I saw him live in London, he came down from the stage and passed playing the guitar just next to me, I didnt know what to do when he came just a feet or two next to me so I just touched him and said someting stupid I guess?

Wow!!

He married above his weight

cool

That’s awesome!! 🤣 I met morrissey at an organic grocery store in LA once!! Yes, he does his own shopping 🛒

🤣🤣

It's white-n bomb, what the British army called the local Irish nationalists during the troubles.

@@waynemurphy6708 I BET REFERENCES TO OLIVER CROMWELL, WENT DOWN WELL IN IRELAND.

It's meant to be subversive the song is a critique of the British Empire and racism or the idea that the British were better than everyone else. He used the word because it was a slur British people used during the Troubles. No blacks, no dogs, no irish was a common sign back in those days. You have to understand the context in how he used it. That being said he himself has urged people to stop listening to it and said he regrets it. So this is a weird disconnect between an artists and their fans.

"Every day I writte the book" is the best! 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

It's like no other, and the piano is knock-out

listen to this version

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rbB_nJNe0snDZqc.html

Along with I Write the Book

My favourite EC song, still listen to it regularly.

I'm just a teensy bit older, 16 turning 17 in a couple weeks. Recently got into Costello and no one under the age of 50 seems to care! I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure he would be so grateful you're reconnecting with his favorites.

God bless your dad.

Bless you, music can help you through the worst of times

Bless you, you had a lovely father and you will be a good man for this. respect to you.

Ur dad was a legend

Second post...The thing is why do we still love this song? Ok.. it's a great tempo..but in all honesty we know what he was saying..even though now he says he doesn't stand by it...he does...just under pressure to say that imo....

I was 20. All the great music from "way back then" really does conjure up memories.

I was 14. First saw it on Kenny Everett's Video Show....went out and bought the single the next day! Top tune.

So sorry for your loss. Sending love 💕

Hi Gareth, my condolences on your never ending loss. I lost me beloved Jacquelina in 2008 from cancer. She was 45. I haven't loved since. I love this son. Check out Peace Love And understanding. I love it. Those 2 songs are his triumphs and belong together. Good luck to you

Sorry for your loss, I pray you have peace and comfort with you from our dear Lord Jesus Christ who is there for us all in the good times and bad times of our lives, much love and God bless you! Sara

Thank you so much Sara x

So sorry to hear about your sad loss. I hope you are as well.

You got that right :)

One of the greatest singer song writers, a poet.

He made some great music.

He even sounds cool for someone who looks like a bit of a dweeb

I am obsessed with Oliver’s Army, the melody is addictive and I’ve been listening to it for years, but I must confess that I don’t know any other Elvia Costello songs, what would someone recommend next?

Good call. He meant it to sound like an ABBA song

not dis time

he was singing about mercenaries ! paid killers !

Kate Bush also had her version called Army dreamers.

And status quo had in the Army now , and xtc had generals and majors , and Exploited had army life ,there might be a theme here .

Agreed wholeheartedly. The ignorant, such as those who wish to cancel this extraordinary, well -informed, angry, masterpiece (seemingly in utter ignorance of the song's message) can't be appeased, and it is pointless trying.

Exactly, people cancelling a song that speaks facts, and If you aren’t angry at this song or offended and you see the light hearted side and can acknowledge a piece of total art why can’t we all. Some people are just dumb. They don’t watch the vid or read all the lyrics just isolate the N-Word and call Elvis Costello a racist, which he’s not. The only crime Elvis committed in my eyes was being a genius and writing one of the great songs of the 70’s nothing wrong with that

Appeasement only breeds WEAK NESS

Exactly. In fact black gang members et al actually refer to each other as “niger” to this day and get away with it!

Elvis in this snowflake, hashtag# me too millennials. He doesn't need the headache.

oliver is my second name classmates would refer this song to me

It's shit.

@@ryanflanagan9624 stop bringing everyone down Ryan 🙏🤣

Sounds like Dancing Queen

This song is shit. 😒🤡

Class indeed. !

i'M SURPRISED HIS LINE ABOUT WHITE , YOU KNOW WHAT'S , HASN'T BEEN SCRUBBED.

