Elvis Costello & The Attractions - New Amsterdam

The new deluxe album ‘Look Now’ out now, order here: ElvisCostello.lnk.to/LookNow
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Music video by Elvis Costello & The Attractions performing New Amsterdam. (C) 1980 Elvis Costello under exclusive license to Universal Music Enterprises, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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[@Meme_Lor]

Elvis Costello is one of the greatest pop musicians of all time

[@theunwantedcritic]

Respectfully, I disagree. He was never that popular. But he was one of the most prolific songwriters in the last 75 years. I’ve heard this song dozens of times in the last 35 years but I haven’t heard it recently. He said he was listening to TikTok.

[@oolongoolong789]

His best song. Possibly.

[@tallan9698]

That is a hard row to hoe.

[@gontierfrancois8115]

Certainly. My favorite

[@wdamian]

Beyond Belief would like a word.

[@Thegdee]

Costello, Weller, Difford & Tilbrook and Ray Davis, right there is cream of the English writing crop for the past 60 yrs.

[@cafinario]

In 1980, when I was getting bored of the music out there, I listened to this and I had faith again.

[@bumpasaurus487]

Elvis Costello, the clash, and the talking heads were the best things to happen to music in the late 70s, exactly what was needed to get out of the played out self-indulgent cliche music rock had turned into.

[@Jehoshful]

Easily in the top 50 albums of all time !

[@Madkid73]

Get Happy is the go to album if I'm feeling low

[@christoJihad2]

Elvis first five albums is as good as anything the Stones or Beatles did in their five best. Just my opinion, but EC is a songwriting master. I've also seen him four times and each time he was incredible, as was the Attractions. I got to see him during his "Armed Forces" tour and I was stunned how perfect his voice was too. And this song is one of my personal favorites.

[@vernpascal1531]

I agree. Nobody's greater.

[@notasbrightasicouldb]

100% Forever

[@artamussumatra6286]

The eighties was a definite renaissance for great pop music, and Elvis Costello Was at the forefront of the creative blossoming. Alas, it was all downhill from there, and I doubt we’ll ever see a time quite like that again.

[@patrickhughes4914]

I saw him at the beacon theater in the 90's. You don't really know how powerful his voice is till you see him live.

[@usauser3163]

i think your confusing your own personal taste in music with the really great albums lol.....erm i dont thinks the numbers will lie when totting up the sales .... i bet you cant name 2 elvis costello songs nevermind five albums lol

[@tapeduk]

Pure Lyrical Genius......No Filler

[@gontierfrancois8115]

Elvis Costello is the best songwriter of all times, better than Lou Reed

[@puite68]

one of my all time favorite songs.

[@tallan9698]

It is a good one from a great record! P.S. I saw him do it live in New York City. 1981!

[@sratus]

Beatles level piece of songwriting

[@hanskloss1331]

better than

[@michaelkilkelly9437]

Believe it or not this is my 2nd cousin, I write music every day of my life, sadly I will never manage to ever be the songwriter this incredible man is. Makes me proud to listen to every time

[@patdonnelly9392]

oh...but your name is Killkelly!!! That in itself should make you a star...stay with it, my man!

[@rattyeely]

Don't give up, even if you never manage to be better than him you could still make some great songs

[@Bends95]

such an underrated cut from Elvis Costello!

[@user-bx7wi2pq1y]

Superb album and a great band

[@gontierfrancois8115]

The third album i bellieve 1980.

[@tonysabell7737]

As melodically and lyrically entrancing as anything the Beatles composed--and better.

[@bumpasaurus487]

I much prefer Elvis Costello to the Beatles myself, not even close,

[@tonysabell7737]

@@bumpasaurus487 Absolutely priceless line: "Everything you say now sounds like it was ghost-written."

[@finylvinyl66]

My favorite track from GET HAPPY!, a near perfect album. Best thing EC ever did.

[@cactaceous]

His next album, Trust, is his best. His first six albums are all masterpieces. Without a doubt. 1977-1982. Epic.

[@stevef.2549]

I like a couple of cuts off Trust (like Strict Time and Watch Your Step), but it's far from his best. So many of the songs are corny and misbegotten: Luxembourg is tossed off, From a Whisper To a Scream is comically bombastic, and he sounds absolutely pickled on New Lace Sleeves. He returned to form on Imperial Bedroom.

