Elvis Costello on Getting His Stage Name and Writing ‘Alison’
Elvis Costello has revisited the making of his 1977 debut, *My Aim Is True*, as a 104-track anniversary edition brings together unreleased songs and live recordings. The collection highlights the range of his early songwriting and prompts him to reconsider lyrics he has performed for decades.
Costello says “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” began coming to him on a train from Runcorn to Liverpool when he was visiting his mother. He was about 21, already a husband and father, and now sees the song’s thoughts about growing older as reflecting the move from teenage life into adulthood, in a way he compares with Neil Young’s “Sugar Mountain”. He also describes disappointment and a bleak outlook as recurring themes in “Alison” and other songs from the period, while saying he never felt part of a single new wave or punk “gang”.
In short
- Costello reflects on writing his debut songs.
- A 104-track edition includes unreleased material.
- He links “Red Shoes” to the transition into adulthood.
Explained simply
Elvis Costello is the stage name of British singer-songwriter Declan MacManus, who began recording in the 1970s. His 1977 debut album, My Aim Is True, introduced songs that mixed sharp lyrics with pop and rock influences, during a period when punk and new wave were gaining attention in Britain.
“Alison” and “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” became among his best-known early songs. Costello has said his writing often returned to disappointment and the passage from youth into adulthood, though he did not see himself as belonging to one musical movement.