The Costello Cup

A race of thoroughbreds on Twitter, beginning Monday 10th July. Heres the FIRST ROUND DRAW and then a list of the runners and riders.

MONDAY 10 JULY

TUESDAY 11 JULY

WEDNESDAY 12 JULY

THURSDAY 13 JULY

FRIDAY 14 JULY

SATURDAY 15 JULY

SUNDAY 16 JULY

MONDAY 17 JULY

TUESDAY 18 JULY

WEDNESDAY 19 JULY

THURSDAY 20 JULY

FRIDAY 21 JULY

SATURDAY 22 JULY

SUNDAY 23 JULY

MONDAY 24 JULY

TUESDAY 25 JULY

WEDNESDAY 26 JULY

THURSDAY 27 JULY

FRIDAY 28 JULY

SATURDAY 29 JULY

SUNDAY 30 JULY

MONDAY 31 JULY

TUESDAY 1 AUGUST

WEDNESDAY 2 AUGUST

THURSDAY 3 AUGUST

GROUP 25

FRIDAY 4 AUGUST

GROUP 26

Big Tears
Sneaky Feelings
I’m In The Mood Again
Too Far Gone

THE RUNNERS AND RIDERS

(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea

@oliver_shergold
@Savartist
@jimmy_viz
@Snowmanic

Written by Costello while working as a computer programmer, the song was lyrically inspired by films Costello had been watching as well as childhood trips to Chelsea. The song appeared on Costello’s 1978 second album, This Year’s Model. The single was Costello’s second chart hit in the UK, peaking at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart over a chart stay of ten weeks.

(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes

@wayneshields17
@Kiemaca85
@atomryan
@Waking_Robots
@TomAnderson1955

Written by Costello on a train ride to Liverpool in 1976, the song features lyrics, according to Costello, about “romantic disappointment”. The song features Byrds-inspired music with an intro contributed by John McFee of Costello’s then-backing band Clover. 

(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” was released as the third single from My Aim Is True. Despite greater exposure than Costello’s past singles, the song failed to chart in the UK.

(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?

@ChrisWillcocks1
@madmidweeker
@Savartist
@jimmy_viz
@Jonscoasting
@LMcRory

In 1978, Elvis Costello and the Attractions recorded a cover of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” for the B-side of Nick Lowe’s 1978 single “American Squirm”, a version credited to “Nick Lowe and His Sound”.

This version, produced by Lowe, was appended to the US release of Costello’s 1979 album Armed Forces and has since usurped the original in popularity to become one of Costello’s signature songs.

Costello’s version was first released on Lowe’s “American Squirm” single in 1978. Though credited to “Nick Lowe and His Sound”, the single artwork alluded to Costello’s involvement. 

The video for the song, directed by Chuck Statler, was filmed in Vancouver in November 1978, while Costello and his band were in the city to perform at Pacific Coliseum.

The video was filmed illegally after hours in Stanley Park. It opens on a shot of the band on a beach with Burrard Inlet and North Vancouver in the background, and features a number of shots filmed at the park’s totem pole pavillion.

13 Steps Lead Down

@daveymark15
@landhorses

20% Amnesia

@brownmpaul

45

@daveymark15

Accidents Will Happen

@oliver_shergold
@Snowmanic
@DonBreithaupt

Accidents Will Happen first appeared on the 1979 album Armed Forces. Costello wrote the song about his many infidelities during this period of his life, including an encounter Costello had with a taxi driver in Tucson, Arizona. The song originally featured a piano-centered arrangement and was inspired by songs such as “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “Walk Away Renée”.

The song was a moderate hit in the UK when released as the second single from Armed Forces, reaching the Top 30 in the UK. It was accompanied by an animated music video that has since received acclaim and is widely considered to be the first fully animated music video.

Almost Blue

After listening to Chet Baker’s version of the 1931 Ray Henderson/Lew Brown song “The Thrill Is Gone” from the 1954 Pacific Jazz record Chet Baker Sings, Costello became inspired to create similar-sounding music. 

