Elvis Costello Done Performing Song , That Contains Racial Slur.
CNN reports beloved rock musician
Elvis Costello is removing a controversial
song from his catalog.
Costello's 1979 song,
"Oliver's Army," still a hit in the United Kingdom, contains the N-word.
Supposedly, the song is politically charged, inspired by Costello's encounters with young soldiers during the conflicts of Northern Ireland at the time.
Only takes one itchy trigger; One more widow, one less white [N-word]. , Lyrics from Elvis Costello's "Oliver's Army," via CNN.
The songwriter will no longer play the song for audiences and has reportedly implored
radio stations to do the same.
If I wrote that song today,
maybe I'd think twice about it. , Elvis Costello, songwriter, via 'The Telegraph'.
That's what my grandfather was called in the British army --
it's historically a fact -- , Elvis Costello, songwriter, via 'The Telegraph'.
... but people hear that word go off like a bell and accuse me of something that I didn't intend. , Elvis Costello, songwriter, via 'The Telegraph'.
According to CNN, "Oliver's Army" spent a
long time uncensored on the airwaves.
That is, until 2013 when a BBC station began bleeping the slur.
Costello says radio stations that play the song only to censor the language are
"making it worse.".
Just don't play
the record! , Elvis Costello, songwriter, via 'The Telegraph'