[@markbastable7528]

I have to say - well, I don't have to, but why not - that I think that Trust is a better album than, say My Aim is True or Armed Forces. Watch Your Step, New Lace Sleeves and Beyond Belief are among my favourite of his songs, though Strict Time and Luxembourg seem a bit 'what the hell'. Imperial Bedroom has always struck me as rather overengineered, though again, there are a couple of stunning songs on there. I don't think he really released a duff album till Spike. Then again, most patchy Costello albums are better than anyone else's best albums.

[@scooterboi17]

"misbegotten"?

[@lads.7715]

EC said it was one of his faves too. I like all his early albums, but, for me, This Year’s Model is the epitome in Raw rocking power.

[@markfaris4735]

One of his best hands down. Any questions about his brilliant career? My goodness

[@stephencopps1561]

Ever since I heard this l'm fascinated by the mention of Rotherhithe

[@nickwyatt9498]

For those who don't know, New Amsterdam was the original (Dutch) name for New York. Hence all the references.

[@lefty2149]

This song makes me happy and I sway back and forth while singing along.

[@victorlance6227]

This is a great musician, he deserved way more than he got. Musicians like Elvis Costello are very rare

[@bumpasaurus487]

One of the best songwriters of all time with one of the most unique and beautiful voices to go with it. Incredible lyricism too and the musicianship of the attractions put it all over the top. It still amazes me how so many people don’t even know who he is these days.

[@bryanharris5823]

One of my very favorite EC tracks. Not only does he play everything on it, but his parallel between the loneliness he feels in England and the loneliness he feels in New York is so soulful and delicate.

[@devildoll9929]

"living a life that is almost like suicide." That line always gets me.

[@marknc9616]

I bought a stack of promotional singles from a yard sale in the early '80s. The records were all from 1980. They were apparently records that some radio station decided not to play. In that stack I found several copies of a promotional EP from Elvis Costello for the Get Happy! album. The songs on the EP were "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down", "New Amsterdam", "Secondary Modern", and "King Horse". I listened to these records often. Over the years, "New Amsterdam" has been a song that pleasantly has been stuck in my head. Since it wasn't popular in my country (USA), most folks wouldn't know this song at all. Sad.

[@worsignor8519]

Great song,great songwriter, great talent.

[@jamessmithe5490]

Never had the popularity of the Beatles but he is certainly their equal. And lyrically surpasses everyone.

[@bandfromtheband9445]

The song is beautiful. But there are many other songs from Elvis Costello and the Attractions that I call "beautiful." This one just happens to come from my favorite album.

[@fredfat1606]

a great song from a great album - doesnt get better than this

[@dalejones9919]

you're right, Elvis is King~!

[@tallan9698]

The master of the 3:00 minute and under pop song.

[@BW92116]

What a beautiful melody

[@bendennis7730]

Such a tight band and that Country album Almost Blue was sublime! Elvis Costello and the Attractions were my best New Wave band of the late ‘70s early ‘80s

[@joygatewood8028]

When I got this album long ago I wrote down the lyrics. This song has so many great lines. "Though I look right at home I still feel like an exile" may be my favorite. Reminded me of "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Heinlein (Sci Fi book). Great song, great album, great songwriter.

[@drewhunkins7192]

My favorite by Costello. Love this song! It has a nice melodic groove to it.

[@YaoEspirito]

The 6/8 beat lends to that flowing groove.

[@darrylwiggins1156]

One of my most favorite songs of all time.he has bags of great and good songs but this one always gets me.

[@gethappycyclingcampingoutdoors]

Get Happy is my favourite EC album, I remember the day I bought it I was 16. I have all his albums from My Aim is True onwards, but "Get Happy" is my all time best.

[@ricksladen5233]

shame we cant turn back time. 1980 I was having an amazing time

[@melissawellman2112]

Yes !!!!!!!! If only

[@1thommyberlin]

Has my vote for best song writer from punk rock years.

[@skelznap]

My fave EC song.

[@ronwaugh1980]

Elvis at his best , fantastic lyrics

[@krisscanlon4051]

The oddball track on Get Happy! Love it...

[@calebrush3833]

consistently brilliant.

[@trudynlary]

This is one of my favorite song

[@user-qt4qp6bj1q]

Till I step on the brake to get out of her clutches. Till I speak double-dutch to a a real double Dutchess! Frickin lyrical genius!

[@calebrush3833]

Just when you think he can't get any better.

[@ClassicTV4U]

Somehow I found myself/Down at the dockside/Thinkin' 'bout the old days of Liverpool and Rotherhithe/Transparent people who/ Live on the other side/Living a life/That is almost like suicide//

[@angelariley4296]

Im from the other side of Liverpool but so is he himself, he's my home boy.

