No. 029 - Elvis Costello’s “Alison” changed my life
No. 029 - Elvis Costello’s “Alison” changed my life
The ballad that soundtracked Luke McCanna's early crushes, and steered him toward a career in live music
This Song Changed My Life is an independent music publication featuring essays from people all around the world about the songs that mean the most to them. Created by Grace Lilly, supported by readers.
• 3 min read •
It all started with a zippered leather CD case hidden under the front seat of a black Acura TL with a horrible turn radius.
My mom had an extensive Motown, soul, and pop record collection that she kept in regular rotation in the house, which I owe my lifelong love of hip-hop and R&B to. This CD case, however, was my dad’s only real music collection, to my knowledge — and only half of the sleeves were full.
The only music/concert story he told frequently was about seeing Foghat in college at Gonzaga University. He enjoyed music, but didn’t seem to seek it out on his own. He preferred the radio.
I still remember unzipping the case and seeing Gin Blossoms in the first slot. As I paged through, past The Rolling Stones, Seal, and Solomon Burke, the strikingly loud, yellow, comic book-esque cover of Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True spoke to me immediately.
During my first listen to the album, we never made it past “Alison.” I asked to listen to it repeatedly. I think this surprised my dad, as it’s quite odd for a 6-year-old to pick the only ballad on the album as their favorite, but he obliged.
Essentially, “Alison” is a song about jealousy and the frustration of seeing someone you love with someone else.
As a kid, I simplified things, and it ended up being the soundtrack to every early crush I had. This song radiated the feeling of longing to me. I replaced the “Alison” in the song with whoever my crush of the month was. I always wanted to indicate that my aim was true, but obviously not in the murderous way that some people speculate the lyrics may imply.
The importance of this song to me, though, extends much further than just being the soundtrack to my crushes.
I believe “Alison” opened the door to punk, hardcore, and metal to me, and inspired me to devote much of my life to live music.
As the years progressed, I kept My Aim is True in heavy rotation. I loved that album from front to back for a long time. Eventually, once I was able to scour the internet for new music and information, I learned that Elvis Costello was considered a bit of a punk-adjacent bad boy. This started my descent into the punk and hardcore rabbit hole, which was a big part of my younger years and remains important to me today.
I found a community of like-minded folks in the hardcore scene, and made many friends along the way. I even operated my own DIY venue.
I always said I needed to see “Alison” performed live before Elvis or I died. It was my bucket list song to see from the beginning. Once I was old enough to think about going to shows, I consistently checked Elvis Costello’s routing.
Although I didn’t get to see him until 2010, touring his National Ransom album at the Chicago Theater, I believe that checking his routing inspired me to check the routing of other artists and start going to shows.
By the way, that show kinda stunk — just a total snoozer. I did end up fulfilling the goal of seeing “Alison” in the first encore, but it was a long wait. The setlist was 29 songs deep.
Still, in a roundabout way, “Alison” helped me discover my love for live music.
Ultimately, I started working in the music industry because of it. I wanted to be at shows every night, so I ended up booking many hardcore shows and working operations at multiple venues in New York.
I got to work a B-52s show in Central Park, whose music my mom introduced me to and played throughout my childhood. I booked Playboi Carti at my basemenet DIY venue in 2016 for 150 people, then worked at Central Park when he performed for 5,500 people.
This song — and full circle moments like these — definitely changed my life.
Thank you, Elvis. ◆
About Luke
Luke McCanna is currently a caddie at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, but spends his free time listening to copious amounts of music. Previously, he worked for various music venues in New York City and operated a DIY venue in the Bronx, booking mainly hardcore and hip-hop shows.
Instagram @tropmccanna
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