The Elvis Costello song written to challenge a ‘romantic myth’

Elvis Costello claims that one of his songs was written to challenge the “romantic myth” found in other tracks. Costello has a staggering discography filled with hits, covers, and ambitious projects which get to grips with his feelings on romance, protest, and classics. But one song he wrote was all about dismantling the idea that failure and success are intertwined.

Costello would feature the song on King of America and sounds quite fond of it still. The song Suit of Lights is still performed occasionally by Costello and The Imposters though it has not featured on his setlist since a show in 2022. His performance at the Eventim Apollo show in London, England, is the last time the King of America deep cut appeared. But it’s a song many fans are fond of and, Costello too, seems to still back the meaning behind the track.

Speaking of the song in 1986 at the time of it and King of America’s release, Costello suggested it was all about breaking down the romanticism of failure. He said: “People love failure as much as they love success. They like to see people taken down a peg, and they like to see Elizabeth Taylor get fat. I just recorded a song called Suit of Lights which is about this sort of morbid embrace of celebrity. Would you agree that the creative drive and the impulse toward self-destruction are intertwined?

“No, that’s just a romantic myth perpetrated by artists lacking self-discipline. But that’s not to say that there isn’t an element of creativity to be found in the pursuit of self-destruction. The two things are not mutually exclusive.”

Suit of Lights serves as the penultimate song on King of America. Critics at the time suggested the song was actually about Costello burying the moniker in favour of his real name, Declan McManus. Costello would go on to reference those claims and agreed in-part. He said: “Some very smart guy who interviewed me a few months ago, who’d listened quite acutely to that song, he said it seemed like I was burying the Elvis Costello persona in that song.

“But the song isn’t so much about a funeral, it’s about a resurrection. … It’s such an Attractions song. They are the only people on earth who could’ve played that tune. But that’s just ironic, it wasn’t deliberate.” Speaking of The Attractions, Costello confirmed that Suit of Lights channeled a similar energy to that of his first band.

Immediately after recording the B-side track, Baby’s Got a Brand New Hairdo, the Attractions and Costello prepared themselves to record Suit of Lights. The result is the song released in 1986, “one of the most passionate Attractions recordings” according to the frontman, who used his and the band’s “pent-up frustrations” as a source for the song.