Songs written for other artists
From The Elvis Costello Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
This is a list of songs Elvis wrote for other artists. (This list may be incomplete.)
| From EC Homepage Discography - Extracurricular Work | ||||||
| No. | Song title | Artist | Album/release | Comments | Link(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abandoned Masquerade | Diana Krall | The Girl In The Other Room, 2004 | music by Diana, lyrics by Elvis | Amazon | |
| 2 | All This Useless Beauty | June Tabor | Angel Tiger, 1991 & Essential Folk, 1995 | AllMusic | ||
| 3 | Almost Blue | Chet Baker | Chet Baker Sings And Plays From The Film "Let's Get Lost" | The version played in the film is not identical to that on record/CD | AllMusic | |
| 4 | Almost Ideal Eyes | David Crosby | not recorded | on All This Useless Beauty (Rhino reissue), 2001 | --- | |
| 5 | Back On My Feet | Paul McCartney | Once Upon A Long Ago, 1987 and on the remastered CD version of Flowers In The Dirt, 1993 | EC/McCartney composition | Amazon | |
| 6 | Basement Kiss | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears, 1993 | EC/O'Riordan composition | Amazon | |
| 7 | Comedians | Roy Orbison | Mystery Girl, 1989 & Black & White Night Live, 1989 | The lyrics are different to EC's version on Goodbye Cruel World. | Amazon | |
| 8 | Complicated Shadows | Johnny Cash | not recorded | recorded by EC on All This Useless Beauty & Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. | --- | |
| 9 | Couldn't You Keep That To Yourself | Ute Lemper | Punishing Kiss, 2004 | Amazon | ||
| 10 | Departure Bay | Diana Krall | The Girl In The Other Room, 2004 | music Krall, lyrics Krall/Costello | Amazon | |
| 11 | The Deportees Club | Christy Moore | Voyage, 1989 | Alternate version Deportee appears on Goodbye Cruel World | Amazon | |
| 12 | Dirty Rotten Shame | Ronnie Drew of The Dubliners | Dirty Rotten Shame, 1995 | also issued as a CD single | Discogs | |
| 13 | Don't Be Careless Love | Paul McCartney | Flowers In The Dirt, 1989 | EC/McCartney, EC on keys & harmonies | Amazon | |
| 14 | Do You Know What I'm Saying? | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears, 1993 | EC's version on B-Side of 13 Steps Lead Down single release (1994) | Amazon | |
| 15 | Earthbound | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears, 1993 | EC/O'Riordan composition | Amazon | |
| 16 | Fake Tin Star | Diana Krall | Single: Narrow Daylight, 2004 | Krall/Costello | --- | |
| 17 | Fill In The Blanks | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears, 1993 | This song is unreleased by Elvis Costello, but his demo version is available unofficially. | Amazon | |
| 18 | Forbidden Nights | Darlene Love | Introducing Darlene Love, 2015 | --- | ||
| 19 | The Girl In The Other Room | Diana Krall | The Girl In The Other Room, 2004 | music & lyrics Krall/Costello | Amazon | |
| 20 | Girls Talk | Dave Edmunds | Repeat When Necessary, 1979 & A-Side of single | B-Side of Single: I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down | --- | |
| 21 | Having It All | Patsy Kensit | to perform in the ill-fated film Absolute Beginners, 1986 | demo version on King Of America Rhino/Edsel reissue | --- | |
| 22 | Hidden Shame | Johnny Cash | Boom Chicka Boom, 1990 | on All This Useless Beauty (Rhino reissue), 2001 | Amazon | |
| 23 | I Ran Down Every Dream | Tommy McLain | I Ran Down Every Dream, 2022 | McLain / C.C. Adcock / EC | Amazon | |
| 24 | I Want To Stand Forever | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears, 1993 | This song is unreleased by Elvis Costello, but his demo version is available unofficially. | Amazon | |
