# Clash of the titans: Elvis Costello vs. David Byrne **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690 "2008-09-08T22:15:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/21 "2008-09-09T16:11:42Z")
No contest. David Byrne is quite good, though inconsistently so.\* Elvis Costello is fucking **brilliant** , and always has been, and is amazingly prolific in the bargain. \*Just got the CD+DVD version of _The Knee Plays_. Really good stuff, but it does go on and on…and the video version is just tedious. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/22 "2008-09-09T16:37:48Z")
> [@Khampelf](#): > > Well, would you rather make love to the song ‘And she was’, or 'Accidents will happen"? > > I like D.B. way, way better. Why in the world would anyone want to make love to either? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/23 "2008-09-09T16:44:22Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Elvis Costello is fucking **brilliant** , and always has been, and is amazingly prolific in the bargain. I will agree that Elvis Costello is brilliant. I will not agree that he’s consistent. The bulk of his 90s output was pretty weak. (Mighty Like a Rose, anyone?) Only by the end of the decade did he start getting some of that spark back, but none of the records he’s made in the last twenty years compares to his first decade. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/24 "2008-09-09T16:55:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I will agree that Elvis Costello is brilliant. I will not agree that he’s consistent. The bulk of his 90s output was pretty weak. (Mighty Like a Rose, anyone?) Only by the end of the decade did he start getting some of that spark back, but none of the records he’s made in the last twenty years compares to his first decade. Well, I think **Brutal Youth** (1994) was really really good, and I also really like **Momofuku** , the record (yes, record) he just released a few months ago, very much harking back to the ‘Blood and Chocolate’ sound. YMMV of course. And I do like ‘And She Was’ but I don’t see it as a makin’-love-to kinda song, either… ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/25 "2008-09-09T16:57:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I will agree that Elvis Costello is brilliant. I will not agree that he’s consistent. The bulk of his 90s output was pretty weak. (Mighty Like a Rose, anyone?) Purely opinion, of course, but I disagree that _Mighty Like a Rose_ was weak (though it may not be in his top ten); I’d say that _Brutal Youth_ was as good as anything he’s done; and _All This Useless Beauty_ and _When I Was Cruel_ are similarly great. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/26 "2008-09-09T17:20:20Z")
“And She Was”? No. “Dance on Vaseline”? Oh my yes. ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/27 "2008-09-09T18:20:30Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Costello is a much better singer and songwriter, though Byrne’s talents extend to other art forms besides just music. Winner: Costello. Seconded (or thirded or whatever… havent read any farther in the thread as this sums my thoughts nicely) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/28 "2008-09-09T21:02:35Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > Costello in a walk, IMHO. I give Byrne props for his multi-faceted talent, though. +1 - Not close, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/29 "2008-09-09T21:31:21Z")
Byrne is an insufferably pompous and artistically blindered jerk who gives me a violent case of the so-what’s. Elvis Costello is a bit of a jerk, but writes cool songs. Costello. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/30 "2008-09-09T21:40:23Z")
Out for a drink? Costello by a mile. I find Byrne too precious by half. Force me to play a 20-song cabaret of their songs? Costello. Talking Heads were always better at a vibe than a song. Force me to listen to one of their records 5 times in a row? Well, I’ll give it to Byrne and _Remain in Light._ Or is it a fistfight? Costello is bound to be scrappier, but Byrne has a really large head (I saw him in a NYC bookstore once, it’s remarkable) and may be hard to KO. Draw. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/31 "2008-09-09T22:05:47Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Costello is a much better singer and songwriter, though Byrne’s talents extend to other art forms besides just music. Winner: Costello. See, to me, your first sentence would make your 2nd sentence: Winner: Byrne ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/32 "2008-09-09T22:07:17Z")
> [@Ichbin\_Dubist](#): > > Out for a drink? Costello by a mile. I find Byrne too precious by half. > > Force me to play a 20-song cabaret of their songs? Costello. Talking Heads were always better at a vibe than a song. > > Force me to listen to one of their records 5 times in a row? Well, I’ll give it to Byrne and _Remain in Light._ > > Or is it a fistfight? Costello is bound to be scrappier, but Byrne has a really large head (I saw him in a NYC bookstore once, it’s remarkable) and may be hard to KO. Draw. Love your user name…I am, you are? Ausgezeichnet! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/33 "2008-09-09T22:45:30Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Purely opinion, of course, but I disagree that _Mighty Like a Rose_ was weak (though it may not be in his top ten); I’d say that _Brutal Youth_ was as good as anything he’s done; and _All This Useless Beauty_ and _When I Was Cruel_ are similarly great. _All This Useless Beauty_ is the only one of the bunch I think is okay. _Mighty Like a Rose_ I would consider his second worst work, next to _Goodbye Cruel World_ and perhaps _Spike_ or even _North._ Anyhow, as to the OP, it’s really difficult. I think Elvis Costello is one of the greatest songwriters ever. He is in a league of his own. However, I usually prefer Byrne’s work. So, being as objective as possible, I’d say Elvis Costello; personally, it’s David Byrne for me. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/34 "2008-09-09T23:02:40Z")
