My Aim Is True
by Elvis Costello
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Elvis Costello bestography
My Aim Is True is ranked 2nd best out of 37 albums by Elvis Costello on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Elvis Costello is This Year's Model which is ranked number 336 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 4,999.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Listen to My Aim Is True on YouTube
My Aim Is True track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 82 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
My Aim Is True rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 3 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |  spigelwii | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | 13/100 | 18 |
| 2026 | Marswolf68 | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | 29/100 | 14 |
| 2026 |  Norman Bates | Top 100 Music Albums of 1977 | 80/100 | 1 |
| 2026 |  Romanelli | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | 85/100 | 3 |
| 2026 | Moondance | Top 100 Music Albums of 1977 | 26/100 | 4 |
| 2026 |  Rhyner | Top 25 Music Albums of 1977 | 1/25 | 5 |
| 2026 |  Tamthebam | Best Of The 70s Pt.3 (201-300) | 13/100 | - |
| 2026 |  junodog4 | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | 61/100 | 8 |
| 2026 |  zags7000 | Top 100 Music Albums of 1977 | 16/100 | 4 |
| 2026 | Skerns | Top 100 Music Albums of 1977 | 25/100 | 4 |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 617 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 3,291 | |||
My Aim Is True collection
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My Aim Is True ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 743 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 2 hours ago |  pranafilms | 244 | 91/100 |
| ! | 09/02/2026 07:51 | AndyLish79 | 505 | 81/100 |
| ! | 08/14/2026 03:40 | stareaterogni0n | 585 | 71/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.6/100, a mean average of 79.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.6.
My Aim Is True favourites
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My Aim Is True forum mentions
BestEverAlbums 3 days ago in Chart of the day (#5449): By junodog4
neilgee 09/09/2026 17:46 in What album are you listening to? (cont.) BestEverAlbums 09/01/2026 16:00 in Monthly overall chart movementsMy Aim Is True comments
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indieshins 02/25/2018 06:19 | #209554 | TOP COMMENT
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Elvis Costello's debut album is a classic. I'll admit, it's not the album that got me into him, but more recently, as I've entered adulthood, started to work part-time and my frustration with romance has grown, this album has really climbed for me. Welcome to the Working Week is my anthem for when I'm frustrated with my dead-end job, while Miracle Man and No Dancing speak to me as a sexually frustrated, awkward young guy. Also love Sneaky Feelings (reminds me of a close friend), and Less than Zero. Meanwhile Alison and Watching the Detectives are among my favourite Costello songs period, the latter boasting some of the most dizzying lyrics ever written. Not the man's crowning masterpiece, but still a masterpiece. (Edited)
paladisiac TOP 100 COMMENTER 04/24/2012 14:08 | #40808 | TOP COMMENT
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His debut, blending an old-school singer-songwriter rock/pop vibe with the attitude of punk. My ranking reflects the extended version including a fav of mine, "watching the detectives".
My aim is true, is one of the great solo debuts of the late seventies. Costello was originally attributed to the punk phenomenon, but he, alongside The Jam, Graham Parker, and The Clash, were always too unique, too intelligent, and too talented tor it to be that simple. My aim is true, mostly deals with Costello's American influences; soul,and rock'n'roll. The album suffers though from the fact that this record doesn't feature The Attractions, and the production is slightly muddy too. The songs though, are great. From the quick fire opener, welcome to the working week, the lovely, Alison, and the brilliant, less than zero. My favourite track is the fantastic, (the angels wanna wear my)red shoes, and other standouts are the Phil Spector influenced, no dancing, and the fiery, I'm not angry. The excellent, watching the detectives, was added to some versions, and the country of, radio sweetheart, didn't make it on to the album at all. Still, it's a very good debut from a giant talent. Costello would make better records, but any fanatic of Declan McManus is going to have a lot of affection for this LP.
When working out to this album recently I came to the realization that it is THE angriest album ever made. I don't know if it was one woman or if it's womankind in general, but he's REALLY pissed. The lyrics are even more crafty and well crafted than Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. There's a punk intensity but it's not punk. Just brilliant. I know an artist is supposed to grow, but I really miss THIS Elvis.
junodog4 TOP 100 COMMENTER 07/26/2012 15:27 | #47294 | TOP COMMENT
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This is angsty pop-rock for the smart boys. Clever lyrics, catchy hooks, and an underrated depth. One of Costello's best.
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