Produced by Geoff Emerick, the track shares the name of the group’s previous 1981 studio album. It was released on 2 July 1982 along with the rest of Imperial Bedroom, and would later be included on side two of The Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions (1985).

@girlshirl1
@theboymarks

All The Rage

@atomryan
@yatesy_oi_oi

All This Useless Beauty

@BruceGeoB
@oliver_shergold

American Gangster Time

@Per_Damkier
@alloutally

American Without Tears

@AMBNorwich

And In Every Home

@petekeeley62
@yatesy_oi_oi

A Good Year For The Roses

“A Good Year for the Roses” describes the thoughts of a man as his wife leaves him, and is as good an example as any of Jones’ ability to deliver an intensely moving vocal, in this case one that conveys both the sadness and profound bitterness that comes with a broken marriage.

The Costello version of the George Jones original reached number six in the UK Singles Chart in 1981.

@oliver_shergold
@Savartist
@bodomchild55
@PeskyRattigan

Alison

Written by and first recorded by Elvis Costello in 1977 for his debut album My Aim Is True on Stiff Record,  Costello claimed the song was written as an ode to a woman he saw working at a supermarket, though he has remained vague on the meaning. Though the single never charted, it has become one of his most famous songs.

@oliver_shergold
@ChrisWillcocks1
@petekeeley62
@madmidweeker
@CaramacJ
@Savartist
@booktowertom
@jimmy_viz
@dmt1x
@steviehind
@Jonscoasting
@jbbricker
@JonesJonesph
@LMcRory
@TomAnderson1955.

Battered Old Bird

@JackRegan65

Beaten To The Punch

@daveymark15

Beyond Belief

@dominic_rigby
@booktowertom
@dmt1x
@Jonscoasting
@theboymarks
@landhorses
@JonesJonesph
@Waking_Robots

With vague, hazy lyrics, “Beyond Belief” features an active drum line from a hungover Pete Thomas as well as a frantic vocal line Costello composed after the backing track was completed.

Though not released as a single, “Beyond Belief” appeared on several Costello compilation albums and remains a fan favourite.

Big Boys

@AMBNorwich

Boxing Day (TKO)

@yatesy_oi_oi

Blue Chair

@yatesy_oi_oi
@GrahamCD272

Big Sister’s Clothes

@theboymarks

Big Tears

@RalphMachmot

Brilliant Mistake

Written about Costello’s experiences in America, the song features introspective lyrics and a performance from the Confederates, who performed on the track after his usual backing band the Attractions could not perform to Costello’s liking.

“Brilliant Mistake” was released as the opening track to the King of America album in May 1985. 

Lyrically, the song continues what Costello describes as continuing the “theme of exile and a simultaneous attraction and repulsion to an ideal” that he cites as defining the King of America album.

@Snowmanic
@dominic_rigby
@Kiemaca85
@landhorses.
@LMcRory

Charm School

@AMBNorwich

Clubland

🎶 Thursday to Saturday
Money’s gone already
Some things come in common these days
Your hands and work aren’t steady

Written in 1980, the song was performed live in festivals before the album’s release. The lyrics, inspired by the band’s most recent tour, describe life in nightclubs, while the music includes inspiration from The Police.

In his memoir, Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, Costello writes that the lyrical inspiration for the song, as well as other songs on Trust such as “Pretty Words” and “White Knuckles”, comes from the Get Happy!! tour. The song’s lyrics detail the nightlife and club scene, containing multiple double entendres and puns

Clubland was released as the first single from Trust in 1980, backed by two unreleased songs from the Armed Forces sessions. It under-performed as a single compared to the band’s previous releases, reaching number 60, but has been praised by critics.

@theboymarks

Complicated Shadows

@bodomchild55

Crimes Of Paris to

@JackRegan65

Couldn’t Call It Unexpected

@landhorses

Different Finger

@Per_Damkier

Deep Dark Truthful Mirror

@atomryan
@StephenRushton2
@bodomchild55

Everyday I Write The Book

The lyrics draw various parallels between romance and the process of writing a book. The narrator identifies himself as “a man with a mission in two or three editions” and tells his lover “your compliments and your cutting remarks are captured here in my quotation marks.

