"Green Shirt" | ||||
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Single by Elvis Costello and the Attractions | ||||
from the album Armed Forces | ||||
B-side | "Beyond Belief" | |||
Released | April 1985 (single) January 1979 (album) | |||
Recorded | August – September 1978 | |||
Genre | New wave | |||
Label | F-Beat (single) Stiff (album) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Elvis Costello | |||
Producer(s) | Nick Lowe | |||
Elvis Costello and the Attractions singles chronology | ||||
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"Green Shirt" is a song written by new wave musician Elvis Costello and recorded by Costello with his backing band the Attractions. The song appeared on Costello's 1979 third album, Armed Forces. Lyrically inspired by the influence of the National Front and the Quisling Clinic in Wisconsin, "Green Shirt" features a vocal recorded by Costello after a "night of carousing".
"Green Shirt" was not released as a single at the time of its 1979 release, but in 1985 it saw single release to promote The Man: The Best of Elvis Costello. The single reached number 68 in Britain. Since its release, the song has been lauded by critics as one of Costello's best album tracks and has made several appearances in Costello's live setlist.