Elvis Costello Fan Forum's Top 50 Elvis Costello songs!
Elvis Costello Fan Forum's Top 50 Elvis Costello songs!
Finally, here are Elvis Costello's Top 50 songs of all-time as voted for by members of this very forum.
Special thanks to so lacklustre for his formula!
1. Beyond Belief
2. Man Out Of Time
3. I Want You
4. Alison
5. Radio, Radio
6. Brilliant Mistake
7. Almost Blue
8. Oliver's Army
9. Lipstick Vogue
10. Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4
11. Accidents Will Happen
12. I Hope You're Happy Now
13. Riot Act
14. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
15. Human Hands
16. Watching The Detectives
17. King Horse
18. Shipbuilding
19. God Give Me Strength
20. The Other End Of The Telescope
21. Battered Old Bird
22. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
23. High Fidelity
24. My Dark Life
25. Hoover Factory
26. Little Triggers
27. Watch Your Step
28. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
29. Indoor Fireworks
30. New Amsterdam
31. New Lace Sleeves
32. Sleep Of The Just
33. The Beat
34. No Action
35. You Little Fool
36. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
37. Everyday I Write The Book
38. So Like Candy
39. You Tripped At Every Step
40. All Thise Useless Beuty
41. Episode Of Blonde
42. The Favourite Hour
43. I'll Wear It Proudly
44. Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head
45. How To Be Dumb
46. Big Tears
47. Blue Chair
48. Possession
49. Baby Plays Around
50. Shot With His Own Gun
More details to follow
Special thanks to so lacklustre for his formula!
1. Beyond Belief
2. Man Out Of Time
3. I Want You
4. Alison
5. Radio, Radio
6. Brilliant Mistake
7. Almost Blue
8. Oliver's Army
9. Lipstick Vogue
10. Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4
11. Accidents Will Happen
12. I Hope You're Happy Now
13. Riot Act
14. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
15. Human Hands
16. Watching The Detectives
17. King Horse
18. Shipbuilding
19. God Give Me Strength
20. The Other End Of The Telescope
21. Battered Old Bird
22. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
23. High Fidelity
24. My Dark Life
25. Hoover Factory
26. Little Triggers
27. Watch Your Step
28. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
29. Indoor Fireworks
30. New Amsterdam
31. New Lace Sleeves
32. Sleep Of The Just
33. The Beat
34. No Action
35. You Little Fool
36. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
37. Everyday I Write The Book
38. So Like Candy
39. You Tripped At Every Step
40. All Thise Useless Beuty
41. Episode Of Blonde
42. The Favourite Hour
43. I'll Wear It Proudly
44. Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head
45. How To Be Dumb
46. Big Tears
47. Blue Chair
48. Possession
49. Baby Plays Around
50. Shot With His Own Gun
More details to follow
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- miss buenos aires
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- Jackson Doofster
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That's very cool! Lots to digest there. Great to see CCIU#4 squeaked into the top ten. I think RIOT ACT's high placement is the biggest surprise right off the bat...
Six of mine made it; nine did not. I suspect that makes me a bit of an oddball...
Six of mine made it; nine did not. I suspect that makes me a bit of an oddball...
Last edited by selfmademug on Fri Mar 12, 2004 5:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Elvis Costello Fan Forum's Top 50 Elvis Costello songs!
21. Battered Old Bird
This seems surprising to me, but pleasantly so . . .
Re: Elvis Costello Fan Forum's Top 50 Elvis Costello songs!
A cult fave! Same with LITTLE TRIGGERS, which was in my 15.pip_52 wrote:21. Battered Old Bird
This seems surprising to me, but pleasantly so . . .
