Back in the day Prince recorded a (great) song called "Pop Life" and planted it on his Around The World album and it was a hit single swipe at all things pop from back when Prince could do it in his sleep. I am among those who believes Prince us slipping and Costello has slipped, but I also believe in second acts and…
Around 1997, Costello asked Prince to allow him to cover "Pop Life" for his Greatest Hits compilation culled off his Warner brothers years. Debatable true, but who are we to judge. Prince, being the dick he is, refused, and Costello replied with "The Bridge I Burned" using the same chords and the payoff line "You mutter underneath your breath – it echoes round the world".
And then all was silence for year after year, the two egomaniacs miles away from each other never to walk back across that burning bridge until… WHAT HAPPENED?
Yes, we had heard that Costello was recording an album with the Roots and the Roots would be the house band for the Carnegie Hall Prince tribute: all well and good. But the leap from that to Costello covering a Prince song at a tribute is huge, it is mammoth, it rocks the world!!!
So I ask again, how did it happen. Is Costello just being a good guy or have the pair decided to keep the peace. My bet is Costello just decided to drop it out of friendship for ?uestlove.
And now the next question is… WHAT WILL COSTELLO SING???? He wouldn't go there, would he? I can't believe he would do it but man will that make for an interesting side plot pn what feels like too much funk and not enough pop type of evening.One thing for sure, it should give us a glimpse into the psyche of Costello 2013!!