06.02.2021
THE FLEETWOOD MAC SONG THAT MADE ELVIS COSTELLO PICK UP THE GUITAR
Far Out: Mick McStarkey: May 2021
Costello came from a line of musicians, so it is no surprise that he followed in his forefather’s footsteps. He has mentioned Mel Tormé and The Hollies as early influences to his unique sound. However, he remembers 15 as being the most significant age. It comes as no surprise then that he singles out Fleetwood Mac’s 1969 single ‘Man of the World’ as the song that made him pick up the guitar. This revelation adds Costello to a long list of guitar heroes influenced by Peter Green’s emotive, technical playing.
Costello recalls, “There was something about the moody, romantic idea of this song that I absolutely identified with, as ludicrous as that notion is when you read the lyrics: ‘I need a good woman’ sounds like very wishful thinking for a teenager. I was the youngest in my class at school, and I didn’t have a girlfriend at that age. ‘Man of the World’ is a dream that I had of what I might be if I ever plucked up the courage to talk to a girl.”
In addition to being a lovelorn, typical 15-year-old, Green’s guitar playing captivated Costello’s young and impressionable character. “This is the song that specifically made me pick up a guitar. It was a weird song to learn because it’s very complicated, but it fascinated me.”