Library Rock's Backpages

Elvis Costello: Armed Forces (Columbia)

Ira Robbins, Trouser Press, April 1979

When Bob Dylan broke up with his wife, Sara, a few years ago, the world was treated to the introspective and bitter Blood on the Tracks. Although Elvis's personal life is not quite as public (yet) as the Zim's, Armed Forces emerges from roughly the same emotional territory, although in Costello's case, since he was the dumper, not the dumpee, his venomous lyrics are a bit harder to comprehend.

Total word count of piece: 1099

Subscribe

Becoming a member is easy. Membership gives you access to all the thousands of articles in the library.

Click here to go to Subscribe page.

Click here for academic and other group subscriptions.