| 25 | I Want To Vanish | June Tabor | Against The Streams, 1994 | recorded on All This Useless Beauty, 1996 & live on Costello & Nieve, 1996 | --- | |
| 26 | I Wonder How She Knows | Charles Brown | Someone To Love, 1992 | EC/Brown composition | Amazon | |
| 27 | I Won't Pretend | Vale | A Contraluz, 2023 | This song is unreleased and unperformed by Elvis Costello. | Amazon | |
| 28 | I'm Coming Through | Diana Krall | The Girl In The Other Room, 2004 | music Krall, lyrics Krall/Costello | Amazon | |
| 29 | I've Changed My Address | Diana Krall | The Girl In The Other Room, 2004 | music Krall, lyrics Krall/Costello | Amazon | |
| 30 | Indigo Moon | --- | yet to be released | (EC/ Paul McCartney) | --- | |
| 31 | Indoor Fireworks | Nick Lowe | The Rose Of England, 1985 | CD, F-Beat ZL70765/Demon FIENDCD 73, also on King Of America | Amazon | |
| 32 | Invisible Lady | Charles Mingus Orchestra | Tonight At Noon... Three Or Four Shades Of Love (2002) | music Mingus, lyrics EC; CD, Dreyfus Records DRY-CD-36633 | Discogs | |
| 33 | It's Not Too Late | T-Bone Burnett | The Criminal Under My Own Hat (1992) | EC/T-Bone Burnett/Bob Neuwirth, CD/CAS; Columbia 4679782/4 | Amazon | |
| 34 | Jelly Roll | Ku-Umba Frank Lacy & Mingus Big Band | Mingus Sings (2015) | EC/Charles Mingus, CD; Sunnyside – SSC 1407 | Discogs | |
| 35 | Losing You (Just A Memory) | Dusty Springfield | White Heat (1982) | This is the song "Just A Memory" with an extra verse or so written especially for Dusty; LP, Casablanca | Discogs | |
| 36 | London's Brilliant | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears (1993) | EC/O'Riordan, CD, LP, Cass; MCA Records, MCA 10800 | Amazon | |
| 37 | The Lovers That Never Were | Paul McCartney | Off The Ground & Off The Ground - The Complete Works (1993) | MacManus/McCartney, for Paul McCartney CD; Parlophone CDPCSD 125, 2xCD; Parlophone CDEQ 5010. A demo of this song exists with EC singing the choruses is on the expanded remastered edition of Flowers In The Dirt. | Discogs | |
| 38 | Maureen And Sam | Allan Mayes | Stumbling In The Aisle (1986) | EC/Mayes LP; U.S. STC 86-2-1001 - The lyrics of Ghost Train were adapted to create this song. | ||
| 39 | The Miranda Syndrome | Rubén Blades | Nothing But The Truth (1988) | Amazon | ||
| 40 | Miss Mary | Zucchero 'Sugar' Fornaciari' | Zucchero: Miserere (1992) | EC / Zucchero | Discogs | |
| 41 | Mistress And Maid | Paul McCartney | Off The Ground (1993) | EC/McCartney | ||
| 42 | My Brave Face | Paul McCartney | Flowers In The Dirt (1989) | MacManus/McCartney, LP/CD; Parlophone PCSD 106 | Amazon | |
| 43 | My Hidden Heart | Tommy McLain | I Ran Down Every Dream (2022) | EC/ C.C. Adcock | Amazon | |
| 44 | The Nameless One | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears (1993) | EC/O'Riordan CD, LP, Cass; MCA Records, MCA 10800 | Amazon | |
| 45 | Narrow Daylight | Diana Krall | The Girl In The Other Room (2004) and Single: Narrow Daylight (2004) | Music Krall & lyrics Krall/Costello | Amazon | |
| 46 | The Other End Of The Telescope | 'Til Tuesday | Everything's Different Now (1989) and Coming up Close: A Retrospective, (1996) CD, Enhanced | EC / Aimee Mann EC on bvox | Amazon | |
| 47 | Passionate Fight | Ute Lemper | Punishing Kiss (2000) | Costello (lyrics) / Nieve (music) | Amazon | |
| 48 | Punishing Kiss | Annie Ross and the Low Note Quintet | Short Cuts (2006) | EC/MacManus/O'Riordan; | Amazon | |
| 49 | Punishing Kiss | Ute Lemper | Punishing Kiss (2000) | EC/MacManus/O'Riordan; | AllMusic | |
| 50 | Puppet Girl | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears (1993) | EC/O'Riordan | Amazon | |
| 51 | Put Away Forbidden Playthings | Fretwork | Sit Fast (1997) | EC | Discogs | |
