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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
As told to Rich Pelley

‘I can’t listen to Pink Floyd - I find their music dreary’: Elvis Costello’s honest playlist

Closeup of a man holding a hand to his forehead
‘Karaoke? Certainly not. I do this for a living’ … Elvis Costello. Photograph: Mark Seliger

The first song I fell in love with
The Wind Cries Mary by Jimi Hendrix, which came out in 1967 when I was 12. Hendrix was known for outgoing music, but I was a romantic soul, so the emotional side of his music led to that strain in my own writing.

The song I do at karaoke
Karaoke? Certainly not. I do this for a living. Would you have made my great-grandfather dig ditches for fun? I prefer to live vicariously through Bill Murray singing (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding in Lost in Translation.

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