“Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)” by Elvis Costello

"Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)" comes from When I Was Cruel, Elvis Costello's 19th studio album, which Island put out in the US in April 2002, and Costello wrote every word and note of it. The record was sold as his first loud album in years, and it was the first to bring in his new band, the Imposters: Steve Nieve on keyboards, Pete Thomas on drums and Davey Faragher on bass, which made them the old Attractions with Faragher in place of Bruce Thomas.

The giddy title, and the idea behind the whole song, came from a set of Japanese dolls covered in gloriously mangled English. It later showed up on screen too, in The Shape of Things, a 2003 film. Ciarán Cahill recorded it, with Kieran Lynch assisting.

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