The musician Elvis Costello has said that he will no longer play the song 'Oliver's Amry' live and has asked radio stations to stop playing it as well.

'Oliver's Army' is one of Costello's most famous songs, which he performed with The Attractions in 1979.

However, in a recent interview with The Telegraph he said he will no longer play the song on tour as the lyrics have not aged well.

The song, which is about the army and imperialism, uses the N-word to describe a British private.

In the interview the 67-year-old said: "If I wrote that song today, maybe I'd think twice about it.

The Northern Echo: Elvis Costello won't play the song Oliver's Army again (PA)Elvis Costello won't play the song Oliver's Army again (PA)

"That's what my grandfather was called in the British army - it's historically a fact - but people hear that word go off like a bell and accuse me of something that I didn't intend.

"On the last tour, I wrote a new verse about censorship, but what's the point of that? So, I've decided I'm not going to play it."

Costello added that he would prefer radio stations to stop playing the song instead of bleeping out the offensive word.

He asaid: "(That) is a mistake. They're making it worse by bleeping it for sure. Because they're highlighting it then. Just don't play the record!"