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It's the week's most insanely catchy pop song-a kind of warped Beach Boys number that twists into a series of razor-sharp hooks. As this is Elvis Costello, though, it goes without saying that there's much more to it than that.
Though it's certainly Costello at his most commercial, this exhilarating single sees EC abandoning the shiny, glossy pop of "Veronica" in favour of something more personal and pointed. McCartney's thankfully absent, but there is a Beatle presence in the typically eloquent, viciously effective lyric. "Was it a millionaire who said imagine no possessions?" enquires Elvis innocently, in the course of a painfully convincing tale of personal and global degradation.
"Goodnight, God bless and kiss goodbye to the earth," is his parting shot, as the lush harmonies swirl around him. If he's right, I could die happy listening to pop music as luxuriously crafted and intelligent as this.
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