When I Was Cruel | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 23 April 2002 | |||
Recorded | 2001–2002 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 62:53 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Elvis Costello chronology | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 76/100 [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Blender | [3] |
Entertainment Weekly | A [4] |
The Guardian | [5] |
Los Angeles Times | [6] |
NME | 6/10 [7] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [8] |
Q | [9] |
Rolling Stone | [10] |
Spin | 7/10 [11] |
When I Was Cruel is the 19th studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released in the US by Island Records on 23 April 2002. Although formally credited as solo Costello album, this was the first album to feature his new band, the Imposters. Their only difference from his previous band, the Attractions (active 1977–87 and 1994–96), was the replacement of bassist Bruce Thomas, with whom Costello had feuded, with Davey Faragher (formerly of Cracker).
The album was released with multiple track listings worldwide. [12] Costello wrote two songs for the film Prison Song - "Soul for Hire", which was included with all versions of the album, and "Oh Well", which was included only in the track listing in Europe and Japan. [13] Japan also featured as a bonus track a cover of Charlie Chaplin's song "Smile", which was later released as a single. [14] When the album was released, promotional materials billed it as Costello's "FIRST LOUD ALBUM SINCE 199?".
The song "45" is about being 45 years old, Costello's age when he wrote it. The song also features Costello's penchant for multiple meanings, referencing the year 1945, .45 caliber pistols, and 45 rpm records. [4] The idea and title of "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)" came from a set of Engrish-laden dolls in Japan. It appears in the 2003 film The Shape of Things . The Bangles covered it as the title track on their 2003 album, Doll Revolution .
All songs written by Elvis Costello.
Chart (2002) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [15] | 20 |
Chart (2002) | Position |
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Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [16] | 152 |
Declan Patrick MacManus, known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to Rolling Stone, Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical traditions of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison with the raw energy and sass that were principal ethics of punk", noting the "construction of his songs, which set densely layered wordplay in an ever-expanding repertoire of styles." His first album, My Aim Is True (1977), is widely regarded as one of the best debuts in popular music history. It spawned no hit singles, but contains some of Costello's best-known songs, including the ballad "Alison". Costello's next two albums, This Year's Model (1978) and Armed Forces (1979), recorded with his backing band the Attractions, helped define the new wave genre. From late 1977 until early 1980, each of the eight singles he released reached the UK Top 30. His biggest hit single, "Oliver's Army" (1979), sold more than 500,000 copies in Britain. He has had more modest commercial success in the US, but has earned much critical praise. From 1977 until the early 2000s, Costello's albums regularly ranked high on the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll, with This Year's Model and Imperial Bedroom (1982) voted the best album of their respective years. His biggest US hit single, "Veronica" (1989), reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Mighty Like a Rose is the 13th studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in 1991 on compact disc as Warner Brothers 26575. The title is presumably a reference to the pop standard "Mighty Lak' a Rose", and although that song does not appear on the album, the words of its first stanza are quoted in the booklet of the 2002 reissue. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart, and at No. 55 on the Billboard 200.
Spike is the 12th studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released in 1989 by Warner Bros. Records. It was his first album for the label and first release since My Aim Is True without the Attractions. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and also reached the Billboard 200 at No. 32, thanks to the single and his most notable American hit, "Veronica", which reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the US Modern Rock chart. In The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll for the year's best albums, Spike finished at No. 7.
Kill the Moonlight is the fourth album by American rock band Spoon released on August 20, 2002 through Merge Records. The album features a stripped-down, minimal sound that incorporates various different instruments such as tambourines and pianos along with an idiosyncratic production style. The album has gone on to receive critical acclaim with its lead single "The Way We Get By" being used in various television shows, and is regarded as Spoon's magnum opus.
Steve Nieve is an English musician and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Nieve has been a member of Elvis Costello's backing bands the Attractions and the Imposters, as well as Madness. He has also experienced success as a prolific session musician, featured on a wide array of other artists' recordings.
Tone Soul Evolution is the second album from The Apples in Stereo. It was recorded from February to June and released in September 1997.
Peter Michael Thomas is an English rock drummer best known for his collaboration with singer Elvis Costello, both as a member of his band the Attractions and with Costello as a solo artist. Besides his lengthy career as a studio musician and touring drummer, he has been a member of the band Squeeze during the 1990s and a member of the supergroup Works Progress Administration during the early 2000s.
Goodbye Cruel World is the ninth studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his eighth with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas. It was released on 18 June 1984 through F-Beat Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States. Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who returned from 1983's Punch the Clock, the album was recorded at London's Sarm West Studios in March 1984 during a period of turmoil for the artist. The problematic sessions included disagreements between Costello and the producers over the album's direction and high tensions amongst the Attractions.
North is an album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released in 2003. Contrasting with its rock-based predecessor When I Was Cruel (2002), North is an intimate album of ballads and torch songs using classical music and jazz idioms, partially inspired by the dissolution of his marriage to wife Cait O'Riordan and his burgeoning relationship with Diana Krall. It reached No. 44 in the UK Albums Chart, No. 57 in the US Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 in the US Traditional Jazz chart.
The Delivery Man is the 21st studio album by Elvis Costello, released on 21 September 2004 through Lost Highway Records. It was recorded with the Imposters at Sweet Tea Studio in Oxford, Mississippi. It peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard 200.
"Let Him Run Wild" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1965 album Summer Days . Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was issued as the B-side to "California Girls".
Cruel Smile is a compilation album by Elvis Costello and the Imposters, released in 2002. It consists of B-sides and leftover material from the When I Was Cruel sessions.
The discography of the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello includes 33 studio albums, 6 live albums, 17 compilation albums, 6 tribute albums, 2 extended plays, 62 singles and 4 box sets. This page distinguishes between United States and United Kingdom release dates and record labels. Of note are the reissue series, Costello's back catalogue having undergone reissue three times by three different companies.
The River in Reverse is a collaboration album by Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, released in 2006. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi, also known as A Favor of Duty Part 1, is the first cover album by Japanese singer and songwriter Ringo Sheena, released on May 27, 2002 by Toshiba EMI. The album is a set of two discs. It has sold over 409,000 copies since its release and was certified Platinum by the RIAJ.
"Watching the Detectives" is a 1977 single by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello. Inspired by the Clash and Bernard Herrmann, the song features a reggae beat and cynical lyrics.
"The Only Flame in Town" 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 1984 album, Goodbye Cruel World. Originally written in the style of a classic torch song, "The Only Flame in Town" was reworked by producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley in a more pop-friendly style. This final version features Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates on backing vocals.
"45" is a song by Elvis Costello from his 2002 album When I Was Cruel, written by Costello. The second single released from the album, it reached number 92 in the UK charts. To date, it is his last single to chart in the United Kingdom.
Hey Clockface is the 31st studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 30 October 2020 by Concord Records.
The Boy Named If is the 32nd studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and The Imposters. The album was released on 14 January 2022 by EMI Records and Capitol Records.