Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. "Watching the Detectives" is a 1977 single by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello. It was his first single that credited his backing band, the Attractions, and gave him his first UK hit single. The song featured on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at no354.The song, with a lyric about a lover who would rather watch TV, sung over a simple reggae beat, was described by Rolling Stone as "a clever but furious burst of cynicism", and they also described the song as "indisputably classic".