceivable genre. From punk to opera, country to classical, you name it and he’s done it.

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Song of the Day #899: ‘Suit of Lights’ – Elvis Costello

A couple of weeks back, I described Imperial Bedroom as my first Elvis Costello album. Sitting here today, I’m wondering whether or not that’s true. It may well have been King of America.

I definitely remember receiving King of America (along with Michael Penn’s March) as a birthday gift from my sister and brother-in-law. And thinking back, that must have been my introduction to Costello.

Either way, it supports the theory that we maintain an allegiance to the work that serves as an entry point to a beloved new artist. It’s probably no coincidence that those two albums remain my favorite Costello releases to this date.

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Song of the Day #898: ‘I’ll Wear It Proudly’ – Elvis Costello

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.

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Song of the Day #257: ‘American Without Tears’ – Elvis Costello

kingofIf Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World were steps back, the album that followed them, King of America is a huge leap forward. And that’s an understatement.

King of America was the first Costello album I ever heard, after receiving it as a gift from my sister and future brother-in-law. The gift of Elvis Costello… tough to beat that. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! I love the thrill of discovering a new artist, especially when there’s a wealth of previous material to dig through. In recent years I’ve had that experience with Stew and Josh Rouse. But Elvis remains the king in that regard.

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