10 Songs About How The Music Business Sucks

Of all the outrageous superstars to come out of the punk revolution, Elvis Costello really sticks out like a sore thumb. Even though his first few efforts got decent reviews from the critics, this was not a guy who seemed to carry himself in the same way as Johnny Rotten, with David Lee Roth once claiming that Costello looked more like a critic than an actual rock star. Elvis did have a bit of a chip on his shoulder though, and Radio Radio may have been just a little too honest to the airwaves.

For all of the amazing hooks that are crammed into this one song, the lyrics made it impossible to put on the radio. While it originally starts off with Elvis talking about how much radio kept him sane during his childhood, he's got a much more cynical outlook these days, knowing how the radio is controlled by manipulative suits and all the listeners can do is just listen to what they have like sheep.

Radio (naturally) didn't really take kindly to that sentiment though, and Elvis even was told not to perform it when he played SNL for the first time. While the compromise seemed to last up until showtime, the broadcast is where you can hear Elvis snap, stopping the band and blasting through the song before they could take him off the air. The song itself might be a decent slice of new wave focused pop rock, but the mentality behind the track is about as punk rock as it gets.