The song Alison appears on Elvis Costello’s first album My Aim Is True, 1977. The song was originally recorded before Elvis Costello found his backup group The Attractions. Elvis Costello has given very little about the meaning of the lyrics from the song, only to state it is about “disappointing somebody.” Never revealing who the song is about, he continues to say, “much more could be undone if more was revealed.”

Everyday I Write The Book is a song written and performed by Elvis Costello with his backup The Attractions. The song appears on Punch The Clock, 1983. Everyday I Write The Book was Elvis Costello’s first entry into the US top 40 list, also charting in the UK at number 28.

Appearing on the album, This Year’s Model, Pump It Up is a song written and performed by Elvis Costello. A prolific writer, Elvis Costello is also known for writing lyrics with double meanings – Pump It Up to mean both ‘turn up the volume,’ as well as a slang term for ‘masturbation.’

Watching The Detectives is a song performed by Elvis Costello and is the first credited to his new backing band The Attractions – released in 1977. Elvis Costello considers this song to be one of his favorites during the first five years of his career.