Elvis Costello & The Imposters have released their latest single, “Farewell, OK,” ahead of the group’s forthcoming LP release, due out Friday, January 14.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Like a lot of good rock and roll songs this began with a drummer down in a basement and a singer howling outside the backdoor,” The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Costello, said in a statement about the new song release. “It’s a blurred gaze, a drink too much, an accidental punch and a kiss goodnight all in the tumult of a dancehall”.
Prior to the release, Costello announced the song’s unveiling on social media, writing on Twitter, “New year, new song – ‘Farewell, OK’ is coming tomorrow! Plus don’t miss the YouTube premiere of the new lyric video & special surprise before the event. Tune in at 5:45am PT/1:45pm GMT to watch. Click the bell to set a reminder here: https://elvis-costello.lnk.to/SpecialIntervi“
Check out the new tune below. (And a two-month-old live version of it here.)
The new single is the third to be released from the forthcoming LP, The Boy Named If, set for release January 14. On December 10, the group released the track, “Paint the Red Rose Blue,” which you can listen to below.
That single is an introspective slow-burn, featuring a flowing melody sung tenderly by Costello. In his words, the song is “the account of someone who has long-courted theatrical darkness, only for its violence and cruelty to become all too real. In its wake, a bereft couple learns to love again, painting a melancholy blue over the red of romance.”
The forthcoming record itself—with the full title, The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories)—is set to be an exciting new chapter in Costello’s colorful, decades-long career. “‘IF,’ is a nickname for your imaginary friend,” Costello said in a statement about the album. “Your secret self, the one who knows everything you deny, the one you blame for the shattered crockery and the hearts you break, even your own. You can hear more about this ‘Boy’ in a song of the same name.”
“Paint the Red Rose Blue” is the second single from Boy Named If—the first release was “Magnificent Hurt,” a sizzling rock tune grounded by a smokey backbeat and an irresistibly blistering organ countermelody.
You can pre-order Boy Named If HERE and follow more American Songwriter coverage of Elvis Costello HERE.
