Question 1

True or false: Elvis Costello collaborated with Paul McCartney to write several songs in the 1980s.

Accepted Answer

True. They co-wrote hits like 'Veronica' and 'My Brave Face' for Costello's 1989 album 'Spike' and McCartney's 'Flowers in the Dirt'.

Question 2

True or false: The Attractions were Costello's backing band from his debut album onward.

Accepted Answer

False. His debut 'My Aim Is True' featured the American band Clover as session musicians. The Attractions formed for his second album.

Question 3

True or false: Elvis Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus and changed his name legally in the 1980s.

Accepted Answer

True. He was born Declan Patrick MacManus. He legally adopted 'Elvis Costello' in 1986 after using it as a stage name since 1977.

Question 4

True or false: Costello's song 'Pump It Up' was inspired by a traffic jam he experienced in London.

Accepted Answer

False. The song was actually inspired by the rhythmic feel of 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' and his frustration with touring excess, not a traffic jam.

Question 5

True or false: Elvis Costello wrote 'Everyday I Write the Book' for his first wife.

Accepted Answer

False. The song was inspired by his then-girlfriend (later wife) Cait O'Riordan, but he wrote it for her, not his first wife Mary.

Question 6

True or false: Elvis Costello's father was a famous opera singer who performed at Covent Garden.

Accepted Answer

False. His father, Ross MacManus, was a jazz trumpeter and singer for Joe Loss's orchestra, not an opera singer at Covent Garden.

Question 7

True or false: Elvis Costello once performed a concert on a submarine for the British Royal Navy.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1984, he played a secret show for sailors aboard the HMS Tireless nuclear submarine, a bizarre and little-known event.

Question 8

True or false: Elvis Costello has never won a Grammy Award for any of his albums.

Accepted Answer

True. Despite multiple nominations, Costello has never won a competitive Grammy. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

Elvis Costello Trivia Questions