Rear-View Mirror: Elvis Costello had a hard time letting go of his data entry job!

Every week Rich Terfry looks back in our Rear-View Mirror at a great song from the good ol’ days.

In 1976, Elvis Costello recorded his debut album, My Aim Is True. The album contains several songs that are now considered classics and it put Costello's name on the map. But at the time, his priority wasn't music. It was number three on his list after family and data entry.

Elvis had been married less than two years in 1976 and he had just become a father for the first time. He provided for his young family working as a data entry clerk. He pursued his interest in writing songs during the wee hours and while riding the train to work, so as not to disturb the peace in his household. Over the course of the year, he managed to get a demo together and submitted it to Stiff Records. They loved what they heard and offered Costello a contract. He signed, but was unwilling to quit his day job and give up his regular paycheck.

Stiff forged ahead and released two singles, which are now considered classics: "Less Than Zero" and "Alison." The record company knew they potentially had a major rock star in the making, but Costello was still pushing paper, working nine to five. Finally, the company struck a deal with Costello. He finally agreed to quit his job, only when Stiff Records offered to match his wages from the office job along with a cash bonus and some recording equipment.

As soon as all systems were go, Elvis Costello became a star. Magazine covers and a Saturday Night Live appearance soon followed. The album was huge. It sold 1 million copies in the US alone.

It's amazing to consider that when this song first hit the airwaves, the man who wrote it still punching a clock, working a mundane office job.

Listen to the audio version of Rear-View Mirror by clicking the play button below.

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Here are some other great editions of Rear-View Mirror:

James Brown, "Hot (I Need to be loved loved loved)"

Inner Circle, "Tenement Yard"

Ray Charles, "I Don't Need No Doctor"

Curtis Mayfield, "Freddy's Dead"

Gang Starr, "Beyond Comprehension"

Bo Diddley, "Bo Diddley"

Aretha Franklin, "Rocksteady"

CCR, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain"

Howlin' Wolf, "Smokestack Lightning"

Bobby Womack, "Across 110th Street"

Roy Orbison, "In Dreams"

Foggy Hogtown Boys, "Man of Constant Sorrow"

Pink Floyd, "Wish You Were Here"

Neil Young, "Cortez The Killer"

Bob Dylan, "Subterraneon Homesick Blues"

Little Eva, "Loco-Motion"

Elvis Costello, "Watching the Detectives"

Jimmy Cliff, "The Harder They Come"

The Verve, "Bittersweet Symphony"

Roberta Flack, "Killing Me Softly with his Song"

R.E.M., "Radio Free Europe"

Radiohead, "No Surprises"

Led Zeppelin, "Ramble On"

Glen Campbell, "Wichita Lineman"

Rolling Stones, "Beast of Burden"

John Cougar Mellencamp, "Pink Houses"