The 500 - #98 - This Year's Model - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album: #98

Album Title: This Year's Model

Artist: Elvis Costello and The Attractions

Genre: Pop Punk, New Wave, Power Pop, Garage Punk

Recorded: Eden Studios, London, England

Released: March, 1978

My age at release: 12

How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #121 - dropping 23 spots

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: This Year's Girl

"I want you." Three simple words. Depending on who's saying them, "I want you" can sound romantic, desperate, manipulative, or terrifying. 

Yet, the words "I want you" echo through the history of popular music. From The Beatles' I Want You (She's So Heavy) in 1969 to Cody Johnson's I Want You in 2026, artists across genres and generations have built entire songs around that declaration. A quick search reveals a surprisingly long list of titles that either use the phrase directly or place it at the heart of the song's message, including four records on The 500

Every week as I work my way through a different record on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums, I discover an album with lyrics that feel surprisingly current. This week that album is Elvis Costello's This Year's Model. Released in 1978, it arrived at a fascinating moment in popular music when the anger and urgency of punk began rubbing shoulders with the bright, buoyant pop energy of new wave. As I found out, the debate surrounding its lyrics feels right at home in 2026.

The Attractions (l-r) Steve Nieve, Costello, Bruce Thomas, Pete
Thomas (no relation).

Some critics have argued that Costello's lyrics portray women as little more than prizes, possessions, or objects of male desire. Costello has long pushed back against this premise. Discussing the second album track, This Year's Girl, he argued that the song's real subject is not women themselves but the way men look at them. As he put it: "Everything in the song is about the way men see women and what they desire from them." In Costello's view, the song is less an expression of misogyny than a critique of the unrealistic fantasies and expectations that shape attraction in the first place.

This Year's Girl single release.

Part of the debate may stem from a common assumption that the narrator of a song speaks directly for the songwriter. Yet, as I often share with my middle school students, poets and songwriters, like novelists and playwrights, often write from the perspective of characters whose beliefs and actions they do not personally endorse. Many of the men who populate This Year's Model are insecure, jealous, judgmental, and obsessive. The question listeners have wrestled with for nearly 50 years is whether Costello is giving voice to those attitudes or exposing them. His answer has consistently been the latter.

Poring over the lyrics of This Year's Model, immersed in the album's long history, it was this debate, and Costello's thoughtful response to it, that resonated the most. Modern audiences are still wrestling with many of the same issues from half a century ago. Whether in a 1978 new wave album or the 2025 thriller Obsession, which my wife and I recently watched, we're often drawn to stories that ask uncomfortable questions: Where does affection end and obsession begin? At what point does attraction stop being about another person and start becoming a projection of our own wants, needs, and desires?

Poster for Obsession.

Commentators, such as New York University professor and podcaster Scott Galloway, have pointed to a growing crisis of connection among young men. He has argued that many are dating less, socializing less, and increasingly turning to screens rather than real-world relationships. At the same time, dating apps can create the perception that a small number of highly desirable people receive the majority of attention, leaving others feeling invisible or rejected.  

The Lost Boys Podcast, on which hosts Galloway and Scaramucci
explore practical ways for young men to eschew the rhetoric 
of toxic masculine / Manosphere influencers to build resilience
purpose and success.

Most young men do not respond to the manosphere frustrations in unhealthy ways, of course. But together with the rise of online "incel" communities, force-fed negativism directed at males can, and sometimes does, result in loneliness hardening into resentment, and resentment into distorted views of relationships. In that light, both This Year's Model and Obsession are important cultural commentaries. They remind us that the danger isn't desire itself; it's what happens when another person stops being a person and becomes an object onto which fantasies, expectations and disappointments are projected.

Earlier, I mentioned how three simple words, "I Want You", can mean so many different things. Eight years after This Year's Model,  Costello challenged his listeners to confront toxic romantic fixations with the song I Want You. The track, from his 1986 album Blood and Chocolate dives even deeper, turning a familiar expression of affection into a haunting study of obsession and possessiveness.

