Get Happy!! is my favorite Elvis Costello album. The album benefits from not having one single dominant great song like “Alison” or “Radio Radio”. It has 20 mostly brief songs of consistently equal quality. I have favorite songs on most albums which are consistently the same but not with this one. My opinion of the best song varies. My favorite lines are from “Opportunity”
I’m in a foxhole. I’m down in a trench.
I’d be a hero but I can’t stand the stench.
It reminds me of Exile on Main Street, another album that actually benefits from not having one standout song. There’s no “Gimme Shelter” or “Sympathy for the Devil”, just 18 songs that work together to form the album.
I would like to note the covers “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down” and “I Stand Accused”. Costello and the Attractions rush through these former ballads at a Ramones-like pace.
Here’s a tweet that links to a fine essay about it:
Sad! 