Oliver's Army

Written after the author visited Belfast in Northern Ireland, it criticises the British Army for targeting disadvantaged young men leaving secondary school (when the song was written in the late 1970s, Britain had a high unemployment rate). The title refers to Oliver Cromwell, who as Protector of the Commonwealth created the New Model Army, an earlier version of the modern British Army. The song also mentions specific "trouble spots" in the world, such as South Africa (at the time experiencing turmoil over Apartheid), Palestine, Cyprus, and most prominently Northern Ireland. In reference to the latter country, Costello included the controversial lyric "Only takes one itchy trigger/One more widow, one less white nigger", referring to the Irish, as they have historically been oppressed by the English, much as black people have been oppressed in many countries. Costello is himself of Irish descent.

The Oliver's Army single (with a b-side of Costello performing My Funny Valentine solo) peaked at #2 on the UK charts. It was recorded at Eden Studios in West London.

During the recording of Armed Forces, the incomplete Oliver's Army was nearly dropped from the album, but was eventually kept after keyboardist Steve Nieve created a piano part for the song that was reminiscent of Dancing Queen by ABBA.

The song has been covered by a large number of bands, including Blur, [spunge], Belle & Sebastian, Peter Mulvey, Deborah Hocking Band, OK Go and Dirty Pretty Things.

The music video for Oliver's Army was aired on MTV's first U.S. broadcast day, August 1, 1981.

en:wikipedia

In Oliver’s Army, Costello winds catchy and elegant melodies around slightly off-kilter chord progressions, the production works to the record’s advantage, filling the songs out with bombastic power-pop arrangements and giving weight to their urgency.

The entire song is a harsh critique of a professional Army, especially one that preys upon the poor and disenfranchised. In the UK the working class soldiers were often, like Elvis Costello, Irish. The song’s title and lyrics refer to Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army, how it was used to colonize Ireland, and then many places around the world, and the actions of the UK’s army at the time the song was written.

Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army established the idea of a standing Army that has no ties to specific towns or regions where they were garrisoned. Instead a volunteer, professional army could be stationed overseas, and was mustered without conscription, and thus were used to project force.

Early on in its history, The New Model Army empowered the Time of Troubles in Ireland, via the occupation of Ireland. Later, it was used to colonize many places, including, as the song lists, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, the Middle East, etc. by offering the poor and lower classes an “occupation” if they volunteer for service.

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