Today in 1981, Elvis Costello released his fifth studio album, Trust, in the UK, his fourth with the Attractions.
The lyrics to lead single, “Clubland,” were inspired by the nightlife and club scene he had encountered on his Get Happy! Tour. Costello claimed that his guitar work was inspired by new wave band The Police, describing the song as “'Message in a Bottle' with a middle eight".
In his biography, Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink, he stated, “Oddest of all, it now occurs to me the circular arpeggios in "Clubland" may have secretly been a disrespectful gloss of the Police's guitar style, though obviously with a darker lyrical content that their songs always seemed to lack.”
