Elvis Costello “High Fidelity”

All Time Top Five . . .

When my friend Martin gave me the book “High Fidelity” back in the last 90s, he said, “This is your kind of book.”

The protagonist, is a 30-something record store owner, music-obsessed, commitment-phobe, who is going through dating drama trauma. Switch record store owner, to radio DJ, and the story and the sentiment were pretty much my life (at that time), on the page.

Rob, the main character, had a lot of very familiar philosophies and concerns, and even his transformation at the end of the book was strikingly familiar.

Throughout the book, and the movie version starring John Cusack, Rob and his friends compile “All Time Top Five” lists, including his “Top Five Side One Track Ones” and “Top Five Floor Fillers At The Groucho” (where he was a DJ).

So in the spirit of “High Fidelilty,” Every Day I Write The Blog brings you occasional All Time Top Five lists.

A couple of rules: These are MY All Time Top Fives. Despite the title, I don’t mean for the lists to be universal or definitive. I’m sure your Top Fives will be radically different. And honestly, I don’t even mean for these lists to be definitive for ME. My Top Five today, is probably going to be different if you give me the same category next week. And I’ve got a pretty strong memory, but I know that as soon as I post a list, I’m likely to think of something else I wish I’d included.

All this to say that I hope my lists spark a little discussion, some suggestions and a bit of exploring on your part. Don’t get hung up on the results. It’s the process.

This week’s All Time Top Five . . . All Time Top Five Movies That Cribbed Their Name From A Good Song, And Managed To Be Pretty Good Themselves.

Number Five is, of course, “High Fidelity.”

Yes, it was a book before it was a movie, but before it was a book, it was an Elvis Costello song.

Elvis had come out of a trilogy of tight, strong album, and expectations were high, by the time a newly devoted fan base got ahold of 1980’s “Get Happy,” which featured the song “High Fidelity.”

Nick Hornby had written a couple of strong, beloved books, and expectations were high by the time a film version of “High Fidelity” was making its way to theaters.

Maybe the expectations were too high for the fan base.

Neither the album nor the movie was a smashing success upon first release—modest, but not smashing. The R&B style of the Elvis record was a bit of a curveball for those fans hoping that Elvis would keep churning out “This Year’s Model.” And the movie was cute, but edited out much of Rob’s internal monologues, the heart and heft of the book.

But critics were kind. And in fact, time has been kinder. The reviews of the “Get Happy” reissue are among the best of Elvis’ back catalogue. The movie has become a staple of weekend TV, leading to adaptations of two other Nick Hornby books. And most tellingly, after being a song, a book and a movie, “High Fidelity” became a successful Broadway musical.

Check back here all week long, as I count down the rest of this All Time Top Five list.

Hear a sample of Elvis Costello’s “High Fidelity,” here

See a rare music video for Elvis’ “High Fidelity,” complete with some horrific dancing, get the full R&B, horns feel, in a really great live version, featuring Allen Toussaint.

From the movie, see Rob give his Top Fives, and see a special, not-in-the-movie Top Five List.

Get “Get Happy” here, get The Book here, get The Movie here, get The Soundtrack here, and get The Broadway Cast Album here