[@richardw5053]

great lyric , encapsulates the grimness of England

[@scott12xu]

The song (one of his best IMO) concerns his on again/off again relationship either Bebe Buell. At one point, she brought him up to Maine (where she lived at the time) around 1979-80 and no one knew who he was.

[@antonyward8971]

Love this especially low organ sound .musical poetry from EC

[@carolnahigian9518]

What a poet

[@jimzuur7228]

i love this song!!!

[@neilwilson5785]

Pop poetry.

[@zoewilding1845]

Fave EC song

[@Usurped]

there is a sound of Squeeze to this song

[@gmooney1149]

I loved them all

[@909rhythm]

Genius

[@bluesdude1194]

I love this song, although I can’t remember it back in the day.

[@crapple009]

So lennonesque.

[@scotttracey2297]

lennon could never write lyrics this clear and clever

[@thekraemer1757]

I recently watched a Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes which kept referring to Rotherhithe. I knew it from somewhere but couldn't place it. Then as if by wizardry this popped up, hadn't heard in many years. But had the aha moment. Always loved this.

[@DanielLopez-tb2fl]

The greatest American R&B album of the 60's. But for 2 problems : it's from England, 1980. Aside from that,magnifico!

[@jeankavanagh1485]

This human male is too perfectly cromulent 💖💖❤❤❤❤

[@bumpasaurus487]

This comment truly embiggens the smallest man😂😂👍

[@jeankavanagh1485]

@@bumpasaurus487 I may have been pished writing it but I was correctly correct!

[@bobby_greene]

I answered a KZbin survey question about earbuds before I started listening to this and I thought I was being punished for my answers until I realized that i was listening at .75 speed

[@bobbyjenkins7946]

Tasmin archer cover your songs good sir 😊 you should be proud of her 🤗

[@commonsenserhetoric]

New Amsterdam, it's was that of New York, I had Utaimaku~tsu New Amsterdam Elvis Costello in the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

[@robertexley5193]

Filmed around the Occidental Jetty and Lobster Smack pub area of Canvey Island

[@EricTheBlue61]

I thought so. Just saw a short clip on ECs Twitter. Came on here looking for confirmation, so thanks.

[@jamestrex]

I think the money spent on this video was about the price of the tulips. Song absolutely superb though .

[@ClueSign]

I understand this was written about or inspired by a torrid fling or dalliance EC had with a woman in NYC during his early touring days. This is a different woman than Bebe Buell with whom he also had a fling, and about whom many of the songs on This Year’s Model were written. 😎

[@stephencopps1561]

When this single came out I was struck by the mention of Rotherhithe 😅

[@erwinwoodedge4885]

Do I speak double-Dutch to a real double-duchess

[@frankplatt323]

I reckon Elvis Costello's whole career was a long attempt to write a better song than his dad's I'm A Secret Lemonade Drinker. Alas, no dice. R White's Lemonaaaade! Pure rock 'n' roll

[@DanielLopez-tb2fl]

Uhh please elaborate

[@rattyeely]

So true. I heard he even did backing vocals on Secret Lemonade Drinker, so sad to peak so early in his career

[@paulanthony5274]

I as disappointed with this album after Armed Forces but now I've listened to it again 40 years later it's not as bad as I remember,mind you I was only a kid then.

[@robertexley1332]

Canvey Island

[@Quendiful]

The sound is off. Diminished bass. Please correct. Thank you!

[@karenleroux6500]

like daff and the statue of lib

[@fredfat1606]

sue perb

[@matthewpeach3170]

A brilliant slice of pop from 1980 - but is this the cheapest pop video ever made?

[@MareShoop]

Indeed . $2.50 for the tulips and the budget was tapped out.

[@artamussumatra6286]

Not by a long shot, I remember the early days of MTV, when the M actually stood for music, and they signed off at 12:am. Compared to a lot of the videos back then, this one is positively a magnum opus! Hey, at least it was done on real film, most of ‘em were done on video tape.

[@williamderitter2782]

I'd guess the majority of music videos made nowadays have smaller budgets.

[@glarange72]

depends. what is it filmed on location in NYC?

[@rattyeely]

The funniest part is during the "brakes/clutches" line they have him turning the wheel in a parked bus because at the time he didn't know how to drive

[@greetingshumanoids8711]

Spotify removed this. Fucking hell.

[@toolatehello3345]

A good melodic song and good lyrics , spoilt by the ridiculous USA accent he sung in.