An explosive, groundbreaking album that crowned a new king of rock in just 33 minutes

Before Elvis Costello was one of Rolling Stone’s greatest artists of all time, before he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was Declan P. McManus, an office drone with a dull suburban life and a side gig in a pub rock band. In 1976, under the guidance of legendary label Stiff Records, he transformed himself into the snarling, spectacled artist who defied the musical status quo to blaze the trail for a new kind of rock star with his debut album, My Aim Is True.

In Elvis Is King, Richard Crouse examines how the man, the myth, and the music of this arrestingly original album smashed the trends of the era to bridge the gap between punk and rock ’n’ roll.

About the Pop Classics Series

Short books that pack a big punch, Pop Classics offer intelligent, fun, and accessible arguments about why a particular pop phenomenon matters.

Richard Crouse is the co-host of Canada's longest running television show about movies, Reel to Real; the author of five books on pop culture history, including The 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen; the regular film critic for CTV's Canada AM; and a frequent guest on CBC Radio One's Go.

Richard Crouse's profile page

“There’s no pretentious navel-gazing or ‘how do I fill 100 pages?’ tangents in Elvis Is King: Costello’s My Aim Is True. Like that no-bullshit debut album released at the end of a decade infamous for its poses and pomposity, Crouse’s book says what’s necessary in fast, furious fashion, covering Costello’s musical upbringing, his debut’s recording, its marketing, its songs, and subsequent stage and TV support appearances. Never does he lapse into obnoxious and very un-Rock & Roll pseudo-academic blather.” — Psychobabble

“Crouse says he loves Costello’s story. Well, he makes you, the reader, love Costello’s story.” — Justine Lewkowicz, NewsTalk 1010

“There is little doubt the entire project is a labor of love that many readers will find contagious as they listen to My Aim Is True again or for the first time.” — PublishersWeekly.com

“Though relatively brief (and appropriately so, given its narrow focus), Elvis Is King presents a tight, thorough portrait of the musician as a young man that will appeal not only to die-hard Costello fans but rock historians in general.” — Small Press Reviews

“His little book is worth a read.” — ARSC Journal