Album cover for Blood and Chocolate (1986)

I believe that we need to be mindful of these dark poetic portrayals of obsession, jealousy and misguided desire to illustrate that love is not supposed to consume us. By showing relationships at their most unhealthy and destructive, songs, films and stories can help us appreciate the qualities that make love worth pursuing in the first place: trust, respect, honesty, and genuine connection.

Perhaps the ultimate value of Costello's darkest songs is not that they celebrate undesirable impulses, but that they illuminate them, allowing us to choose something better.

The 500 - #168 - My Aim Is True - Elvis Costello

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #168
Album Title: My Aim Is True

Artist: Elvis Costello

Genre: New Wave, Punk Rock, Pop Rock, Pub Rock, Power Pop

Recorded: Pathways Studios, London, England

Released: July, 1977

My age at release: 12
How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #430, dropping 262 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Less Than Zero

My Aim Is True, the 1977 debut release from Elvis Costello (born, Declan Patrick MacManus) is a marvelous collection of short songs inspired by multiple genres, including doo-wop, R&B, rockabilly, power pop, punk rock, blues, jazz and even honky-tonk country. At the time of its release, it would be categorized as part of the burgeoning New Wave genre -- an umbrella term for the synth-pop and alternative dance music that came out of the post-punk in the late ‘70s. However, that term doesn't do justice to the rich musical history that Costello brought his first record.

Born and raised in Twickenham, West London, England, in 1954 to a record shop worker and jazz musician --his father was acclaimed musician, singer and trumpet player Ross MacManus -- young Declan was surrounded by music. In many interviews, Costello said watching his father work gave him "an innate sense of how to be a musician but also an understanding that a career in music was a job like any other, requiring discipline and hard work".

Costello's father, Ross MacManus (1968)

Costello was writing songs on his guitar by age 14 and testing them in front of audiences at unpaid "open mic" events throughout London in the early ‘70s. On the eve of the release of My Aim Is True, he told a reporter that he had written "hundreds of songs". Given his background and work ethic, it isn't surprising that his inaugural record would be a hit critically and commercially. It made it to #14 on the U.K. charts, but went on to become (at the time) the biggest selling import album in U.S. history. In fact, when it was finally released into U.S. markets, Columbia records put up a promotional billboard on the famed Sunset Strip -- a spot typically reserved for bigger, more established acts.

Promotional billboard on Sunset Strip for My Aim Is True (1977)

This is the second of four appearances by Elvis Costello on The 500 list. In June, 2019, I wrote about his third record, Armed Forces (#475). As I mentioned in that post, I was aware of Costello's music and considered purchasing this record in 1980. However, my developing tastes took me in a different direction and, despite knowing many of his songs, I didn't buy his catalogue. However, I have taken the opportunity as an adult to delve into his work and come to appreciate this talented singer, songwriter, producer and author.

Costello's memoir - Unfaithful Music &
Disappearing Ink. (2015).

He even became a television personality. From 2008-2010 he hosted a series I loved called Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... which featured interviews with  an eclectic list of musicians, including many who appear on The 500 (Elton John, Lou Reed, The Police and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few). The interviews were punctuated with performances by Costello and his guests -- separately and together.

Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... was a 20 episode
television program that aired 2008 - 2010.

My favourite discovery on Less Than Zero was learning that Costello penned the reggae-influenced protest song after seeing  British fascist Oswald Mosley being interviewed on television. In the liner notes to the record, Costello wrote:

"Less Than Zero was a song I had written after seeing the despicable Oswald Mosley being interviewed on BBC television. The former leader of the British Union of Fascists seemed unrepentant about his poisonous actions of the 1930s. The song was more of a slandering fantasy than a reasoned argument."

The chorus served as a warning to British youth who, at the time, were being influenced by far right, white nationalist types like Mosely through the media. I can't help but draw comparisons to the resurgence of white nationalism, fascism and toxic masculinity among young men that, fueled by social media, we are witnessing today. It is something that educators have been recognizing for some time. There is a crisis brewing for young men in our culture and we need to address it soon. However, that is a discussion for a future blog. Perhaps when we return to Mr. Costello in a couple of weeks with Imperial Bedroom (1982), which appears at #166 on The 500 list.