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Wow, a few score draws, a few upsets. From a quick study it'd seem our top 50 draws very heavily on pre Spike material. While the 50 comprises mainly songs you'd hope or expect to see up there, Brutal Youth and beyond only gets around 4 placings. Surely plently of riches from later years easily rate over Big Tears (47), My Dark Life (24) or, dare I say it (and not sure I do as so many voted for it) Man Out of Time? Strange that really core stuff like Red Shoes (22) and Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (36) aren't nearer the top. The Other End of The Telescope (20) is higher than it merits in the exhalted company of Shipbuilding and God Give Me Strength - and higher than Red Shoes even. Guess it's popular. Interesting to get a snapshot of what is, for example Hoover Factory at 25, which is a nice thought, being as it is a beguiling and wholly self recorded b-side doodle. Other tragic upsets: You Tripped at Every Step at 39, no Juliet Letters, very little King of America (no Suit of Lights?), no 'For The Stars' (only kidding about that last one...)
Beyond Belief at number 1 is an unimpeachable choice. If you had to choose, it probably is Elvis's best song and recording, Though that's not to say that a lot of his body of work isnt singularly compelling, moving, stunningly beautiful, scary, challenging, hysterical (in the I Want you sense as well as the God's Comic sense) and groovy.
Beyond Belief at number 1 is an unimpeachable choice. If you had to choose, it probably is Elvis's best song and recording, Though that's not to say that a lot of his body of work isnt singularly compelling, moving, stunningly beautiful, scary, challenging, hysterical (in the I Want you sense as well as the God's Comic sense) and groovy.
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- Otis Westinghouse
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Funny, cos this is the real surprise for me. It might just make my top 50, but number 1? It's good to listen to, but it doesn't do a lot for me in terms of adoration of the song. Great vocal line and very well recorded. I've always thought it was very original but rather limited, and not a particularly impressive example of his abilities as a songwriter. The documentation provided by the Land of... IB reissue shows its genesis from mess to impressive finished item, but it still sounds to much like something that started out as a mess, rather than a brilliant song. Isn't this reflected, too, by how little he plays it live?Paul B wrote:Beyond Belief at number 1 is an unimpeachable choice. If you had to choose, it probably is Elvis's best song and recording, Though that's not to say that a lot of his body of work isnt singularly compelling, moving, stunningly beautiful, scary, challenging, hysterical (in the I Want you sense as well as the God's Comic sense) and groovy.
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- Jackson Doofster
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I'm with Otis with regards to 'Beyond Belief'. A good song, but I wouldn't have put it in my top fifty either.
But hey, what do we know ?
Only a handful of mine made the top 50...and you know what....
I quite like it that way
But hey, what do we know ?
Only a handful of mine made the top 50...and you know what....
I quite like it that way
"But they can't hold a candle to the reciprical war crimes which have plagued our policy of foriegn affairs."
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I voted fer it!Jackson Doofster wrote: Jack of All Parades (amazing that isn't there!!)
I have a theory about BEYOND BELIEF (which he does play relatively regularly, Otis, though I'm going by memory and you are Dr. Setlist, so you probably have more empirical evidence!). It is a hard song to learn, meandering in tune and packed with obscure rhymes, and both these make it very fun to sing or follow once you know it. I think that endears songs to people a lot-- it does for me. It's why CAN YOU BE TRUE is in my top 15. But that appeal doesn't always last-- off IB I voted for the one-two punch of HUMAN HANDS and KID ABOUT IT.
Doof how many of yours are in the top 50? I mentioned 6 of mine were. I'm curious...
Blue this was such a cool thing to do. You rock. Obviously.
Last edited by selfmademug on Sat Mar 13, 2004 10:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Of the tracks mentioned but not in the top 50 here is how they did:
Jack of all Parades - 52nd
Black Sails - 59th
London's Brilliant P - 62nd
God's Comic - 93rd
My Little Blue W - 121st
Tiny Steps - 151st
Hand In Hand - 161st
Pads... & The Only Flame didn't get a vote between them.
Jack of all Parades - 52nd
Black Sails - 59th
London's Brilliant P - 62nd
God's Comic - 93rd
My Little Blue W - 121st
Tiny Steps - 151st
Hand In Hand - 161st
Pads... & The Only Flame didn't get a vote between them.
signed with love and vicious kisses