‘I can’t listen to Pink Floyd – I find their music dreary’: Elvis Costello’s honest playlist
Elvis Costello has shared his honest musical tastes in an expansive feature for The Guardian's Saturday magazine, revealing both his deepest musical influences and the artists he cannot stand. The singer-songwriter discusses the songs and artists that have shaped his life, from his childhood discovery of Jimi Hendrix's romantic side through to his current playlists, providing insight into the musical education that has informed his songwriting.
Costello's most formative influence was Georgie Fame's Fame at Last EP, which he bought with pocket money at age 11 and which exposed him to a rich catalogue of blues and soul musicians including Ray Charles and Louis Jordan. He reveals that Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin" changed his life—a song his mother claimed he requested before he could form sentences—whilst Pink Floyd remains the one artist he cannot tolerate, finding their music "dreary" despite acknowledging Syd Barrett's earlier work. Other significant moments include his love for Bob Dylan's "Cross the Green Mountain", his guilty pleasure in Kelis's "Milkshake" and his choice of Louis Armstrong's "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" for his funeral.
- Elvis Costello calls Pink Floyd's music "dreary" and cannot listen to them
- Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin" shaped his musical tastes as a child
- Georgie Fame's EP provided formative musical education at age eleven
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Elvis Costello is an influential singer-songwriter whose career has spanned several decades. His musical influences are intricately connected to the work he creates, making his taste and inspiration of interest to both fans and fellow musicians.
The Guardian has published a feature in which Costello discusses the songs and artists that have shaped his life and creativity. The piece spans from records he discovered as a child to contemporary music he enjoys today, offering an expansive view of his musical education and tastes.
Understanding what music moves a creative person can illuminate their artistic choices and approach. Through Costello's discussion of his influences—which ranges across multiple genres including blues, soul and pop—readers gain insight into the diverse musical influences that have informed his distinctive work.