Talk:Songs

Anyone else think the main Songs index page would look cleaner without the blue background, without the bullets, with smaller headers, no lines, and a smaller font for the songs, as shown in the first column and the A and B songs below? -- JohnH 06:56, 4 April 2009 (UTC)

Makes sense to me. --Nunki 07:29, 4 April 2009 (UTC)

Old format archived here. -- JohnH 19:12, 4 April 2009 (UTC)

A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z Unreleased songs  •  Unreleased covers  •  Released covers  •  Song lists

# 13 Steps Lead Down 15 Petals 20% Amnesia 45 5ive Gears In Reverse A A Drunken Man's Praise Of Sobriety A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing) Abandon Words Abandoned Masquerade Accidents Will Happen Adrian After The Fall Alibi Alison All Grown Up All The Rage All These Things All This Useless Beauty Almost Blue Almost Ideal Eyes American Gangster Time American Humbug American Tune American Without Tears American Without Tears No. 2 (Twilight Version) ...And In Every Home Any King's Shilling Anyone Who Had A Heart Are You Havin' Any Fun? Ascension Day At Last Aubergine B B Movie Baby It's You Baby Pictures Baby Plays Around Baby's Got A Brand New Hairdo

I I Almost Had A Weakness I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea I Don't Want To Go Home I Hear A Melody I Hope You're Happy Now I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (I Love You) When You Sleep I Stand Accused I Still Have That Other Girl I Still Miss Someone I Thought I'd Write To Juliet I Threw It All Away I Throw My Toys Around I Turn Around I Wanna Be Loved I Want To Stand Forever I Want To Vanish I Want You I Wonder How She Knows Idiophone If I Could Put Them All Together (I'd Have You) I'll Never Fall In Love Again I'll Take Care Of You I'll Wear It Proudly I'm Coming Home I'm Coming Through I'm In The Mood Again I'm Not Angry I'm Your Toy Imagination (Is A Powerful Deceiver) Impatience Imperial Bedroom The Imposter The Imposter Vs The Floodtide (Dust And Petals) In Another Room In The Darkest Place Inch By Inch

S Sad About Girls Sally Sue Brown Satellite The Scarlet Tide Secondary Modern Seconds Of Pleasure Senior Service Seven Day Weekend Seven O'Clock Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll & Chaos Shabby Doll Shadow And Jimmy Shallow Grave Shamed Into Love The Sharpest Thorn Shatterproof She She Handed Me A Mirror She Loves The Jerk She Moved Through The Fair She's Pulling Out The Pin Ship Of Fools Shipbuilding Shoes Without Heels Shot With His Own Gun Sittin' And Thinkin' Six-Fingered Man Skeleton Sleep Of The Just Sleepless Nights Slow Down Smile Sneaky Feelings So Like Candy So Young Someone Took The Words Away Song With Rose Soul For Hire

Internal links

• Elvis Costello Home Page - lyrics by album
• Elvis Costello Home Page - lyrics by song

Inclusion of songs with a minor EC role

In pulling together the Gaps page, I've noticed that the Songs page includes a few songs where EC appears only as background vocalist, but omits many others. For example, Murder 101, Don't Be Careless Love, You Want Her Too, and I Throw My Toys around are included, but the songs on the list below are not. The question is, should they be? What is the policy for inclusion? If the following tracks should not be added, should the existing BG-vocal-only tracks be deleted? I feel ambivalent about whether they should be included, but unhappy with the inconsistency in the current situation). -- dpannell 13:57, 12 Feb 2007 (WDST Australia)

• 1978 American Squirm (with Nick Lowe, OS:single A side by Nick Lowe, EC on background vocals)
• 1978 Shattered (live with Richard Hell and the Voidoids, OS:Time by Richard Hell (2002), EC on guitar and background vocals))
• 1979 Ads (with Twist, OS:single and This Is Your Life LP by Twist, EC on background vocals)
• 1981 Tempted (with Squeeze, OS:East Side Story by Squeeze, EC on background vocals and guitar). There is also an alternate mix on the Reality Bites soundtrack by various artists, released in 1994.
• 1981 There's No Tomorrow (with Squeeze, OS:East Side Story by Squeeze, EC on background vocals)
• 1982 Black Coffee In Bed (with Squeeze, OS:Sweets For A Stranger by Squeeze, EC on background vocals)
• 1984 Free Nelson Mandela (with The Special AKA, OS:single A side and In The Studio album, EC on background vocals)
• 1985 Watch Me Catch Fire (with Big Heat, OS: single A side, EC on background vocals)
• 1987 17 songs (live with Roy Orbison and a band of big-name Orbison admirers, OS:Black and White Night by Roy Orbison, EC on guitar and background vocals)
• 1989 Missing You (with Christy Moore, OS:Voyage by Christy Moore, EC on background vocals)
• 1990 Down By The River (with Neil Young and Crazy Horse, OS:The Bridge School Collection Vol. 2 (2006), iTunes download, EC on background vocals)
• 1991 Lying (with Sam Phillips, OS:Cruel Inventions, EC plays guitar (using pencils)). There is also an alternate mix on Zero Zero Zero by Sam Phillips, released in 1999.
• 1996 Bang Bang Bang (with Al Anderson, OS:Pay Before You Pump, EC on background vocals)
• 2003 Autopilot (with Steven Kennedy, OS:Control Freak by Steven Kennedy, EC on background vocals and guitar, not a widely distributed item)

The stated policy on the Songs page is that it's "an alphabetical list of songs written or recorded by Elvis Costello." "Don't Be Careless Love," "You Want Her Too," and "I Throw My Toys Around" all belong because they were (co-)written by EC.

I don't think "Murder 101" belongs. There should probably be a separate page for songs with EC in a supporting role.

Admittedly, it's difficult to come up with a consistent policy. EC didn't write and doesn't even play on Dead Letter and Last Post, but I wouldn't want to remove them from the Songs page. --Nunki 01:02, 12 February 2007 (CST)

Perhaps these and the ones you mention on the Songs page should be moved to a "More songs" or "Other songs"
or Extracurricular songs" page. -- JohnH 00:59, 12 February 2007 (CST)

Alphabetizing songs with a leading (parenthesis and ...ellipses

Would it make sense to alphabetize songs with a leading (parenthesis or ...ellipses by the first letter?

I think someone looking for (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea or (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? or *...And In Every Home are going to expect to find them under I, W or A.

• Almost Ideal Eyes
• American Without Tears
• ...And In Every Home
• Any King's Shilling

Yes, yes. It certainly does make sense to do it that way. If possible, it could be filed in multiple positions, e.g. Chelsea, Peace, etc. - JohnE

And maybe 5ive Gears should have an entry under F... -- JohnH 01:26, 8 April 2006 (CDT)

Upon A Veil Of Midnight Blue / I Wonder How She Knows

"I Wonder How She Knows" links to "Upon A Veil Of Midnight Blue". This in an error, right? -- JohnH

An error of judgment, perhaps, but I did that deliberately. Now that you've prompted me to think it through again, I'm convinced it was the wrong choice. -- Nunki

Oh -- didn't realize they were the same song. -- JohnH 10:35, 31 October 2006 (CST)

Well, they are and they aren't. That's what makes it tricky. But I think the new approach is less confusing.--Nunki 10:52, 31 October 2006 (CST)