"WATCHING THE DETECTIVES" ELVIS COSTELLO (1977)

For the month of November, I’ll be selecting songs in conjunction with the music Twitter challenge: #WelcomeToTheOccupation.

When Costello’s debut album My Aim Is True was released, there was nothing else like it. His biggest strength has always been his songwriting, the way he strung clever lyrics through captivating melodies. But his musical ingenuity is also a huge strength. While you can hear several types of genres in his music – new wave, blues, pub rock, power pop – it’s his own amalgamation of those sounds that is so unique. The US release of My Aim Is True includes the snapping single, “Watching The Detectives”.

It kicks off with that trash can-sounding drum roll and chunky bass line. A cynical disposition and a reggae touch make “Watching The Detectives” an enthralling listen for me every time. Costello means every word he sings, highlighting his obsession for a girlfriend whose obsession is with a fictitious character on tv. I can picture her lying on the bed, doing her nails, watching the detectives with the lights off. And the boyfriend, sadly watching her watching them.

“They beat him up until the teardrops start. But he can't be wounded when he's got no heart.”

"ALISON" ELVIS COSTELLO (1977)

The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 1977

The rise of an artist’s most celebrated music can be a fascinating thing. Chart success is just part of the story. More airplay = more exposure. But some artists’ most well-known songs are ones that never charted, while lesser celebrated songs had their commercial success. One example of the latter is The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love”. As a Cure fan, I can attest to the fact that the hit is one of the band’s worst songs. There are at least 40-50 other songs that are better than it, including “Plainsong” a non-single anthem. Elvis Costello has a similar thing going on. While the more successful “Veronica” and “Everyday I Write The Book” aren’t bad songs, his finest song is arguably “Alison”, the non-charting single from his debut album My Aim Is True.

“Did he leave your pretty fingers lying in the wedding cake?” The lyrics were absolutely genius. We don’t know the full story, but we are absolutely intrigued about this Alison from the very first verse. Costello has said it’s a song about a woman in a supermarket. Could it be that Alison is a figurative example of that stranger in the supermarket? Not just a stranger, but a person with all these complex things going on in her life. Searching for love in all the wrong places. Involved with the wrong person. Admired by someone who’s head over heels for her. The instrumentation is simple. The story is complicated. The melody is beautiful. My favorite Elvis Costello song didn’t climb charts, but it has climbed inside the hearts of many fans and found a safe place there.

“I'M NOT GONNA GET TOO SENTIMENTAL LIKE THOSE OTHER STICKY VALENTINES. 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ARE LOVING SOMEBODY. I ONLY KNOW IT ISN'T MINE.”

"ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN" ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS (1979)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #31DaySongLyricChallenge

Day 28

There are few lyricists who are as witty and talented at writing about unrequited love and failed relationships as Elvis Costello. Armed Forces was his third album, as part of a string of nine studio albums recorded in just eight years. “Accidents Will Happen” is a naive little song about infidelity written with a wry sense of humor. Every verse has an unforgettable turn of phrase, proving that Costello was often at his best when he was mired in self deprecation.

“There's so many fish in the sea that only rise up in the sweat and smoke like mercury. But they keep you hanging on. They say you're so young. Your mind is made up, but your mouth is undone.”

"ALISON" ELVIS COSTELLO (1977)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

The rise of an artist’s most celebrated music can be a fascinating thing. Chart success is just part of the story. More airplay = more exposure. But some artists’ most well-known songs are ones that never charted, while lesser celebrated songs had their commercial success. One example of the latter is The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love”. As a Cure fan, I can attest to the fact that the hit is one of the band’s worst songs. There are at least 40-50 other songs that are better than it, including “Plainsong” a non-single anthem. Elvis Costello has a similar thing going on. While the more successful “Veronica” and “Everyday I Write The Book” aren’t bad songs, his finest song is arguably “Alison”, the non-charting single from his debut album My Aim Is True.

“Did he leave your pretty fingers lying in the wedding cake?” The lyrics were absolutely genius. We don’t know the full story, but we are absolutely intrigued about this Alison from the very first verse. Costello has said it’s a song about a woman in a supermarket. Could it be that Alison is a figurative example of that stranger in the supermarket? Not just a stranger, but a person with all these complex things going on in her life. Searching for love in all the wrong places. Involved with the wrong person. Admired by someone who’s head over heels for her. The instrumentation is simple. The story is complicated. The melody is beautiful. My favorite Elvis Costello song didn’t climb charts, but it has climbed inside the hearts of many fans and found a safe place there.

“I'm not gonna get too sentimental like those other sticky valentines. 'Cause I don't know if you are loving somebody. I only know it isn't mine.”

"EVERYDAY I WRITE THE BOOK" ELVIS COSTELLO (1983)

For the month of October, I’m selecting a song each day from the decade that has the most meaning to me: the 80s. It was the decade that I grew up in. The period of time where I discovered my love for music — and explored many different genres. For the next 31 days, I’ll highlight a handful of songs that I truly loved and that were representative of the decade. #31DaysOf80sSongs

Elvis Costello is one of those artists that I can honestly say I never sought out proactively. I never counted down the days until his next album release nor have I been to a single show of his. But every once in a while when I hear his songs, the music grabs me with his distinct baritone voice and unique melodies. Songs like “Pump it Up”, “Alison” and “Watching the Detectives” were important steps in my journey as an avid music listener. And one of Costello’s most impressive and most memorable songs is “Everyday I Write the Book”.

It’s a song that he wrote in about ten minutes, which seems like a miracle when you think about the melody he created to go along with a highly creative song that draws a convincing parallel between romance and novels. The lyircs are, hands down, my favorite part of the song. But the next most distinct element, in my mind, are the backing vocals by Afrodisiac, featuring Caron Wheeler. The harmonies and background parts are golden, and give us a glimpse into Wheeler’s long, storied career as a stellar vocalist, from her work on Erasure’s “Chains of Love” to her work with Soul II Soul.

“All your compliments and your cutting remarks are captured here in my quotation marks.”

"(WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT) PEACE, LOVE & UNDERSTANDING" ELVIS COSTELLO (1979)

I first remember “What’s So Funny ‘Bout)” from its airplay on MTV and WDRE. One of his best, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout)” was a tune written by his producer Nick Lowe, but a song he transformed and elevated. It was distinctly Costello from the very first note. Guttural. Abrasive at times. And raw. Qualities that shaped one of the most distinct voices of our time. It’s hard to imagine the new wave movement without this singer-songwriter.

“As I walk through this wicked world searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity, I ask myself, is all hope lost? Is there only pain and hatred and misery?”