In an interview from November 1998, Costello said “Everyday I Write the Book” was “a song I wrote in ten minutes almost as a challenge to myself. I thought, maybe I could write just a simple, almost formula song and make it mean something. I was quite happy with it and I tried to do it in a kind of lovers-rock type arrangement and I wasn’t happy with it and then ended up putting this other kind of rhythm to the song, which was written originally as a kind of Merseybeat knock off…I invested less emotionally in it than any other songs from that time yet it’s the one that everyone warmed to.

@Kiemaca85
@StephenRushton2
@Savartist
@jimmy_viz
@Per_Damkier
@theboymarks
@AMBNorwich

Farewell, OK

@daveymark15

Favourite Hour

Costello began writing the material for Brutal Youth after writing a set of pop punk songs for Wendy James’ 1993 album Now Ain’t the Time for Your Tears. Under the working title Idiophone (named for an instrument “made of naturally sonorous material”),

Favourite Hour is my favourite track on Brutal Youth and I am beyond belief that I’m the only one who has nominated it for the Costello Cup.

@oliver_shergold.

Girl’s Talk

Costello gave an early version of the song to Edmunds, who reworked the song and released it on his album Repeat When Necessary. Edmunds’ version peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 in Ireland. Costello later released his version of the song as a B-side to his version of “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down.

The most successful cover version of the song was by Dave Edmunds, to whom Costello says he donated the song “in a moment of drunken bravado.”

Edmunds said, “Elvis came to the studio one day, and he said, ‘I’ve got a song for you.’ And he gave me a cassette. Now, it wasn’t very good – it was just him on a guitar, and he was rushing through it at a furious pace. At first I couldn’t see it. I really liked the complete new arrangement and feel that I put to it. I’m not sure Elvis liked it, mind you. He’s quite an intense person and he’s quick to point out things that he doesn’t like.”

Released in June 1979, Edmunds’ version charted at #4 on the UK Singles Chart, spending 11 weeks on the chart. It was his final top ten hit in that country.

@Savartist
@jbbricker

God’s Comic

@bodomchild55

God Give Me Strength

@wayneshields17

Green Shirt

Lyrically inspired by the influence of the National Front and the Quisling Clinic in Wisconsin, “Green Shirt” features a vocal recorded by Costello after a “night of carousing”.

The first recording of “Green Shirt” was an acoustic demo with alternate lyrics that would appear on later editions of This Year’s Model.
The final version of the song would ultimately appear on Costello’s 1979 album Armed Forces. 

“Green Shirt” was not released as a single at the time of its 1979 release, but in 1985 it saw single release to promote The Man: The Best of Elvis Costello. The single reached number 68 in Britain.

@petekeeley62
@madmidweeker
@Leaffan27
@brownmpaul
@daveymark15
@AMBNorwich
@GrahamCD272

Heart Shaped Bruise

@oliver_shergold

High Fidelity

Written about an adulterous couple where one member still hopes for reconciliation, “High Fidelity” reflected the personal struggles that Costello had been suffering at the time as a result of increased fame and controversy.

Musically, the song was influenced by Motown and was initially performed in a slower style inspired by David Bowie’s Station to Station.

“High Fidelity” was released as the second single from Get Happy!! in April 1980. The single reached number 30 in the United Kingdom.

@Savartist
@booktowertom
@girlshirl1
@steviehind
@yatesy_oi_oi
@GrahamCD272

Honey Hush

@booktowertom

Home Is Anywhere
@JackRegan65

How To Be Dumb

@JackRegan65

Harry Worth

@booktowertom

Hoover Factory

@dmt1x
@LMcRory

Human Hands

@wayneshields17

I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down

Originally recorded by soul duo Sam & Dave in 1967, the song was famously covered by new wave musician Elvis Costello with his backing band the Attractions in 1980 for their album Get Happy!!.

Costello’s version was drastically rearranged from the original, turning it from a slow soul ballad into an uptempo Northern soul-style dance track. It was one of three singles taken from the album in the UK. It was supposed to be released on the 2 Tone Records label in the UK.

