Tag Archives: Spike

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Song of the Day #5,618: ‘Spike’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1985…

#3 – Southern Accents – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

I’ve written a lot about Southern Accents, the sixth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

I’ve covered how it was meant to be a concept album about life in the South before changes in the track list muddied up that idea. I’ve mentioned that the band had frequent arguments over the sound and direction of the album, leading Petty to punch a wall in frustration, breaking his hand.

I’ve noted that the album received mix reviews from critics and divided fans.

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Song of the Day #3,389: ‘Pads, Paws and Claws’ – Elvis Costello

The songwriting matchup of Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello yielded many memorable tunes and a couple of minor hits, including Macca’s ‘My Brave Face’ and Elvis’ ‘Veronica.’

You’ll find lots to love in the deeper cuts as well, such as today’s Random SOTD, from the back half of Costello’s 1989 album Spike.

‘Pads, Paws and Claws’ takes its title from a “junk shop book” and depicts one of the unhealthier relationships in the Costello canon, which is saying something.

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Song of the Day #1,905: ‘The Ugly Things’ – Elvis Costello

spikeFor the second weekend in a row, the Random iTunes Fairy has selected an Elvis Costello tune. This one is a bonus disc cut from the 2001 reissue of Spike.

Written by Nick Lowe, ‘The Ugly Things’ was originally recorded by Lowe and his band Brinsley Schwarz (named after the group’s guitarist, one Brinsley Schwarz). Why anybody would name a band, or a child, that escapes me.

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Song of the Day #1,575: ‘Tramp the Dirt Down (Demo)’ – Elvis Costello

Today’s Random Weekend selection is similar to the Lucinda Williams track posted last Sunday — a raw, acoustic demo of an album cut.

In this case the performer is Elvis Costello and the song is ‘Tramp the Dirt Down’ from 1989’s Spike.

This is a song — in both its finished form and as a demo — with which I have lost patience over the years.

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Song of the Day #913: ‘Chewing Gum’ – Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello’s Spike features quite a few political songs — including the capital punishment commentary of ‘Let Him Dangle’ and the anti-Thatcher ‘Tramp the Dirt Down’ — and the personal songs are pretty dark.

Even ‘Veronica,’ the jaunty minor hit co-written with Paul McCartney, is about an elderly woman who has seen her identity stripped away while living out her final days in a nursing home.

So while Costello is dressed as a clown on the album’s cover, he’s most decidedly a sad clown.

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