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"Radio Radio" is a song written by
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...
and performed by Elvis Costello and
the Attractions The Attractions were an English backing band for the English new wave musician Elvis Costello between 1977 and 1986, and again from 1994 to 1996. They consisted of Steve Nieve (keyboards and ukulele), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete ...
. The song originated as a
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
-inspired song called "Radio Soul" that Costello had written in 1974. In 1977, Costello reworked the song to feature a more aggressive arrangement and more direct, sarcastic lyrics that criticized the commercialism of English radio. Costello and the Attractions recorded the song around the time of his second album, ''
This Year's Model ''This Year's Model'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover for his debut album ''My Aim Is True'' (1977), Costello formed the ...
''. "Radio Radio" was released as a standalone single in the United Kingdom in October 1978, reaching number 29. The track was appended onto the US version of their second album, ''
This Year's Model ''This Year's Model'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover for his debut album ''My Aim Is True'' (1977), Costello formed the ...
,'' released earlier that year. The song has since seen critical acclaim, being marked as one of Costello's best by many writers and appearing on several compilation albums. Costello and the Attractions famously performed the song live on the American television show ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
'' in 1977; originally scheduled to perform Costello's debut single " Less Than Zero", Costello abruptly switched songs live against the wishes of his record company and ''SNL'', resulting in a temporary ban from the show.


Background

"Radio Radio" originated as a song titled "Radio Soul", which Costello had written in 1974 while a member of the
pub rock Pub rock is a rock music genre that was developed in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement which incorporated roots rock, pub rock was a reaction against the expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock an ...
band Flip City. "Radio Soul" featured a softer arrangement and, alongside an early version of "Living in Paradise", was one of the songs that Costello had sent to
A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
before he got a record deal. Lyrically, this early version was, according to Costello, about "the idea that the radio broadcasting from within you was ultimately of more value than the radio in the dashboard or the wireless on the shelf". Costello described the song as a "shameless imitation" of
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
's songs from ''
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle ''The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle'' is the second studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was recorded by Springsteen with the E Street Band at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, New York, and released on ...
''. He explained, Provoked by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
's attempted censorship of the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
' song, "
God Save the Queen "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, b ...
", Costello revived "Radio Soul" in 1977 as "Radio Radio", a more cynical critique of the commercialization of English radio. Costello explained that these new lyrics reflected the moment when "you get into the business of making records and you realise what it's really about is some guy going off with a big sack of money to give it to somebody with hookers and cocaine so that they play your record enough times that people get batted to death with it and that makes it a hit". He later described English radio as "a smug, soothing appeaser". When asked about the song's relevance in 2003, Costello stated:


Release

Recorded either during the sessions for ''
This Year's Model ''This Year's Model'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover for his debut album ''My Aim Is True'' (1977), Costello formed the ...
'' or slightly afterwards, "Radio Radio" was released as a standalone single in October 1978. The single peaked number 29 in the UK and number 93 in Australia. Costello attributed the relative lack of chart success to radio censorship, explaining, " Radio One realised it was anti-radio and not pro-radio when they listened to the lyrics of the verse instead of just the chorus, radio play stopped overnight and the record dropped like a stone. It was steaming away up until then". The song was also added onto the American release of ''This Year's Model'', replacing "
(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" is a song written by new wave music, new wave musician Elvis Costello and recorded by Costello with his backing band the Attractions. The song appeared on Costello's 1978 second album, ''This Year's Model''. Wr ...
" and "Night Rally". Costello speculated that this was a reaction to the notoriety the song had achieved from its appearance on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
''. The song was also accompanied by a music video. Since its release, "Radio Radio" has appeared on several compilation albums, including '' The Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions'', '' The Very Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions 1977–86'', '' The Very Best of Elvis Costello'', and '' The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years''. The song also appeared on live albums ''
Live at Hollywood High ''Live at Hollywood High'' (officially released as ''Live at Hollywood High/The Costello Show Vol. 2'') is a recording by Elvis Costello and the Attractions from a 1978 concert at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, California. Three songs fr ...
'' and '' Live at the El Mocambo''.


"Tiny Steps"

The B-side for the single was the non-album track "Tiny Steps". The song contained themes of abuse, a reoccurring theme in Costello's work. It was later released on the compilation albums ''
Taking Liberties ''Taking Liberties'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, consisting of tracks not previously released on his albums as released in the United States. It is largely made up of B-sides, but features three previous ...
'' and ''
Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers ''Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers'' is a compilation album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and his backing band the Attractions, comprising tracks not previously released on albums. It is largely made up of B-sides, bu ...
''.


