Song · Elvis Costello
“The Blue Chair” by Elvis Costello
“The Blue Chair” by Elvis Costello appears on 3 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1987 and 2003. Its best result is #81 on the Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1987. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #237 alternative song of 1987 and #5,414 alternative song of all time.
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Elvis Costello's "Blue Chair" led a double life. He first tried it at the King of America sessions and scrapped it, then remade it with the Attractions, building on a piano part from Steve Nieve, for Blood & Chocolate, where it surfaced as an album track in 1986.
That wasn't the end of it. In 1987 Costello dug the abandoned King of America version back out, reworked it and put it out as a solo single, giving the song a second shot away from the Attractions. Britain shrugged, and it limped to number 94. Critics have been singing its praises ever since, which makes it one of those Costello songs whose reputation far outran its chart placing.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 81 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1987 | 105 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 267 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) | 501 |
| 2003 | 2038 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
Also listed as: Blue Chair.
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