Would you rather have been anywhere else?

@@monikatrombly8383 what, than here, today?

It reached no 2 in England where was it number one 1 for seven weeks.??

I was born in 1979. I love this song. Always have. Top tune!!

Looks like you succeeded

The piano bit was inspired by Dancing Queen.

@@joekopsick1540 Sure was. Total contrast in uses too. One song about the frivolity of youth and the other about the harshness of imperialism.

As Peter Crenshaw, from the Three Investigators, would say:” I’ll buy a double helping of that”

Yeah, he is pretty cool. I couldnt be that cool if I tried!

Yes.always loved his look

Totally ripped off by Millhouse

Thank you i always think of him as buddy holly reborn

Mine too

and played

@@MrDaiseymay indeed

🧢

Agreed.

Even though n word is in here, it is brilliant.

True, a good song is a good song.

You obviously have never listened to truly great music , catchy tune nothing more .

for every music vid by anyone there is someone who proclaims something about it being the best ever in the world....

Are you sure? 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Me too. It's RIGHT, now.

What, "Arabs"??

I concur

@@GrislyAtoms12 no and he says it in slang- Abs

@@wenesdae Gotcha! I was joking - I know what word everyone is referring to.

It was my brothers first record It's stood the test of time

yaeh man, it was the second 7 inch single i bought. (first was 'Promises' - Bizzcocks) The Olivers Army single came in a picture sleeve - a close up of Costello's face ,doing his lip sneer thing.I Blu-tacked it to my bedroom wall, cos he was cool .. Great tune. Classic :)

@@andyt9008 I think 1979 is my most memorable year for music. Ska and Two Tone, my favourite still, Blondie Dreaming, Nick Lowe Cruel to be Kind, Eton Rifles The Jam.New Wave. Superb Andy. I

@@oddbod8655 Not only you ,I think it was one the best years ever so many great songs that people are still playing .

Well spent money!

Hi James - Well done - good man - Brilliant song and summed up what many of us did - I couldn't find a job, so took the 'Queen;s shilling. Did two tours - Andersonstown and out of the Docks, near Palace Barracks. Had a great time - strange thing to say I suppose. All the best.

Olive's army remains are relevant now as it was when written. The armed forces are dependent on recruiting kids from poor areas where there are precious few other options.

@@upthegills27 I guess everyone has a price but no politician is telling me who to shoot or bomb.

@jayhuegan Jesus never fails us come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior today amen For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son john 3:16-18 come to know Jesus today He died on the cross for our sins and rose again, so we can live with Him forever because He loves us, by His blood He has victory over sin, death and hell amen. God Jesus The Holy Spirit love you amen God bless amen :)

@jayhuegan Mainly from Scotland in fact.

Yes it is now very relevant.

Hardly as it was of it's tome. After all he has felt the need to change the lyrics of the song as we have moved forward.

As a boy from the tyne, born in 73 ... I always loved this, but it's poignant it 2023

so much for 'fighting for freedom'.

I was born in August 65. This song had a lot of go in it. I was always so hyper and this got it out of my system whenever I would listen to it

Real mates are for life :)

I got him to sign the accidents will happen (inside out sleeve) whilst he produced the specials first lp lucky me my mum had a second job above TW studios Fulham in the launderette top geezer and the specials where lovely I was 13

Thanks for the message

15 year old me who found this on my dads playlist: ... This is genuinely good fr 💀💀🔥🔥🔥

I played this on repeat for years, never get bored

100% I still sing this song to myself every SINGLE night! And wake up singing too this!!!!! xxxx This is an antiraciscisn personified!!!!! ❤❤❤❤

@@ryanflanagan9624 shut up

When I get looped, I repeat things endlessly. That's the difference between me and Elvis.

@@donreed do you believe in afterlife?

