Elvis Costello doesn’t lack for memorable songs in his catalog, but he almost never consciously tried to write hits. There was just one time that he did, and he wound up creating one of the biggest commercial successes of his career.
Videos by American Songwriter
In a 1998 interview, Costello said that “Everyday I Write the Book” was his attempt to “write a simple, almost formula song and make it mean something.” The song’s meaning doesn’t hold much weight for Costello, who said he was “invested less emotionally in it” than others he wrote for his 1983 album Punch the Clock. Still, his song about a man who chronicles his romantic relationship for a book (most likely just in his head) shows that he takes great care with his lyrics, even when they don’t have much meaning for him.
A Man on a Metaphor-Making Mission
Costello wrote “Everyday I Write the Book” in 10 minutes, but in that time was able to develop a cohesive theme and cram in plenty of wordplay. The incessant string of writing metaphors is the “formula” part of “Everyday I Write the Book,” and the relationship-as-book-fodder concept is the framework that gives the formula its meaning.
While Costello eventually delivers his metaphors in rapid-fire succession, he eases us into his formula in the first verse. The first three lines don’t offer the listener much of a hint as to where Costello is about to go.
Don’t tell me you don’t know what love is
When you’re old enough to know better
When you find strange hands in your sweater
It sounds as if Costello is addressing his song to a romantic partner who is pretending to be naive. Perhaps he is. Even if that is the case, it’s a detail that turns out to be peripheral to Costello’s story. With the remainder of the first verse, he gives away the song’s true conceit.
When your dreamboat turns out to be a footnote
I’m a man with a mission in two or three editions
Costello is telling his partner he’s in it for the long haul. And he’s telling us listeners that he is just as dedicated to equating his romantic relationship to writing a book as he is to the relationship itself. The chorus serves as Costello’s way of reminding us of both of these commitments.
And I’m giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
Is Costello a Lover or a Fighter?
Whereas in the first verse, we might get the idea that Costello is writing seriously about a relationship, in the second verse, it becomes clear that he’s engaging in this exercise for the clever rhymes.
Chapter one: we didn’t really get along
Chapter two: I think I fell in love with you
You said you’d stand by me in the middle of chapter three
But you were up to your old tricks in chapters four, five, and six
Costello gets more granular with how he would convey the details of this relationship in book form in the third verse. In doing so, he finds a way to work in rhymes of “laugh” with “paragraphs” and “cutting remarks” with “quotation marks.” Then Costello brings the song full circle in the final verse, this time accusing his lover of feigning ignorance instead of naivete.
Don’t tell me you don’t know the difference
Between a lover and a fighter
With my pen and my electric typewriter
Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal
I’d still own the film rights and be working on the sequel
Given Costello’s dogged determination to milk this relationship for as much media content as possible, he can’t blame us if we’re unclear about whether he’s doing it out of love or out of competitiveness.
Costello’s Changed His Tune
While Costello succeeded in making a pop hit, he ultimately didn’t think much of “Everyday I Write the Book,” calling it “kind of a hack pop song,” He has changed the song’s style and arrangement in live shows, opting for a slower groove and adding a droning organ to the mix. While he was initially going for something that sounded like the Marvin Gaye songs he was listening to when recording Punch the Clock, Costello has removed much of the R&B feel from the song in his live performances.
The Impact of “Everyday I Write the Book”
“Everyday I Write the Book” was Elvis Costello’s first Top 40 hit, climbing to No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is the highest peak he has achieved with The Attractions on that chart as well as on the Mainstream Rock chart (No. 33). Among Costello’s singles, only “Veronica” (credited to just Costello) attained a higher position on either chart. Punch the Clock peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200. None of Costello’s successive albums would chart that high again until When I Was Cruel reached No. 20 in 2002.
Several artists have covered “Everyday I Write the Book.” including Ron Sexsmith, progressive bluegrass banjoist Alison Brown (with Sam Bush), and English indie rock band Blossoms. Costello’s original has been used in the films The Wedding Singer and Brooklyn Rules, as well as in an episode of the TV series Gilmore Girls.
Costello may have considered “Everyday I Write the Book” a throwaway pop tune, but he appears to be just as committed to it as he is to the make-believe relationship he sings about in the song. According to setlist.fm, “Everyday I Write the Book” is his fifth-most played song across his live performances, falling in between “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” and “Shipbuilding.” It may not be his deepest tune, but it’s fun and catchy enough to still be one of his most popular songs in recent decades.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by Gary Merrin/Keystone/Getty Images
