THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

237-Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

1973-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 0.40. ‘I shall take the heart, for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.’

As with the majority of Elton John songs,(see also best songs 946-481 and 62) he wrote the music, but it was Bernie Taupin who wrote the lyrics. Bernie Taupin was born on May 22nd, 1950, in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England, he first met Elton John when they both answered an advertisement in the music paper the ‘New Musical Express,’ placed by ‘Liberty Records,’ who were seeking new songwriters. They both failed the audition with Elton telling a member of staff at ‘Liberty’ that he could not write lyrics, the man handed him a sealed envelope from the pile of people who had submitted lyrics, where on the train home, Elton read poems written by Taupin.

Bernie Taupin has written the lyrics to hundreds of songs, including ‘Candle in the Wind 1997,’ the tribute to ‘Diana, Princess of Wales.’ after her death. Taupin had written the lyrics to the original ‘Candle in the Wind,’ (UK Number 11) in 1973 in honour of Marilyn Monroe, (1926-1962) and for ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’ he re-wrote many of the lyrics, the song is currently the second best selling physical single of all time with sales in excess of 33 million copies, only bettered by ‘White Christmas’ by Bing Crosby (see also best songs 457.)

‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ was also the title track of Elton John’s seventh studio Album released in May 1973, many music critics rate the Album as his best work. The lyrics written by Bernie Taupin are about how he was feeling at that time. Success had arrived, and life was 100 miles an hour, and Taupin was longing for the quieter times he had known as a youngster. Taupin has said,’There was a period when I was going through that whole ‘got to get back to my roots’ thing, which spawned a lot of like-minded songs in the early days, this being one of them. I don’t believe I was ever turning my back on success or saying I didn’t want it. I just don’t believe I was ever that naïve. I think I was just hoping that maybe there was a happy medium way to exist successfully in a more tranquil setting’.

Bernie Taupin got the title ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ from the 1939 film ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (see also best songs 68.) The Yellow Brick Road is the road that is supposed to lead to life’s fantasies and life’s answers, it is only when you have walked it do you realise that what you were searching for, is what you have just left behind.

‘So goodbye yellow brick road where the dogs of society howl, you can’t plant me in your penthouse, I’m going back to my plough. Back to the howling old owl in the woods, hunting the horny back toad, oh I’ve finally decided my future lies beyond the yellow brick road.’