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Elvis Costello Reacts to Criticism Over Removing a Controversial Word From This Classic Song: ‘Go F*** Yourself’

Elvis Costello’s 1979 track, “Oliver’s Army”, features a controversial use of the N-word, which Costello himself no longer defends.

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

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Elvis Costello’s classic track “Oliver’s Army” has long been a controversial song. The tune features a use of the N-word that Costello has since abandoned. In fact, he previously quit playing the song altogether, but brought it back in 2025.

In the original version of the song, Costello sings: “Only takes one itchy trigger / One more widow, one less white n****r”. The song is a satirical, anti-imperialist rallying cry about governments arming their militaries with young working-class people. Costello has argued in the past that, in the historical context, the word indicates how Catholics were referred to in Northern Ireland.

Upon returning the song to his setlist in........

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