But even though copies were pressed, contractual difficulties eventually halted its release on that label. The single was eventually released on F-Beat Records, which was the charted release.

@ChrisWillcocks1
@girlshirl1
@jbbricker

I’ll Wear It Proudly

@jbbricker

I’m In The Mood Again

@girlshirl1
@dmt1x

I’m Not Angry

@Jonscoasting

I’ve Been Wrong Before

@oliver_shergold

In The Darkest Place

@oliver_shergold.

I Still Have The Other Girl

@oliver_shergold

I Wanna Be Loved

@girlshirl1

I Want You

Featuring lyrics about an obsessive romance, “I Want You” was released as the second single from Blood and Chocolate. It has since been positively received by critics and covered by multiple artists.

The dark lyrics describe a tormented romantic relationship. The narrator recounts the details of his partner’s infidelities, while repeatedly declaring “I want you” after each line. The music is taken at a slow, dirge-like tempo; towards the conclusion Costello offers a brief guitar solo that repeats two dissonant notes.

Due to its “bitter” lyrics, Costello commented, “That just that song is used as opening dance in weddings … I humbly bow my head, and can only wish those people a safe journey.”

“I Want You” was released as the second single from Blood and Chocolate in 1986, backed with an acoustic version of “I Hope You’re Happy Now”, another song from the album. The single was a moderate success on the UK charts, peaking at number 79 over a chart stay of 2 weeks.

@oliver_shergold
@dominic_rigby
@Kiemaca85
@jimmy_viz
@dmt1x
@Per_Damkier
@landhorses
@JonesJonesph
@GrahamCD272
@LMcRory

I Hope You’re Happy Now

@dominic_rigby
@Snowmanic
@landhorses

Indoor Fireworks

🎶 Indoor fireworks
Can still burn your fingers
Indoor fireworks
We swore we were safe as houses
They’re not so spectacular, they don’t burn up in the sky
But they can dazzle or delight
Or bring a tear
When the smoke gets in your eyes

Written as a eulogy for a broken relationship, the song utilizes a central metaphor of fireworks and took inspiration from Costello’s failed marriage. On the song, Costello is supplemented by the studio professionals of the Confederates, as on most of King of America.

With its introspective lyrics and somber tone, “Indoor Fireworks” was written by Elvis Costello as a “lament to the end of love”.

Both Nick Lowe and author Graeme Thomson surmised the song was written for Costello’s first wife, Mary, whom Costello would divorce around this period; Thomson described the song as “a fittingly tender goodbye.

The version of “Indoor Fireworks” that was released on King of America was recorded the day after the sessions that produced “Poisoned Rose” and “Eisenhower Blues”. Having drank and celebrated the successful sessions the night before, Costello attended the sessions in “pretty poor shape”.

Costello then recorded the song in one take with James Burton on acoustic guitar, Jerry Scheff on string bass, and Mitchell Froom on organ.

@oliver_shergold
@jimmy_viz
@steviehind
@JonesJonesph
@GrahamCD272

Jack Of All Parades

@Kiemaca85
@Per_Damkier
@wayneshields17
@yatesy_oi_oi

Jackson, Monk And Rowe

@madmidweeker
@dmt1x
@LMcRory

Kid About It

@girlshirl1

King Horse

@steviehind

King Of Thieves

@theboymarks

Last Boat Leaving

@yatesy_oi_oi

Less Than Zero

@AllynS30
@alloutally
@steviehind
@wayneshields17

Let Him Dangle

@StephenRushton2
@daveymark15
@bodomchild55
@wayneshields17

Little Atoms

@alloutally

Little Palaces

@booktowertom

Little Triggers

@BruceGeoB

Lipstick Vogue

@Kiemaca85
@madmidweeker
@brownmpaul
@booktowertom
@jbbricker
@landhorses
@Waking_Robots

London’s Brilliant Parade

@Kiemaca85

Man Out Of Time

With lyrics detailing a political scandal, “Man Out of Time” features a lush arrangement that was a conscious departure from the aggressive style of Costello’s previous work.

The song was released as the second single from Imperial Bedroom, reaching number 58 in the United Kingdom. 

