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?”