Title Fight: "Inch by Inch"

Portrait titled "Johnny" from a series of portraits of the mentally ill by Richard Sadler, found in Going Crazy Without a Clue, 1978

Elvis Costello and the Attractions' 1984 album Goodbye Cruel World is not considered a high point of their early '80s discography, as it was preceded and followed by far superior albums (Punch the Clock and King of America), but it's not without its points of interest. And no, I'm not talking about Daryl Hall's guest vocals on "The Only Flame in Town" - I'm talking about the slinky stalker ballad "Inch By Inch" - it's a more stylish and concise version of what Costello would do with "I Want You" a couple years later. The latter song is much better-known, but I think I might like "Inch by Inch" better. Some of the questionable production touches that mar Goodbye Cruel World pop up here - a little tasteful saxophone turns into '80s TV theme ugliness on the second verse, but the organ and keyboard elements work well, and the lyric is just pervy enough.

It's obvious what Costello was singing about on his "Inch by Inch" (stalking '80s supermodel Kim Alexis), but I'm not sure what the Plimsouls are on about in their song of the same name. The LA power-poppers are best known for their single "A Million Miles Away", which was featured on the Valley Girl soundtrack - the single also appeared on the 1983 Everywhere at Once album with ten other really solid power-pop songs. One of them, "Inch by Inch", was co-written with the Go-Gos' Charlotte Caffey, and it starts off with a nice, Byrds-y guitar intro. However, the arrangement becomes bloated as the song goes on and the chorus hook isn't really that strong. Listened to side by side with "A Million Miles Away", it becomes apparent that "Inch by Inch" is using all the same tricks and just not pulling them off as well. The Plimsouls have a few great songs that stand up to Elvis Costello's output from the same period, but "Inch by Inch" isn't one of them.

Winner: ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS

"Inch by Inch" by Elvis Costello & the Attractions

"Inch by Inch" by the Plimsouls