Fan of both (in their respective heydays), but I’ve got to give it to Costello on song quality alone. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/35 "2008-09-09T23:42:51Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Fan of both (in their respective heydays), but I’ve got to give it to Costello on song quality alone. Ditto. Costello is simply a stunningly great lyricist, who is also capable of investing great feeling in most of his work ( I like his covers a lot as well ) and I could give a crap about either’s venture outside of music. But I do find the question interesting in the sense that if pressed I’m always inclined to list either Costello or Talking Heads as my “favorite band.” I don’t _really_ have a favorite band, I don’t think. But those are the two that always pop into my head when the question comes up. So I’ve always kind of idly wondered what the commonality is between the two that attracts me so powerfully. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/36 "2008-09-10T03:09:22Z")
Must I choose between them? I must? OK, David Byrne, then. Edited to add: it’s more a result of familiarity than anything else. I grew up listening to Talking Heads, and I even like his solo work. I can see why people would find Costello’s lyrics to be more personal, but I’ve always liked Byrne’s postmodernish perspective. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/37 "2008-09-10T03:39:03Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I’d say that _Brutal Youth_ was as good as anything he’s done; and _All This Useless Beauty_ and _When I Was Cruel_ are similarly great. Beat me to it, so this is just another lane “me too” post. Exactly the albums I was going to nominate. [QUOTE=pulykamell] Elvis Costello is fucking brilliant, and always has been, and is amazingly prolific in the bargain. I will agree that Elvis Costello is brilliant. I will not agree that he’s consistent. The bulk of his 90s output was pretty weak. (Mighty Like a Rose, anyone?) Only by the end of the decade did he start getting some of that spark back, but none of the records he’s made in the last twenty years compares to his first decade. [/QUOTE] That “weak” 90’s output includes two of those three works of genius above: \*Brutal Youth \*[1994] and \*All This Useless Beauty \*[1996], which are every bit as good as, say, _Armed Forces_. Indeed I would say the late 90s were a weaker period for him, with the fairly lame collaborations _Painted from Memory_ [Bacharach, 1998] and _For the Stars_ [Anne Sofie von Otter, 2001] as the only original releases between 1996 and 2002. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/38 "2008-09-10T05:45:40Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Beat me to it, so this is just another lane “me too” post. Exactly the albums I was going to nominate. > > That “weak” 90’s output includes two of those three works of genius above: \*Brutal Youth \*[1994] and \*All This Useless Beauty \*[1996], which are every bit as good as, say, _Armed Forces_. Indeed I would say the late 90s were a weaker period for him, with the fairly lame collaborations _Painted from Memory_ [Bacharach, 1998] and _For the Stars_ [Anne Sofie von Otter, 2001] as the only original releases between 1996 and 2002. Well, nothing he’s done after _Imperial Bedroom_ or perhaps _King of America_ has really done much for me. He had pretty much a streak of perfect albums through _Imperial Bedroom_, and I don’t feel his 90s output matches the perfection of his earliest work. Then again, that is setting a real high bar for anyone. _All This Useless Beauty_ is the closest he’s gotten to that bar. I wasn’t much a fan of _Brutal Youth_, but perhaps I should revisit it. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard it, and maybe my perspective will have changed. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/39 "2008-09-10T15:51:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, nothing he’s done after _Imperial Bedroom_ or perhaps _King of America_ has really done much for me. He had pretty much a streak of perfect albums through _Imperial Bedroom_, and I don’t feel his 90s output matches the perfection of his earliest work. Then again, that is setting a real high bar for anyone. _All This Useless Beauty_ is the closest he’s gotten to that bar. I wasn’t much a fan of _Brutal Youth_, but perhaps I should revisit it. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard it, and maybe my perspective will have changed. I’d say his streak pretty much ended with _Trust_, and then started up again with _Imperial Bedroom_ (through _King of America_ and _Blood & Chocolate_ and, if you’re feeling generous, _Spike_ - after that he became wildly uneven). _Goodbye Cruel World_ was pretty much worthless, IMO, aside from “Inch By Inch” and “Peace In Our Time”. And _Punch The Clock_ had some great songs but a lot of filler. Still, _My Aim Is True_ through _Get Happy!!_ was all brilliant, and _Trust_ itself just shy of that. So, as I said, he’s got my vote. If I’m counting the votes correctly, so far Costello’s ahead 14-7. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/40 "2008-09-10T16:42:35Z")
> [@Khampelf](#): > > Well, would you rather make love to the song ‘And she was’, or 'Accidents will happen"? The first time I heard “And She Was,” I thought, “Really cool song, but musically it sounds a lot like a ripoff of Madness’s ‘Bed & Breakfast Man.’” My vote’s for Elvis, though there’s a lot of Byrne/Talking Heads I’m unfamiliar with. (By the way, how much of the Talking Heads’ greatness can we attribute to Byrne, and how much to other band members & collaborators?) For what it’s worth, there was an [Elvis Costello Appreciation Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=412999) a while back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690.md?page=3)