Elvis Costello to Release Spanish Version of ‘This Year’s Model’

Elvis Costello will release a Spanish version of his acclaimed 1978 album, This Year's Model, on Sept. 10. Produced and freshly mixed by Grammy winner Sebastian Krys, Spanish Model will feature the original instrumental performances by Costello's band, the Attractions, accompanied by new vocals from Latin pop and rock artists.

“When Elvis told me the idea, it took me about 15 seconds to answer," Krys said in a statement. "I have been in so many situations where I was trying to turn Latin artists onto Elvis Costello's music. The feedback I heard most often was, ‘I love it. I wish I knew what he was saying.’ Spanish Model is an opportunity to turn an entire side of the world onto this great record and through these voices, get these ideas out. Lyrically, This Year's Model is still relevant today, what the songs have to say and how they say it.”

Costello isn't the first artist to make a translated album: David Lee Roth did the same with his debut solo LP, Eat 'Em and Smile, titling the project Sonrisa Salvaje. But even then, ensuring the translated lyrics meshed with the original musical arrangements was challenging. On Spanish Model, both Costello and Krys worked closely with the artists to translate the lyrics as seamlessly as possible.

"The lyrics felt really natural," Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi said. "Nothing stuck out, and you can't just read it. You must sing the lyrics to really know if the song will work or not. From the first time I started singing 'You Belong to Me,' it just felt natural. It's true to the original lyric. It has that same energy."

Ahead of the album's release, the first single, a new version of "Pump it Up" featuring Juanes, is available for listening below.

"This Year’s Model is about desire and how that relates to love, fashion and to the male gaze towards women and control, especially in political control over us all,” Costello added. “I don't think there's anything that somebody in another language would not have encountered. Some of the lyrics might be a little obscure because I use peculiar English idioms, but I constantly fall in love with records in other languages in which I don't even know one or two courtesy words. What you respond to is the humanity, the pride, the sorrow, the celebration.”

Elvis Costello 'Spanish Model' Track Listing

1. "No Action" – Nina Diaz
2. "(Yo No Quiero Ir A) Chelsea ((I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea)" - Raquel Sofía y Fuego
3. "Yo Te Vi (The Beat)" – Draco Rosa
4. "Pump It Up" – Juanes
5. "Detonantes (Little Triggers)" – La Marisoul
6. "Tu Eres Para Mi (You Belong To Me)" – Luis Fonsi
7. "Hand In Hand" – Francisca Valenzuela y Luis Humberto Navejas
8. "La Chica de Hoy (This Year's Girl)" – Cami
9. "Mentira (Lip Service)" – Pablo López
10. "Viviendo en el Paraiso (Living In Paradise)" – Jesse & Joy
11. "Lipstick Vogue" – Morat
12. "La Turba (Night Rally)" – Jorge Drexler
13. "Llorar (Big Tears)" – Sebastián Yatra
14. "Radio Radio" – Fito Páez
15. "Crawling To The U.S.A". – Gian Marco y Nicole Zignago
16. "Se Esta Perdiendo La Inocencia" (Running Out Of Angels) - Vega