Oliver's Army

"Oliver's Army"
Single by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
from the album Armed Forces
B-side	"My Funny Valentine"
Released	2 February 1979 (1979-02-02)
Recorded	August–September 1978
Studio	Eden, London
Genre	New wave pop[1]
Length	2:58
Label	Radar
Songwriter(s)	Elvis Costello
Producer(s)	Nick Lowe
Elvis Costello and the Attractions singles chronology
"Radio Radio" (1978) "Oliver's Army" (1979) "Accidents Will Happen" (1979)

"Oliver's Army" is a song written by English musician Elvis Costello and performed by Costello and the Attractions, from the former's third studio album Armed Forces (1979). The song is a new wave track that was lyrically inspired by the Troubles in Northern Ireland and includes lyrics critical of the socio-economic components of war. Costello had travelled to Northern Ireland and was influenced by sights of British soldiers patrolling Belfast. Musically, the song features a glossy production and a keyboard performance inspired by ABBA, creating a juxtaposition between the lyrics and music that both critics and Costello have pointed out.^{[citation needed]}

Released as the first single from Armed Forces, "Oliver's Army" was Costello's most successful single in the United Kingdom, spending three weeks at number two on the UK Singles Chart and remaining on the chart for 12 weeks. The song also charted in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland and Australia, and it spawned the successful follow-up single "Accidents Will Happen", which reached the top 30 in the UK.

"Oliver's Army" has since been recognised by writers as one of the highlights of Armed Forces and has received critical acclaim for its melody, production, and lyrics. The song has appeared on numerous rankings of Costello's great songs as well as on multiple compilation albums. It has been covered by multiple artists, including Blur.