We love Elvis because when he started he was a bigger geek than we were. We love Elvis because he was the Patron Saint of Cuckolds. We love Elvis because his first backing band was also the backing band for Huey Lewis at the time. We love Elvis because he was waiting for the end of the world. We love Elvis because our girlfriends once said, "You know, without those stupid glasses he'd be really cute," and we hoped she really meant us. We love Elvis because of those suits he used to wear. We love Elvis because he didn't like fascism but he sounded like a fascist. We love Elvis because Jim Titus did a kick-ass impression of him in Algebra II. We love Elvis because he didn't want to go to Chelsea. We love Elvis because we wanted to have that guitar. We love Elvis because he really meant his songs and didn't care if we didn't know what he was talking about. We love Elvis because he went to Clubland and hated it just like we did. We love Elvis because we were little sisters and we did want to try on big sister's clothes. We love Elvis because he produced the Specials and Squeeze. We love Elvis because he went country long before any of those alternative country bands did. We love Elvis because we made out with Vicki Zolnikov to "Boy With a Problem." We love Elvis because of that picture on the cover of Rolling Stone. We love Elvis because of the chorus of "Invisible Man." We love Elvis because he married the bass player from the Pogues and we love the fuckin' Pogues! We love Elvis because he made some really bad albums, thereby proving his greatness, because all the great ones have a fallow period. We love Elvis because he shut everyone up with King of America. We love Elvis because he keeps doing rarity and b-side collections. We love Elvis because he's the closest thing we'll ever get to our own Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin. We love Elvis because he knows he's great but he's also humble. We love Elvis because of his childhood picture on the cover of Brutal Youth. We love Elvis because he recorded with both the Brodsky Quartet and Daryl Hall. We love Elvis because he helped raise Burt Bacharach from the dead. We love Elvis because he's had a pretty extensive film career. We love Elvis because he's a survivor. We love Elvis because he's pop and cutting-edge and helped break down the distinction between the two. We love Elvis because he has pretty much provided the soundtrack to our lives. We love Elvis because we're alive.

Read these Elvis Costello reviews: Painted From Memory, King Of America, Blood & Chocolate, My Aim Is True, Get Happy!!, This Year's Model, Punch The Clock, Imperial Bedroom

Check out these other "Why We Love..." articles:
Beastie Boys, David Bowie, Beth Orton, Radiohead, Bristol, Sonic Youth, Björk, Liz Phair, G. Love