45 now mate mental how time goes

I think we were privileged to grow up with 70's and 80's. Unfortunately music declined from the early 90's and the last 20 years is awful

@@grahamcheesman2252totally agree. I count myself extremely lucky to have been in my 20's in the 80's. Saw this genius 3 times ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@@RosieHarp yes he was a genius along with so many in our time, only a few nowadays

@@grahamcheesman2252 I'm struggling to think of anyone musically.

@@RosieHarp truthfully so am I which says exactly what we know, today's music is awful

Agree ... great era .... I like to connect on my YT Channel doing Bowie covers ... sometimes my One Man Band versions get people laughing ... I have a collection of rotten fruit that they donate onstage so I know keep the car running at stage exit left.

Sorry. One of the best pop songs ever.

@@zepzepzep3046 Yep

@@CIMAmotor agreed fantastic song

Agree a pop classic with great lyrics

He's even scrolling on a phone at the start too

doesnt sound like any music that then occurred in the future since it was made...are we still not to the sound he foretold?

Wtf are you talking about? The song was written over 50 years after the fact. Good song though.

The scenes on the beach look like a Zoom background, so you're right!

bang on mate, especially with the racism!

Bob i love your comment , i too have been in love with this genius guy since his beginning , however i saw him a few months ago ,, he let me down , he didnt sound too good , im sorry about that lol Jane x

+Persephone Hackett Don't really think he's underrated. Most critics consider him one of the greatest pop songwriters of his generation. He always ranks right up there.

+Angela Hackett What does a song from 1979 sound like? A song of its time :)

+Angela Hackett It has that horrible sound of the 80's which I hate almost as much as hip hop and tecno - but in terms of lyrical writing he was great.

+Michal Nielsen Not sure which horrible 80's sound you are referring to. I generally think of overdone synthesizer & cheesy guitar solos as elements of bad 80's music. Neither of which are present in this song. To each their own. He is an amazing lyricist, one of the best ever in my opinion. This song isn't exactly the peak of his writing abilities but still provides interesting commentary on the events of the time.

+Angela Hackett I know what you mean about not sounding dated. I was listening to Alison a day or two ago and was shocked to see it was released almost 40 years ago.

It's rubbish. You need to broaden your horizons, kiddo. 😒😒

Armed Forces is his best album.

@@alexmartin5073 Rubbish? What about white na ggers do you not like?

@@alexmartin5073 You’re rubbish! It’s a great song.

@@alexmartin5073 If the song is rubbish.....why are you here? Goofy

Wow...I thought you were joking at first, but the R Whites song voice really does sound like EC.

What a beautiful story ❤

nor do the lyrics---sadly

+Mama Lama Some people can't understand liking quality music.

Like you, I don't know anyone else who listens to Elvis Costello, but my dad introduced me to his music and I'm grateful he did!!

+Mama Lama I was 12 also, discovering Elvis Costello at that time. From that point on in my young head I was going to marry him lol. Every song of his throughout my difficult teen years spoke to me. While all my classmates were listening to disco or van halen I had my secret Elvis. Genius lyricist. So many facets to his music. All time favorite album of his was Imperial Bedroom.

Looks like you were one of the few mature enough to recognize authentic music. Wish more people did.

haha, i just said pretty much the exact same thing elsewhere. cheers bro

Absolutely, we are being swamped by the pc and woke brigade, disgusting.

The Agency is coming to erase your memories.

Probably never have clever lyrics again a golden era and time magic

When they were literate.

Pop songs can have clever lyrics nowadays, but the format and use of these ideas is... different, to say the least.

Back when artists could actually write intelligent, coherent lyrics. Most people have no idea of the meaning behind Oliver's Army.

This song isn't representative of pop songs of that era. Most pop songs in every era don't have particularly clever lyrics. A lot of pop songs from every era are terrible, too. We just generally like more of them from the era in which we were young because we liked them at the time and they remind us of good times from our past. Also, we tend to not bother remembering the songs we don't like. All that said, I do think there's a difference between music in the past and music today, in that there were more grown adult music artists in the past who brought more complex experiences to especially grown adults in the audience. Today, I would bet that a smaller percentage of people are trying to make it in the music business at 30+ years old. The cost of living is higher, and record companies are looking to sign much younger people.