Reception

"Radio Radio" has seen critical acclaim since its release. Mark Deming of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
described the song as "certainly among ostello'smost anthemic", while Matt LeMay of ''
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
'' called it as "easily one of the glowing highlights of the man's entire career". Morgan Troper of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...
'' dubbed the song "one of Costello's most-discussed — and most-loved — compositions, and for good reason" and noted that "It's almost contrarian of Elvis to be railing against commercialization and censorship in a gorgeous, entirely consumable pop song (as far as straightforward power pop songs go, this is one of Elvis' finest)". "Radio Radio" has also been named one of Costello's best songs on several rankings. Ryan Prado of ''
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'' named it Costello's best song, writing, "Costello's punk-as-fuck dissertation on corporate radio still seethes as red-faced to this day". Jim Beviglia of ''American Songwriter'' named it Costello's third best song, stating, "The song hit the nail on the head so hard that it drove that nail right through the homogenizing programming and thinly-veiled censorship that had already become standard practice at the time of the single's release in 1978". Jeremy Allen of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' named the song one of the ten best Elvis Costello songs, praising the song's "sharp hook", "thumping rhythm", and "
Steve Nieve Steve Nieve ( "naïve"; born Stephen John Nason, 21 February 1958) is an English musician and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Nieve has been a member of Elvis Costello's backing bands the Attractions, the Imposters and Madnes ...
's trademark swirly organ". Martin Chilton ranked the song number 19 on his top 40 list of best Costello songs, while Brian Hyatt of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...
'' named it one of his top 10 Costello songs.


''Saturday Night Live'' performance

The song made waves in the US after Costello and the Attractions performed the song on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
''. Originally, the Sex Pistols had been invited to perform on the broadcast (hosted by Miskel Spillman, an elderly woman who won SNL's "Anybody Can Host" contest), but visa problems prevented the band from appearing. After the
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
turned down the chance to fill in—
Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...
later wrote, "We don't substitute for anybody"—Elvis Costello and the Attractions were invited. A reference to Sex Pistols' manager
Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provo ...
's inability to get his band visas was made by drummer Pete Thomas who, during the performance, wore a shirt with the words "Thanks Malc". Costello was to perform two songs on ''SNL'': " Watching the Detectives", which Costello felt was a "good choice for our opening number, as the Attractions had now made the song their own", and " Less Than Zero", Costello's debut UK single.
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
had insisted that Costello perform the song, but Costello objected on the grounds that the song was too "low-key" and too old, and its subject matter—the song was about British fascist
Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...
—was too unfamiliar for American audiences. ''SNL'' music director
Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer and conductor noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' film trilogies. ...
noted that Costello sought to buck pressure from his label during the show. On the night of the performance, Costello and the Attractions began playing "Less Than Zero". After a few bars, he turned to the Attractions, waving his hand and yelling, "Stop! Stop!" He turned to the audience and said, Costello and the band then played "Radio Radio" instead. ''SNL'' producer
Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...
was reportedly furious, giving Costello
the finger In Western culture, "the finger", or the middle finger (as in giving someone the (middle) finger, the bird or flipping someone off) is an obscene hand gesture. The gesture communicates moderate to extreme contempt, and is roughly equivalent in ...
throughout the duration of the performance. When asked about this, Costello replied, "I'm not going to say that's true.
Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on '' The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on ''Saturday Ni ...
told me that at the 25th-anniversary party. He said, 'Don't let Lorne tell you he was in on the joke. I remember him doing that.' So I'm not saying it; Bill is saying it. Lorne can take it up with Bill. I don't know". Costello was banned from ''Saturday Night Live'' until 1989. He reflected, "It felt good, but it was hardly a revolutionary act". Costello referenced the incident during ''SNLs 25th anniversary show in 1999, where he burst in on Beastie Boys during their performance of "
Sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identiti ...
" and, after reprising his famous introduction of the song from the original performance, played "Radio Radio" with the Beastie Boys backing him. Costello said later that the inspiration for the last-minute song change came from Jimi Hendrix's 1969 performance on the BBC television show '' The Lulu Show''. Hendrix was scheduled to play his hit, "Hey Joe", but stopped midway, saying "I'm going to stop playing this rubbish". He then began performing
Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
's "
Sunshine of Your Love "Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British rock band Cream. With elements of hard rock, psychedelia, and pop, it is one of Cream's best known and most popular songs. Cream bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce based it on a distinctive b ...
"—dedicating it to the recently broken-up Cream—until he was pulled from the air. Costello recalled, "It was like watching your television go out of control".


Charts


Cover versions and later performances

"Radio Radio" has been covered by multiple other artists, often referencing the ''Saturday Night Live'' appearance.
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
and his band have launched into a cover of "Radio Radio" when technical difficulties, such as a server crash, forced him to stop a song midway during a live performance. On 16 January 2012, indie rock musician St. Vincent performed a version of her song "Cheerleader" on '' Conan'', before which she started with a cover of "Radio Radio" stopping seconds later and stating "I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to play that song."


References

Citations Sources * * {{Authority control 1978 songs Elvis Costello songs Songs written by Elvis Costello Songs about radio Radar Records singles Song recordings produced by Nick Lowe