Elvis Costello is seemingly finished with TV appearances following a recent guest spot with Paul McCartney on The Late Show finale. Costello has not ruled out further TV appearances but has wished for the appearance on the last episode of Stephen Colbert’s show to be his last. Not only was it a special occasion for the Pump It Up hitmaker but it was a chance to end on a high after collaborating with The Beatles veteran.
In a question-and-answer session posted to his Instagram page earlier this week, Costello shared his thoughts on whether the performance of Hello, Goodbye, could be his final TV duty. He was asked: “You recently joined Paul McCartney on Stephen Colbert’s show to perform Hello, Goodbye. How has your friendship and musical connection with him evolved over the decades?”
Costello replied: “That concluding number was preceded by a quartet performance of Jump Up, a song written 51-years ago (an unreleased version of which will be included on a five-disc set acknowledging the 49th Anniversary of My Aim is True. The song was written when I lived on the edge of town, away from everything that was happening and, just like now, I felt our lives were not our own.
“I was touched that Stephen thought the song matched the moment as the penultimate item in his run and he and I shared lines and the accompaniment with Jon Baptiste and Louis Cato. It was beautifully lit and shot on a soundstage, two days before the final broadcast.”
Costello went on to say that he could not have asked for a better moment to end his TV career on than a duet with McCartney. He added: “Of course, the number was a preface to the actual finale number; Paul McCartney leading Hello, Goodbye on the same Ed Sullivan Theatre stage on which The Beatles made their American television debut in 1964.
“It doesn’t quite compare but I have made more than 30 appearances in that theatre – 25 or more on Late Night with David Letterman – and five more while Stephen Colbert was the host of The Late Show. That is most of my career on television. I sincerely hope that is over now.
“You can’t do better than singing harmony with Paul McCartney in the week he releases a great new record with a song on it as lovely as Life Can Be Hard.” Separately, Costello would also explain why he chose not to sue Olivia Rodrigo for using a riff similar to his hit song, Pump It Up.
Costello told The Times: “That’s too silly to talk about. Well, I met Olivia and she was lovely. I said, ‘Look, this is just a riff,’ and how could I be arrogant enough to sue on the basis of originality when my song is based on Subterranean Homesick Blues? Did Bob Dylan sue me? He teased me about it but didn’t sue. And did Chuck Berry sue Bob because his song was like Too Much Monkey Business?”
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