Why won't Costello record "Burnt Sugar"?

[cwr]

I guess I have one Costello wish. (Actually, that's not true-- I have TONS of Costello wishes, including the official release of all 10 Wendy James demos, which I'm guessing will never happen...)

But here's a big one: I HOPE HE RECORDS "BURNT SUGAR IS SO BITTER"!!!

He wrote this song with Carole King shortly after his collaboration with Bacharach in the late 90s. He played it on tour in 99, and later in the shows leading up to The Delivery Man. If you haven't heard it, it's fantastic. SUCH a great song, I'm surprised it didn't drive him to want to write another 10 and call it an album...

But it hasn't made it onto record yet, despite the fact that it could have fit on a bunch of them quite nicely.

WHY, I wonder, why doesn't he record this? It's a co-write with CAROLE KING!!!!

I remember when he seemed to take offense when Aimee Mann failed to promptly record and release it. I wonder how Carole King feels about Elvis sitting on this song for over a decade.

It's a hidden treasure, and I wish he would make a record with this on it....

Edited to correct the spelling of her name!!! ACK!!!

[blureu]

Can you post a sample? Not sure if I've heard it. Thanks-

[And No Coffee Table]

Can you post a sample? Not sure if I've heard it. Thanks-

From the Unwanted Numbers compilation:
http://www.mediafire.com/?fgndzg3im09

I imagine he'll get around to recording it eventually. He hasn't recorded "Suspect My Tears" yet either, and he only recently got to "I Dreamed of My Old Lover"...

[when i was cruel]

THANK GOD I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE.

"And what's left of the birthday cake, is very beautifully frosted."

[And No Coffee Table]

Carole King's official site has the lyrics:
http://www.caroleking.com/includes/ckso ... =76&song=1

[Neil.]

My thoughts exactly! I was wondering this only the other day. Such a dramatic number. I love the gossiping townsfolk feel of the line "Look at her now: my, how things have changed."

[verbal gymnastics]

I've no doubt that he's recorded it and it's in the can somewhere.

However when he chooses to release it (alongside other gems) is another matter...

[verbal gymnastics]

Ps The pedant in me points out that is Carole King!

[verbal gymnastics]

Ps The pedant in me points out that it's Carole King!

[verbal gymnastics]

P
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!

[cwr]

I'm sure it was at least attempted during the Delivery Man sessions, since it was one of the songs the band was playing at the shows just before that album was recorded.

I have to say I'm glad it wasn't attempted on WIWC, as much as I enjoy that record, the aggressive sonic approach he was using tended to brutalize some of the more tender songs like "45" and I fear that "Burnt Sugar" would not have fared much better. Likewise, I'm not sure that it would have fit all that well on TDM.

That's cool that the lyrics are up on Carole King's site-- I wonder if she'll end up recording it first... It really is one of my favorite songs he's written in the past 15 years, and he's released so many songs I like less (even good ones) on album after album, I wonder if he's saving this for the right moment, or if there is some other reason he's hesitating.

If some big filmmaker were to ask him to record it for the end credits of a movie, I bet he'd do it-- come on, filmmakers! ASK HIM!!