“(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” by Elvis Costello

"(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" comes from My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello's 1977 debut album, and it's a jangling little dagger. Costello wrote it on a train ride to Liverpool in 1976, and by his own account it's about romantic disappointment, served up with a sneer and a wink over a chiming, Byrds-inspired backing.

Nick Lowe produced it and sings backing vocals. John McFee, from Clover, Costello's backing band of the time, came up with the intro and plays guitar alongside him, John Ciambotti plays bass and sings backup, Sean Hopper adds organ, piano and harmony, and Micky Shine keeps the drums crisp. The whole thing moves at a brisk, skipping pace, all bright guitar and bitter aftertaste.

It was the third single from the album and got more exposure than anything Costello had put out before, yet it failed to chart in the UK. Critics liked it anyway, and it has remained a fixture of his live shows.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.