At a lyrical level, “Man Out of Time” features lyrics about what the Guardian describes as a “cabinet minister hiding out from a sex scandal”.

Elvis Costello wrote “Man Out of Time” as a synthesis of his personal ambition and contemporary political developments.

@dominic_rigby
@Kiemaca85
@petekeeley62
@daveymark15
@steviehind
@Jonscoasting
@theboymarks
@landhorses
@GrahamCD272
@AMBNorwic

Man Called Uncle

@Kiemaca85
@girlshirl1

Miracle Man

@Waking_Robots

Monkey To Man

@Per_Damkier

My Funny Valentine

@madmidweeker

My Science Fiction Twin

@daveymark15

Mystery Dance

@jbbricker
@daveymark15
@bodomchild55

New Amsterdam

Written about the New World and New York, the recording of the song that appears on Get Happy!! was a demo that Costello had recorded in Pimlico.

Lyrically, Costello described “New Amsterdam” as “a song about a bewildered new arrival in the New World”. Costello also characterized it as “A bewildered lad, alone in New York, except for his rhyming dictionary.

New Amsterdam” was the third release from Get Happy!!, following “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down” and “High Fidelity“, though, unlike these previous singles, “New Amsterdam” was released as part of an EP.

The song was chosen to show Costello’s stylistic diversity. The other songs included on the EP were “Dr. Luther’s Assistant” (a leftover from This Year’s Model), “Ghost Train” (which originated from a lyric Costello wrote in 1972), and “Just a Memory” (which was written for Dusty Springfield). The EP reached number 36 on the UK singles charts. 

@dominic_rigby
@petekeeley62
@DonBreithaupt
@steviehind
@JonesJonesph
@Waking_Robots

New Lace Sleeves

@GrahamCD272
@theboymarks
@wayneshields17
@PeskyRattigan
@Waking_Robots

Next Time Round

@JackRegan65

Night Rally

@alloutally
@steviehind

No Action

@atomryan

Oliver’s Army

Released as the first single from Armed Forces, “Oliver’s Army” was Costello’s most successful single in the United Kingdom, spending three weeks at number two on the UK Singles Chart and remaining on the chart for 12 weeks. 

Costello wrote “Oliver’s Army” as a comment on the Troubles in Northern Ireland during the 1970s. He was inspired to write the song after seeing British soldiers patrolling the streets of Belfast.

He stated, “I made my first trip to Belfast in 1978 and saw mere boys walking around in battle dress with automatic weapons. They were no longer just on the evening news. These snapshot experiences exploded into visions of mercenaries and imperial armies around the world. The song was based on the premise ‘they always get a working class boy to do the killing'”.

Costello’s family had roots in the Northern Ireland.

The song lyrics contain the phrase “white nigger”, a racial slur which usually remains uncensored on radio stations. The usage of the phrase came under scrutiny, particularly after Costello used racial slurs during a drunken argument with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett in 1979.

In March 2013, the radio station BBC Radio 6 Music played the song with the phrase removed, despite BBC radio stations having played the song uncensored for over 30 years.

Costello later said “I don’t think [the song’s] success was because of the lyrics. I always liked the idea of a bright pop tune that you could be singing along to for ages before you realize what it is you’re actually singing. Of course, the downside of that is some people only hear the tune and never listen to the words. After a while, I got frustrated at that”.

@oliver_shergold
@Savartist
@Snowmanic
@AllynS30
@Per_Damkier
@Jonscoasting
@DonBreithaupt
@jbbricker
@JackRegan65

Opportunity

@girlshirl1
@steviehind

Our Little Angel

@jbbricker

Party Girl

@BruceGeoB

People’s Limousine

@jimmy_viz

Pidgen English

@Per_Damkier
@Waking_Robots

Pills And Soap

🎶 The sugar-coated pill is getting bitterer still
You think your country needs you but you know it never will
So pack up your troubles in a stolen handbag
Don’t dilly-dally boys, rally round the flag
Give us your daily bread in individual slices
And something in the daily rag to cancel any crisis

What would you say, what would you do?
Children and animals two-by-two
Give me the needle, give me the rope
We’re going to melt them down for pills and soap

Punch The Click received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics on release and in later decades. Many highlighted individual tracks, particularly “Shipbuilding” and “Pills and Soap”, but felt it was below the standards set by his previous works. I’m still amazed Pills And Soap wasn’t released as a 45.