| 52 | Radio Sweetheart | Carlene Carter | Two Sides To Every Woman (1979) | EC LP; Warner BSK 3375 (US) | Amazon | |
| 53 | The Scarlet Tide | Alison Krauss | Cold Mountain soundtrack (2003) | EC / T Bone Burnett | Amazon | |
| 54 | Shadow And Jimmy | Was Not Was | What Up, Dog? (1988) | EC / David Was - LP; Fontana SFLP4, CAS; SFMC4, & CD; 834 291-2 | Amazon | |
| 55 | Shamed Into Love | Rubén Blades | Nothing But The Truth (1988) | EC/Rubén Blades - LP; Elektra 960 754-1 | Amazon | |
| 56 | Shatterproof | Billy Bremner | A-side of single, 7"/12" (1984); and on Bash!, (1984) | EC - single, Arista 557; LP, Arista 06 179 | Amazon | |
| 57 | Shipbuilding | Robert Wyatt | single, and on Nothing Can Stop Us (1982) | EC/ Clive Langer, CD; Rough Trade (some CDs do not include this track!)], 7" a-side; Rough Trade RTT 115; 12" a-side; Rough Trade RTT 115T. EC on bvox | Amazon | |
| 58 | Speak Darkly, My Angel | Anne Sofie von Otter | So Many Things (2016) | ASVO & Brooklyn Rider; Naïve – V5436 | Discogs | |
| 59 | St. Stephen's Day Murders | The Chieftains | The Bells Of Dublin (1991) | EC/ Paddy Moloney CD- RCA 60824 | Amazon | |
| 60 | Stranger In The House | Rachel Sweet | Fool Around (1978) | EC LP - Stiff SEEZ 12/Stiff-Teldec 6.23659 (Germany, green vinyl) | Amazon | |
| 61 | That Day Is Done | Paul McCartney | Flowers In The Dirt (1989) | EC/ Paul McCartney LP/CD; Parlophone PCSD 106 - EC on harmonies | Amazon | |
| 62 | That's What Friends Are For | Georgie Fame | That's What Friends Are For (1979) | LP/CAS; Pye N119 also on Georgie Fame At His Best (1995); CD; Castle Communications MAT CD 323 & JAZZ '81 CD (various artists) | Amazon | |
| 63 | This Is A Test | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears, (1993) | EC - CD & Cassette | Amazon | |
| 64 | This Subdues My Passion | Mingus Big Band | EC/Charles Mingus; | |||
| 65 | Three Distracted Woman | Anne Sofie von Otter & The Brodsky Quartet | unrecorded song cycle (1996) including "April in Orbit". | EC | info | |
| 66 | Tommy's Coming Home | Paul McCartney | Flowers In The Dirt (2017) | McCartney/MacManus - 2CD MPL/Capitol/UMe B0026450-02 (Expanded remastered edition) | Amazon | |
| 67 | Unwanted Number | For Real | Soundtrack: Grace Of My Heart (1996) | EC - CD; MCA MCAD 11510 (US) | Amazon | |
| 68 | Upon A Veil Of Midnight Blue | Mary Coughlan | Love For Sale (1993) | EC - CD: Demon FIENDCD 730. This is the original version of the EC/Charles Brown song "I Wonder How She Knows" | Amazon | |
| 69 | We Despise You | Wendy James | Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears (1993) | EC/O'Riordan | Amazon | |
| 70 | (I Love You) When You Sleep | Tracie | Far From The Hurting Kind (1984) | EC - LP; Respond RRL 502/Respond-Teldec 6.26033 (Germany)] and A-side single (1984); 7"/12"; Respond KOB 710 | Amazon | |
| 71 | Why Can't A Man Stand Alone? | Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) | unrecorded | EC | - | |
| 72 | You Bowed Down | Roger McGuinn | Back From Rio (1991) | EC - CD; Arista ARCD-8648 (US) EC on backing vocals. | Amazon | |
| 73 | You Want Her Too | Paul McCartney | Flowers In The Dirt (2017) | McCartney/MacManus - 2CD MPL/Capitol/UMe B0026450-02 (Expanded remastered edition) EC on 2nd vocals & keys | Amazon | |
The Jo Marshall Demos
- I don't know if these are fake or not, but apparently EC wrote the following songs early in his career for a woman called Jo Marshall (These titles may not be 100% correct, and the versions I have heard of are performed by Jo and not EC). If anyone has further information on these demos then please contact me).:
- He Doesn't Look Like You
- Big Brown Eyes
- I Want To Talk To You
- True Love
14 tracks - 43:02
Internal links