White Nationalist protestors at the Charlottesville, Virgina
"Unite The Right" rally, August, 2017.

The 500 - #475 - Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Armed Forces

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 475

Album Title: Armed Forces
Artist: Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Released: January, 1979
My age at release: 14
How familiar am I with it: A little
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Peace, Love & Understanding.
Great Lyric:
"Times are tough for English babies
Send the army and the navy
Beat up strangers who talk funny
Take their greasy, foreign money
Skin shop, red leather, hot line
Be prepared for the engaged sign
Bridal books, engagement rings
And other wicked little things" (Sunday Best)


During the March Break of 1980, I was visiting my dad in London, Ontario. We would be moving there as a family that summer but, my father had already started to work at his new job as a reporter for the London Free Press. 

Each day, I would accompany him to the newspaper building which was located downtown. I had spent the last five years living in a small rural town called Kingsville - so London was a booming metropolis for a 14 year old me.  While he worked - I explored my future city - a place I still call home.

I spent most of my time in record stores. Kingsville had none (just a drug store that had a single rack with a limited selection of the hits). London had at least four downtown shops and several department stores with a record section. I had a little babysitting money tucked away - but wanted to peruse all my choices before committing to a purchase. I also had french fries, milkshakes & video games vying for my wallet's attention.

About day three, I bought All the World's a Stage by Rush because it was a double album - but not twice the price. I think it was $7.99. Look at me being thrifty!

While flipping through hundreds of records - it was the only way to build musical acumen in a time before the internet - I distinctly remember stumbling on an Elvis Costello album - it was My Aim is True and I had so many questions. 

• Is his real name really Elvis? Elvis Costello? (Yes & No)
• Is he from the 50's? (Yes & No)
• Does he know he looks like a math teacher? (Yes)
• Does he know that this look isn't cool? (It actually was)
• Is this album any good? (Yes it is!)

Obviously, I didn't have the money to buy this record - but I did start noticing when Detroit Rock radio stations played his stuff. It was very sporadically. He was lumped in with new wave - so I might catch a single song, alongside tracks by The Cars, Gary Numan, The Police. Sometimes, these artists would get airtime on Sunday Night during the late night broadcast of The Doctor Demento Show. This was where I first heard Devo, Weird Al Yankovic, Frank Zappa and bizarre, sometimes horrifying, tracks like...  

• Barnes & Barnes  Fish Heads or Something's in the Bag
• Tom Waits' What's he building in there?

Consequently, Elvis Costello remained a mystery to me for years. I knew that he was somehow important; but, I didn't know what I was supposed to "get" from his music. It simply didn't land with me and people that claimed to understand him also had some deeper grasp of concepts beyond my young teenage grasp. They knew (or at least claimed to know) the meaning behind terms like anarchist and decolonization as well as a whole raft of isms: consumerism, authoritarianism and egalitarianism. They seemed to know what was going on with Margaret Thatcher, The Sandinistas, Ronald Regan, Kampuchea, Amnesty International, The IRA & South African Apartheid. Again, it was an time before the internet - it was easy to get lost and overwhelmed.

I think this is the most facinating thing about giving this record a sincere listen with the maturity and knowledge I now possess. This wasn't a record for 14 year old me but, it sat there patiently waiting for 54 year old me to appreciate. I encourage you to spend some time with it and its lyrics. So many themes resonate today...

• Fidelity, Honesty & Consequences
• Incompetence in Leadership
• Corporate Greed steering Politics
• Young poor men choosing military service as their only option
• Unnecessary conflict in foreign countries for profit
• Corporate News Media Spin
• The Rise of a Police State
• Immigration as a scapegoat for unemployment
• Spoiled & Coddled Children unprepared for the world  

It's all a bit depressing ... but it ends with the a beautiful question of optimism. 

What's so funny about Peace, Love & Understanding?