Song of the Day 8/14: Elvis Costello and the Attractions, “Goon Squad”

ICE didn’t exist when Elvis Costello wrote this song for “Armed Forces,” the 1979 LP he was originally going to call “Emotional Fascism,” but then all goon squads are pretty much the same, aren’t they.

“Armed Forces” was Costello’s most political album, but it also reflected his turbulent personal life and difficulty dealing with sudden fame. “Goon Squad,” he wrote years later, “began as a reaction to the brutal and violent atmosphere of many U.K. shows of those days and the ‘reality’ of rock ‘n’ roll life but quickly became something altogether more pitiful.”

As he observed discussing the LP’s standout track, “Oliver’s Army,” inspired by a visit Northern Ireland, “they always get a working-class boy to do the killing.” Sure enough, ICE just dropped the age requirement for joining their Good Squad to 18.