| "You Bowed Down" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Roger McGuinn | |
| from the album Back from Rio | |
| Released | January 8, 1991 |
| Genre | Jangle pop |
| Length | 3:52 |
| Label | Arista |
| Songwriter(s) | Elvis Costello |
| Producer(s) |
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"You Bowed Down" is a song written by Elvis Costello, first released by Roger McGuinn on his album Back from Rio. Costello recorded his own version of the song for his 1996 album All This Useless Beauty.
Having been acquaintances with Costello since the 1980s, McGuinn asked him to contribute a song to his next solo album. Costello then sent back "You Bowed Down" with detailed instructions on how McGuinn should perform the vocals. After McGuinn's version was released, Costello decided to revisit the song for a project originally intended to be a collection of songs Costello gave to other musicians. Costello's version, performed with the Attractions, reworked the middle-eight to more closely mirror Costello's original arrangement. It was released as a single in the US in 1996.
Both versions have attracted critical acclaim and Costello continues to perform the song intermittently live.