Song · Elvis Costello & the Attractions
“Man out of Time” by Elvis Costello & the Attractions
From the album Imperial Bedroom (1982)
“Man out of Time” by Elvis Costello & the Attractions appears on 11 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 2003 and 2021. It was first released in 1982 on the album Imperial Bedroom. Its best result is #670 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,934 alternative song of all time.
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"Man Out of Time" sits on Imperial Bedroom, the 1982 album Elvis Costello made with the Attractions and producer Geoff Emerick, and it's the sound of the angry young man trading the snarl for something plush. The arrangement is lush on purpose, a conscious swerve away from the spitting attack of his earlier records.
Costello came up with the title line on a tour bus in Sweden in 1981 and finished the song in a hotel in Scotland on the same run of dates. What came out is a portrait of a cabinet minister lying low from a sex scandal, shot through with the self-disgust Costello said he felt at the time, his own ambitions tangled up with the politics around him. It stalled at 58 in the UK as the album's second single, but critics have been singing its praises ever since, and some rank it as the best thing he ever wrote.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1325 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2007 | 756 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 710 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 728 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 742 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 771 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 805 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 842 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2014 | 799 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) | 885 |
| 2020 | 1896 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2021 | 670 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
Also listed as: Man Out Of Time; Man Out of Time.
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