5 of Elvis Costello’s Most Biting Songs

Elvis Costello has long since shed the label of angry young man attached to him by critics early in his career. Truth be told, he always displayed plenty of songwriting colors for those who were willing to listen closely.

Videos by American Songwriter

But it’s also in no way inaccurate to say that Costello could get as acerbic and as biting as any songwriter. And he also proved marvelously effective in that mode, as these five songs show.

“Less Than Zero” from ‘My Aim Is True’ (1977)

An appearance by former British fascist leader Oswald Mosley on television triggered Elvis Costello to write this diatribe. Found on his debut album, My Aim Is True, “Less Than Zero” proved early in his career how scorching Costello could get when his ire was up. He imagines Mosley indulging in all kinds of depraved behavior in the verses, suggesting that such a figure shouldn’t be legitimized. In the chorus, he addresses his stance on such nonsense, and it felt like a summation of what his entire generation was feeling. “They think that I got no respect,” he sings. “But everything means less than zero.”

“Radio Radio” from ‘This Year’s Model’ (1978)

The first two songs on our list are connected by Costello’s infamous Saturday Night Live debut in 1977. He was supposed to play “Less Than Zero”. But he didn’t see the point in playing a song that was focused on a British event for an American audience. He instead segued into “Radio Radio”, which featured a rant against media homogenization that was relevant to all audiences. This is Costello at his most furiously eloquent. He works the word “anaesthetized” into the lyrics, and you realize it’s the only one that could have worked. All this anger comes in front of a fast-paced, colorful performance by The Attractions.

“Tramp The Dirt Down” from ‘Spike’ (1989)

The other four songs on this list take place at a speedy tempo. “Tramp The Dirt Down” slows things down to an acoustic grind, all the better for Elvis Costello to savor the swipes he’s taking. He aims those swipes at then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The title comes from what the narrator would like to do at Thatcher’s funeral. Meanwhile, he tears into what he believed was Thatcher’s hypocrisy in putting on a kind public appearance compared to her actions behind the scenes. “When England was the whore of the world, Margaret was her madam,” Costello sings. Tell us what you really think, Elvis!

“How To Be Dumb” from ‘Mighty Like A Rose’ (1991)

Bruce Thomas, the longtime bassist with The Attractions, tended to butt heads with Elvis Costello over the years. When Thomas wrote a “fictional” book with an unflattering lead character who resembled a certain bandleader, Costello decided to rebut. You can pretty much tell from the title that “How To Be Dumb” isn’t going to be a very nice assessment of Thomas as a human being. Interestingly enough, Costello and Thomas did manage to bury the hatchet long enough to play on a few more albums together. It’s still telling, however, that Costello’s current band, The Imposters, contains all The Attractions except his former bassist.

“No Hiding Place” from ‘Momofuku’ (2008)

Momofuku didn’t get a ton of attention when Elvis Costello released it in 2008. Dive into it, and you’ll find that it’s one of his best post-millennium releases. It’s mostly a rock-based record, rather than one of the frequent forays into other genres that Costello has made in the latter part of his career. Many of the songs find him summoning some of the old fire in his lyrics, with “No Hiding Place” as Exhibit A. His target: Those who sit behind keyboards and criticize anonymously. Costello dares anyone who has something to say to try and say it to his face if they dare.

Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images