Since 1977, Elvis Costello has taken on a whole new meaning.
Costello and his backing band, The Rights, played “Watching the Detectives” and the prologue to “Less Than Zero” on “Saturday night live“On December 17 of that year.
The British rocker stopped the second song coldly, upset both his trademark and co-branded “SNL”.
“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but there’s no point in doing this song here,” Costello said before playing “Radio, Radio”. That song, which crippled commercial broadcasts, got him banned from the show for the next 12 years.
Why is the young singer trying to do such a stunt? He later said he found inspiration in Jimi Hendrix, who created an analog switch in the middle of a 1969 Kemp tribute.
Costello had something else in mind that night.
“And I just want them to remember us. I really don’t have anything against the show. Honestly, I was furious when I was told by the record company to play nothing more than NBC. I can’t remember if I said what I was going to do, but I think I just said, ‘Watch me.’ “
It was Costello circa 1977. This year’s model takes a very different approach to his work.
RELATED: Costello Rocks Colorado, Bashes Trump
Costello told The Telegraph he is no longer playing one of his first hits, “Oliver’s Army,” in concert. He also hopes radio stations will also eliminate the hard-to-pay tracking.
Why?
A single line using the phrase “white n-word”, which has been played and sung for decades, is now under attack, according to BBC. And Costello himself doesn’t care about protecting it, or the song itself.
“That’s what my grandfather was called in the British army – it’s a historical fact… but people hear the word… and accuse me of something I didn’t mean to.”
He complained about radio stations losing their own words and sang “Oliver’s Army” for a while.
Now, he’d rather leave the song behind than be labeled something bad by the wake-up press and social media slurs.
“Because when I fell under the bus, they would play She, Good Year for the Roses and Oliver’s Army.”
Again, Cancel Culture is incapable of taking nuance and context as paramount. And another classic song biting the dust.
Last year, The Rolling Stones agreed to remove “Brown Sugar” instead of the lyrics that some consider “problem. ”
Costello has never been a nice player. His personality and music have shied away from pop trends for decades, but he has won the admiration of critics and fans alike for his unique lyrics and melodies, his pain.
Now, he’s just another veteran rocker who doesn’t want to defend his work for fear of having his contract cancelled.
