Elvis Costello has a theory for how he’ll be remembered when he dies, and it’s not necessarily the way he would like.
During a recent conversation with Vanity Fair, the bespectacled rocker was asked about his legacy – specifically, that his first two albums will always overshadow the rest of his work.
“At different times I’ve wrestled with that [concept] a little bit,” Costello admitted. “When my father died, he was the voice of a very famous lemonade commercial. The headlines actually said, ‘Secret lemonade drinker dies.’ As if he’d never done anything else in a 50-year career. I don’t doubt a similar indignity will accompany my demise.”
Elvis Costello’s Classic Songs Are Now ‘Regarded as Standards’
Costello’s debut album, 1977’s My Aim Is True, and sophomore LP, 1978’s This Year’s Model, were met with critical acclaim and have since been regarded as hugely influential releases. Still, the singer’s 50 year career has included plenty of other highlights, so you’d excuse Costello if he took umbrage to suggestions his early material was his best. Instead, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer expressed a big picture perspective when looking at his body of work.
READ MORE: How Elvis Costello Introduced Himself With ‘My Aim Is True’
“Think about what year it was when I started writing the songs which I’m known for,” Costello remarked, noting his early tune “Alison” was written nearly five decades ago. “Some of them come from 1975. Trace back 50 years from that and tell me what songs were still being played [in the mid-seventies]. If they’re enduring, they’re regarded as standards. So whether anybody else likes it or not, there are a few that I guess have joined that company. I don’t, self-consciously, regard them that way, but it is a historical fact.”
Costello’s latest box set, King of America & Other Realms, will be released on Nov. 1. It includes a newly remastered edition of his 1986 album King of America, along with a previously unreleased 1987 live concert, uncovered demos, outtakes and live recordings.
Elvis Costello Albums Ranked
Even with a career spanning more than four decades, many collaborators and several record labels, his discography has had way more hits than misses.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
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