# What is the best song off of "My Aim Is True"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215 "2010-10-06T04:49:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/1 "2010-10-06T04:49:33Z")
I’m hopping on the trend. _My Aim Is True_, Elvis Costello’s 1977 debut album. Pick the song you think is best. I included “Watching the Detectives”, which was on the original American release but not on the original British release (where it was released as a single). I left off the various extra tracks that have been added for later reissues. (The 2007 Deluxe edition has forty-eight tracks!) ---
**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:** [October 6, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/2 "2010-10-06T05:02:22Z")
Tough choice. While nothing on this album ranks with my favorite Elvis, it’s all still pretty great. There are about half a dozen on here that I could easily choose as best, but I went with “Less Than Zero” 'cos I hear that South America is coming back in style. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/3 "2010-10-06T05:16:57Z")
_Watching the Detectives_, but it is kind of a cheat - I believe it was recorded at a later session with different musicians and is musically much more similar to the later albums with the Attractions than it is to the rest of **My Aim is True**. If I were to stick with songs that were recorded in the original sessions, the best song is probably _Alison_, but my favorites might be _Welcome to the Working Week_ or _(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes_. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/4 "2010-10-06T13:14:37Z")
This is turning out to be as difficult as the Abbey Road poll was. So many great songs, so many great lyrics… _White lies, alibis, say anything but say that it’s true; We could sit like lovers staring at each others’ eyes, but the magic of the moment might become too much for you_ _I could tell you that I like your sensitivity when you know it’s the way that you walk_ _I said, ‘I’m so happy I could die,’ she said, ‘drop dead’ and left with another guy_ I ultimately went with ‘Less Than Zero’. mmm ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/5 "2010-10-06T14:52:31Z")
Alison is, for my money, Costello’s best song. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/6 "2010-10-06T16:02:07Z")
Another poll? Yikes! Well, I’ve gotta do it 'til I’m through it so I better get to it. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/7 "2010-10-06T16:13:48Z")
I love this album, for me every track is great so it was a hard choice. I went with I went with the funky quasi ska beats of _Less Than Zero_ mostly because if I was going to pick one track to listen to right now that’s what I would pick, but it could have been almost any song. I came very very close to picking _Blame it on Cain_ instead for having my favorite lyrical moment in modern rock music “Once upon a time, I had a little money Government burglars took it long Before I could mail it to you, still You are the only one Now I can’t let it slip away” I love the way that line trips off the tongue. But on the whole it isn’t quite as…solid as _Less Than Zero_. Also, while I love _Alison_, it is significantly farther down the list of my favorite songs on this album. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/8 "2010-10-06T16:22:56Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > I love this album, for me every track is great so it was a hard choice. Mr Costello agrees with you because I think he is still playing 8 tracks off this album in his live shows. Mind you he plays everything. I saw him on consecutive nights in Sydney and he played completely different sets each night. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-song-off-of-my-aim-is-true/556215/9 "2010-10-06T16:32:43Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > > [@NAF1138](#): > > > > I love this album, for me every track is great so it was a hard choice. > > Mr Costello agrees with you because I think he is still playing 8 tracks off this album in his live shows. Mind you he plays everything. I saw him on consecutive nights in Sydney and he played completely different sets each night. That’s really cool. I have only had a chance to see him once, but it was in a relatively intimate venue here in LA. I would love a chance to see him play again, it was a lot of fun.