Hello, how are you doing it's nice meeting you here.

I don't disagree, but we've always had forgettable drivel

Underrated? On whose scale? u nuts!

Except it's NEVER been underrated.

+michele fellows (beecharmer) This album (and notice I said ALBUM hahah) reminds me of high school. I used to go to the school library and actually borrow a record player AND headphones! So I would bring in my Elvis Costello albums and listen to Oliver's Army or Pump it Up and all the other great songs. Those were the days....I miss the simplicity of life then

can't overlook ... Little Triggers or Watching the Detectives!!!!

John C yes!absolutely

Imagination is a powerful deceiver!

Daniel Warden what does that mean? are u saying that i'm just "imagining" how much i like Elvis Costello?

Christoper i love your comment , ive loved this guy since his beginning , however i saw him a few months ago , he didnt sound too good > i was rather disappointed to say the least lol Jane x

EC sings to my blood. Or does his blood sing to me?

Genius!!!!

+Chalky Whyte That was written by Mark James so that *might* have been funny had it actually been written by the other Elvis :)

I didn't find it that funny tbh, kudos for trying though but, I wouldn't give up the day job :D

Your parties must be swinging, Nicky.

+Hellwyck How did you know I was a swinger?

Mark Anthony Harrison I wish we could all overrun the e u 👍

He was the real ELVIS.

Rnd367748dssm

QadewqasewQasewQadew

???!

I was 6, I looked away and when I looked back I was old as fuck.

Scottish Girl a brilliant track he was very underrated Scottish Girl

I was 11 loved this song 😀

Must have been very funny good on them theres only one Elvis and its not presley ❤️

Wow! I laughed out loud at that one!

I can honestly say I had never heard or heard of this song until today.It gets some bad publicity from its writer of all people,and I somehow see a news feed about the song.So that's why I am here.Good song though,and I agree,his intentions were not at all meant to be hateful.

He was singing about the British army in Northern Ireland, after visiting Belfast and seeing young British soldiers on street corners with machine guns. 'Oliver's Army' are what the British army are called that(mainly in Ireland) because of the devastation Oliver Cromwell wreaked in the religious wars of the 1640s. He paid particular attention to Ireland and it's Catholic population! Hence the line in the song 'all it takes is an itchy trigger, one more widow...one less white n####r!' (Irish Catholic). He's now decided to retire the song and not play it again, down to that one 'controversial' line🙄. Sad really, cos imo it's not said to offend...it was considered a fact by many during 'The Troubles' in N. Ireland. And Elvis Costello, although born in Liverpool, England, comes from Irish, Catholic stock originally...

2021 👍

One word SUPERB

It's cos of the word that shalt not be spoken... and a reluctance to change it, whilst accepting the need to change it. Fair play.

More woke pressure.

@@andymatthews7617 No pressure at all. Elvis's own choice. I doubt he will be saddened that caring for others upsets you...

@@Reelin_In_The_Years it's not about caring for others, it's about thousands of Albanians coming here when there is no conflict in their own country, it's nothing short of scandalous, where do you think the infrastructure is to cope with a million more people who have come in in the last 4 years, if people are genuine asylum seekers that's a different matter, but for people to come here for a gravy train, that's something else, THINK ABOUT IT.

@@andymatthews7617 ... which has nothing at all to do with the subject we were discussing...

A very talented singer.

Totally agree. Deserves endless listens.

Couldn't be done. We've self-censored the arts into oblivion. That said it's weird because nowadays you can have nudity and graphic violence and so on and nobody blinks so we really traded one form of PC for another. I don't think it is an improvement.

no way the truth must be hidden at all costs I never liked the IRA doesn't mean we didn't treat the mick like shit

@@phillipkassabian1784 its about the treatment of the Irish - and what a unquantifiable statement.. plenty of lefties took up arms to defend Britain

The one thing about the song that's always slightly annoyed me - no mention of the Clyde or the Tay or the Forth!