Elvis Costello reveals inspiration behind iconic love song

A rock legend is shedding light on the surprise inspiration behind an iconic love song.

Elvis Costello revealed in a new interview that he got the idea for "Alison" from another Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician: Jimi Hendrix . "Alison" was released on Costello’s 1977 debut album, "My Aim Is True," a decade after the famed Woodstock performer sang "The Wind Cries Mary" on the 1967 LP "Are You Experienced."

"It’s a love song, but it’s a love song with the possibility of failure written into it," Costello told the "Broken Record" podcast. "So it’s a little bit like these lines: ‘Somewhere a room is sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday’s life / Somewhere a queen is weeping, somewhere a king has no wife.’ "

"That’s where I got [the idea for ‘Alison’] from," Costello explained after quoting Hendrix’s lyrics. "I got two lessons from Hendrix. One was that song, ‘Wind Cries Mary,’ and the other was the switching songs on live television. They were the two things I learned from Jimi Hendrix ."

A woman also inspired the song. In his 2015 autobiography, Costello said "Alison" was "a beautiful checkout girl at the local supermarket. She had a face for which a ship might have once been named."

Costello, 72, revisited the song and album with a recent box set celebrating the 49th anniversary of "My Aim Is True," featuring 104 tracks of demos, live performances and a newly remastered version of the original songs.

According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Costello also addressed a dark, longtime rumor that some of the ambiguous lyrics in "Alison" suggest it’s actually about murdering a woman.

"It’s not a murder ballad," Costello told the "Broken Record" podcast. “ ‘Alison’ is the sense that your nature may kill the love that you cherish most."

Singer-songwriter Costello has released more than 30 albums in his career, mixing pub rock, power pop and new wave music on hits like "Alison," "Everyday I Write the Book," "She," "Pump It Up," "Radio Radio," “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" and "Watching the Detectives." The two-time Grammy Award winner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016.