@dominic_rigby
@petekeeley62
@brownmpaul
@jimmy_viz
@steviehind

Possession

@alloutally

Pretty Words

@theboymarks

Pump It Up

Pump It Up originally appeared on Costello’s second album This Year’s Model, which was the first he recorded with the backing group the Attractions. Written as a sarcastic response to his time during the Stiffs Live Tour and inspired by “Subterranean Homesick Blues” by Bob Dylan, “Pump It Up” features a stomping rhythm and sarcastic lyrics.

Released as a single, the track reached number 24 in the UK. It has since become one of Costello’s most well-known songs, appearing on several compilation albums and being listed by critics as one of Costello’s greatest songs. The song was also accompanied by an iconic video featuring Costello dancing on the sides of his feet.

@ChrisWillcocks1
@petekeeley62
@RalphMachmot
@Jonscoasting
@yatesy_oi_oi
@GrahamCD272

Radio Radio

@ChrisWillcocks1
@brownmpaul
@booktowertom
@Per_Damkier
@jbbricker
@JonesJonesph

Radio Sweetheart

@BruceGeoB

Riot Act

@girlshirl1
@Jonscoasting
@landhorses

Secondary Modern

@steviehind

Shabby Doll

@dominic_rigby
@jbbricker
@daveymark15

Shipbuilding

@oliver_shergold
@ChrisWillcocks1
@dominic_rigby
@Kiemaca85
@petekeeley62
@madmidweeker
@CaramacJ
@brownmpaul
@Savartist
@booktowertom
@steviehind
@Jonscoasting
@LMcRory
@TomAnderson1955

Shoes Without Heels

@BruceGeoB

So Like Candy

@bodomchild55
@LMcRory

Strict Time

@alloutally

Suit Of Lights

@Kiemaca85
@AMBNorwich
@JackRegan65

Sunday’s Best

@brownmpaul

Swine
@yatesy_oi_oi

Talking In The Dark

@dmt1x

The Greatest Thing

@Kiemaca85

The Imposter

@AMBNorwich

The Long Honeymoon

@RalphMachmot

Toledo

@theboymarks

The Other Side Of Summer

@alloutally
@JackRegan65

The Sharpest Thorn

@atomryan

This Year’s Girl

@daveymark15
@landhorses

Tokyo Storm Warning

@dominic_rigby
@brownmpaul
@Snowmanic
@steviehind
@Jonscoasting
@PeskyRattigan
@yatesy_oi_oi

Too Far Gone

@alloutally

Town Cryer

@steviehind
@BruceGeoB

Tiny Steps

@BruceGeoB
@dmt1x

Two Little Hitlers

@wayneshields17

Tramp The Dirt Down

@petekeeley62
@madmidweeker
@brownmpaul
@booktowertom
@Per_Damkier
@alloutally
@steviehind
@bodomchild55
@wayneshields17
@JonesJonesph
@LMcRory
@BruceGeoB
@TomAnderson1955

Turning The Town Red

@girlshirl1

Suit Of Lights

Uncomplicated

@alloutally
@RalphMachmot

Veronica

@StephenRushton2
@dmt1x
@steviehind
@jbbricker

Welcome To The Working Week

@Kiemaca85

What’s Her Name Today?

@dmt1x

When I Was Cruel

@AllynS30

Watch Your Step

@GrahamCD272

Watching The Detectives

@oliver_shergold
@ChrisWillcocks1
@petekeeley62
@madmidweeker
@Savartist
@jimmy_viz
@DonBreithaupt
@JonesJonesph
@GrahamCD272
@JackRegan65
@AMBNorwich

You Belong To Me

@JonesJonesph

You Bowed Down

@BruceGeoB

You Tripped At Every Step

@BruceGeoB