Her en genfortælling fra nettet af, hvordan Elvis Costello i 1979 smadrede sin USA-karriere, på tour for Armed Forces, som ovenstående single ‘Oliver’s Army’, den med det slående Abba-klaver, kommer fra:

In 1979, Costello was touring America in support of his album Armed Forces, which had become his biggest hit in the States. One night that spring, the tour reached Columbus, Ohio. It was a pretty good week for rock shows in Columbus — Stephen Stills and his band were playing at another venue and staying at the same hotel as Costello. In the hotel bar, Costello and some of the Attractions got into a discussion about music with a few of Stills’ bandmates, including backup singer Bonnie Bramlett. A 1979 People magazine story describes the substance of the conversation:

“Someone asked him what he thought of the old guys, like Buddy Holly,” reports one eyewitness. Costello replied with an obscenity. “What about Elvis Presley?” Costello snapped another obscenity. “Then he said American people are second-class white people, compared to first-class English people.” Bramlett, a longtime paladin of rhythm-and-blues whose backup bands once included heavies like Leon Russell, Duane Allman and Rita Coolidge, kept cool until, she says, Costello “called James Brown a jive-ass nigger.” Next, according to an onlooker, “Bonnie said, ‘All right, you son of a bitch, what do you think of Ray Charles?’ He said, ‘Screw Ray Charles, he’s nothing but a blind nigger.’ That did it. Bonnie backhanded him, slapped him pretty hard, because she’s a healthy chick.”

Bonnie Bramlett gik straks næste morgen til den amerikanske presse, der kastede sig over historien. Resten er skandalens oprørte vande og et hurtigt tilbagetog fra USA for dens hovedperson. Skal siges Costello før denne hændelse havde støttet aktivt op om sluthalvfjerdsernes Rock Against Rascism-bevægelse i England, og iøvrigt har undskyldt provokationen i Columbus, Ohio lige siden. Ray Charles responderede iøvrigt selv ret overbærende på hændelsen dengang, at Elvis Costello kunne kalde ham lige hvad han havde lyst til, “as long as he buys my record”.