The Boy Named If

The Boy Named If is the 32nd studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and The Imposters. The album was released on 14 January 2022 by EMI Records and Capitol Records.^[2][3]

The Boy Named If
Studio album by Elvis Costello and The Imposters
Released	14 January 2022
Recorded	2021
Genre	Rock and roll[1]
Length	51:58
Label	EMI Capitol
Producer	Sebastian Krys Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello and The Imposters chronology
Hey Clockface (2020) The Boy Named If (2022) The Resurrection of Rust (2022)
Singles from The Boy Named If
"Magnificent Hurt" Released: 27 October 2021

The Boy Named If received critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.^[4]

Content

The album's first single, "Magnificent Hurt" was released on October 27, 2021. Stereogum's Tom Breihan described the track as a "a straight-up rocker" and compared it to his late 70s work.^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
American Songwriter	[7]
Classic Rock	[8]
Paste	7.8/10[9]
Pitchfork	7.5/10[10]
Slant Magazine	[11]

The Boy Named If received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 83, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 14 reviews.^[6] Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that The Boy Named If was Costello's "purest doses of rock and roll since maybe Blood & Chocolate (1986)".^[1]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Farewell, OK"	2:54
2.	"The Boy Named If"	4:24
3.	"Penelope Halfpenny"	2:57
4.	"The Difference"	3:45
5.	"What If I Can't Give You Anything But Love?"	4:03
6.	"Paint the Red Rose Blue"	4:46
7.	"Mistook Me for a Friend"	4:13
8.	"My Most Beautiful Mistake"	4:47
9.	"Magnificent Hurt"	3:13
10.	"The Man You Love to Hate"	4:53
11.	"The Death of Magic Thinking"	3:31
12.	"Trick Out the Truth"	4:53
13.	"Mr. Crescent"	3:39
Total length:		51:58

All tracks are written by Elvis Costello

Japanese edition bonus track^[12]

No.	Title	Length
14.	"Truth Drug"	1:41
Total length:		53:45

Personnel

Musicians

• Elvis Costello – vocals, guitar (all tracks); piano (6)
• Davey Faragher – additional vocals, bass (all tracks); upright bass (12)
• Pete Thomas – drums, percussion
• Steve Nieve – keyboards, piano
• Sebastian Krys – background vocals (3, 4)
• Nicole Atkins – vocals (8)

Technical

• Elvis Costello – production
• Sebastian Krys – production, mixing, engineering
• Brian Lucey – mastering
• Daniel Galindo – engineering
• Ron Taylor – engineering
• Dex Green – recording (8)

Charts

Chart performance for The Boy Named If

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13]	47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14]	20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15]	149
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16]	41
Irish Albums (IRMA)[17]	55
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18]	1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19]	15
UK Albums (OCC)[20]	6
US Billboard 200[21]	200
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[22]	34

References

1. "Elvis Costello, Elvis Costello & the Imposters - the Boy Named if Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
2. "The Boy Named If by Elvis Costello & The Imposters". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
3. Althea Legaspi (27 October 2021). "Elvis Costello & the Imposters Preview 'The Boy Named If' LP With New Song". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
4. Lee, Taila (15 November 2022). "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". Grammys.com. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
5. Breihan, Tom (27 October 2021). "Elvis Costello and the Imposters 'Magnificent Hurt'". Stereogum. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
6. "Elvis Costello & the Imposters - The Boy Named If". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
7. "Review: With His New Album, Elvis Reemerges as Classic Costello". American Songwriter. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
8. "Elvis Costello & The Imposters continue winning streak with The Boy Named If". Classic Rock. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
9. "Elvis Costello and The Imposters Show Their Fangs on Fiery Return to Form The Boy Named If". Paste. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
10. Soto, Alfred (19 January 2022). "Elvis Costello / The Imposters: The Boy Named If Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
11. "Elvis Costello The Boy Named If Review: An Adrenaline-Fueled Picture of Fleeting Youth". Slant Magazine. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
12. "ザ・ボーイ・ネームド・イフ [SHM-CD]" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
13. "Austriancharts.at – Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
14. "Ultratop.be – Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
15. "Ultratop.be – Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Elvis Costello & The Imposters – The Boy Named If" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
17. "Irish Albums Chart: 21 January 2022". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
18. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
19. "Swisscharts.com – Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
21. "Elvis Costello Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
22. "Elvis Costello Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

External links

• The Boy Named If at Discogs (list of releases)