| "Radio Radio" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Elvis Costello and the Attractions | ||||
| from the album This Year's Model | ||||
| B-side | "Tiny Steps" | |||
| Released | 20 October 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:04 | |||
| Label | Radar Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Elvis Costello | |||
| Producer(s) | Nick Lowe | |||
| Elvis Costello and the Attractions singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Radio Radio” on YouTube | ||||
"Radio Radio" is a song written by Elvis Costello and performed by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The song originated as a Bruce Springsteen-inspired song called "Radio Soul" that Costello had written in 1974. In 1977, Costello reworked the song to feature a more aggressive arrangement and more direct, sarcastic lyrics that criticised the commercialism of British radio. Costello and the Attractions recorded the song around the time of his second album, This Year's Model.
"Radio Radio" was released as a standalone single in the United Kingdom in October 1978, reaching number 29. The track was appended onto the US version of their second album, This Year's Model, released earlier that year. The song has since seen critical acclaim, being marked as one of Costello's best by many writers and appearing on several compilation albums.
Costello and the Attractions famously performed the song live on the American television show Saturday Night Live in 1977; originally scheduled to perform Costello's debut single "Less Than Zero", Costello abruptly switched songs live against the wishes of his record company and SNL, resulting in Costello being banned from the show for 11 years.
- ^ Gold, Adam (28 October 2010). "In advance of his new Nashville-recorded album National Ransom, Elvis Costello looks back on his three-decade love affair with Music City". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
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