Artist	Song
Nick Lowe	American Squirm
from Basher - The Best of Nick Lowe (1989)
Graham Parker	Discovering Japan
from Squeezing Out Sparks + Live Sparks (Remastered) (1996)
Joe Jackson	Is She Really Going Out with Him?
from Look Sharp! (2001)
The Clash	Safe European Home
from The Essential Clash (2003)
Pretenders	Talk of the Town
from Pirate Radio (Digital Version) (2006)
T-Bone Burnett	River of Love
from T-Bone Burnett (2009)
John Hiatt	She Loves the Jerk
from John Hiatt: Anthology (2001)
Marshall Crenshaw	Cynical Girl
from This Is Easy: The Best of Marshall Crenshaw (2005)
Squeeze	Is That Love
from East Side Story (1986)
Crowded House	Distant Sun
from The Very Very Best of Crowded House (2010)
The Specials	Too Much Too Young
from The Specials (2002)
The Pogues	A Pair of Brown Eyes
from Rum Sodomy & the Lash [Expanded] (2006)
Any Trouble	Second Choice
from Where Are All the Nice Girls (1980)
Paul Gemignani	Finishing the Hat
from Sunday In the Park With George (Original Cast Recording) (2005)

Comment:

Over the course of two dozen albums, Costello’s wizardry at sonic shape-shifting guarantees that while these “similar” tunes may all sound like [i]him[/i], they won’t sound much like one another. In "Discovering Japan,” Graham Parker & The Rumour deploy one of Elvis’ favorite songwriting techniques, engaging the audience in a tug-of-war between a snappy tune and emotionally devastating lyrics . . . with the listener as the rope. Tom Waits’ “Johnsburg, Illinois” whispers with a hushed intimacy, much like Elvis’ version of “My Funny Valentine,” as if a concealed recorder had caught the singer in a private, unguarded moment. And Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim’s “Finishing the Hat,” from [i]Sunday in the Park with George[/i], radiates a theatrical sophistication that Costello so vividly captured on [i]The Juliet Letters[/i]. But these represent only a few pieces in Elvis’ musical jigsaw puzzle; you have to dig into the whole list to assemble the complete picture.

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