British Songwriter Elvis Costello Reaches A Milestone For His Landmark Americana Transformation</strong>
by Paul Cashmere
Elvis Costello has hit the forty year milestone for his tenth studio masterpiece, King Of America, an album that remains a pivot point in a career defined by restless reinvention. Released on 21 February 1986, the record signalled a dramatic break from the keyboard-heavy New Wave sounds that had defined his work with The Attractions, opting instead for a raw, acoustic-driven exploration of the American musical landscape.
Produced by T Bone Burnett, the project grew out of a series of low-key tours the pair undertook as The Coward Brothers. Adopting the personas of Howard and Henry Coward, the duo performed country covers and stripped-back originals, a process that convinced Burnett that Elvis Costello should record his next batch of songs with his voice and acoustic guitar as the primary focus.
The recording sessions, which took place in mid-1985 across several Los Angeles studios, saw Elvis Costello working with a hand-picked group of legendary American session players dubbed The Confederates. This elite unit featured Ray Brown, Earl Palmer, and former members of Elvis Presley’s iconic TCB Band, including James Burton, Jerry Scheff, and Ron Tutt.
The shift in dynamic was palpable. Unlike the often-combative collaborative process with The Attractions, Elvis Costello approached these sessions by explaining the emotional weight of each lyric to the musicians before a note was played. The result was a record captured as “live” as possible, with minimal overdubs, allowing the “musical kinks” of his previous work to be stripped away in favour of clarity and honesty.
While The Attractions were initially slated to appear on half the record, the sessions with the band were fraught with tension. Ultimately, the group appeared on only one finished track, Suit Of Lights, a song many critics interpreted as a symbolic public burial of the Elvis Costello persona.
Visually, the album made a bold statement. The cover featured a bearded Elvis Costello wearing a rhinestone-speckled crown and a brocade jacket. To many, the image was a playful nod to the album title and a line in I’ll Wear It Proudly, where he sings of being crowned the “king of fools”. In a further move toward authenticity, he credited himself on the sleeve under his birth name, Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus.
Musically, King Of America was a deep dive into roots rock, country, folk, and R&B. Lyrically, it offered a biting yet empathetic outsider’s view of the American dream. From the disillusioned opening of Brilliant Mistake to the harrowing folk ballad Little Palaces, the album showcased a songwriter reaching a new level of maturity. It also featured a haunting cover of Nina Simone’s Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, which became a top 40 hit in the UK.
Upon its release, the album reached number 11 in the UK and number 39 in the US. While some contemporary critics found the material too complex for the mainstream, others hailed it as his best work since Get Happy!!. In the decades since, its reputation has only grown, with many viewing it as the blueprint for the various musical excursions into classical, jazz, and collaborative projects that followed.
To mark the anniversary, fans are revisiting the various reissues, including the expansive King Of America & Other Realms box set released in late 2024. This collection highlights the enduring power of the 1986 sessions, featuring unreleased demos and live recordings that capture a songwriter finally finding his own voice by losing his famous name.
Elvis Costello King Of America Tracklisting
Brilliant Mistake
Lovable
Our Little Angel
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Glitter Gulch
Indoor Fireworks
Little Palaces
I’ll Wear It Proudly
American Without Tears
Eisenhower Blues
Poisoned Rose
The Big Light
Jack Of All Parades
Suit Of Lights
Sleep Of The Just
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