THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

62-Elton John-Your Song.

1971-Number 7 single.

Best Bit-At 1.54. There is a rumour that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics while sat on a roof, he didn’t, in fact he wrote them in Elton John’s mother’s kitchen.

Sir Elton Hercules John (see also best songs 946-481 and 237) was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, on March 25th, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex, England. In 1962, Dwight with others formed a band called ‘Bluesology,’ who by the mid 1960’s were backing touring American Soul and R&B groups such as the Isley Brothers, and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. In 1967 Dwight answered an advertisement in the British magazine ‘New Musical Express,’ which would lead to his first meeting with his future songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. As well as initially writing for other artists, the duo also began to shape Dwight’s solo career. The first song they wrote together was called ‘Scarecrow,’ and then some six months later Dwight began going by the name ‘Elton John,’ in homage to two members of ‘Bluesology,’ the saxophonist Elton Dean, (1945-2006) and vocalist Long John Baldry, (1941-2005) Dwight legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John on 7 January 1972.

The extensive discography of Elton John includes 31 studio Albums released between 1969-2021, and 140 singles issued between 1968-2022 as the main artist, he has also appeared as a featured artist on a further 22 singles. As a solo artist Elton finally made it to Number 1 in the UK at the 86th attempt in 1990, when the double ‘A’ side of ‘Sacrifice,’ and ‘Healing Hands’ gave him his first chart topper, he had been to Number 1 previously in 1976 when dueting with Kiki Dee on ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ (see also best songs 481.) In the UK, Elton has appeared on 70 top 40 singles, of which 10 have made Number 1, Elton is the only artist to have achieved top 40 hits in six separate decades. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 top singles chart, Elton has had 59 hits, of which nine have made the Number 1 spot.

‘Your Song’ was co-written by Elton John, (music) and Bernie Taupin, (lyrics) and was the second single released from Elton John’s self titled second studio Album from 1970. According to Bernie Taupin,’I scribbled the lyric down on a lined notepad at the kitchen table of Elton’s mother’s apartment in the London suburb of Northwood Hills, breakfast time sometime in 1969.’ Taupin was only 17 years old, and has admitted to a very limited knowledge of romance,’Hence the extraordinary virginal sentiments,’ he said. Elton claims that he doesn’t ask Taupin what his lyrics are about, he has said,’I always thought ‘Your Song’ was written about one of his girlfriends, and then when I asked him that he just said,’No it wasn’t,’ he gets fairly defensive.’

‘Your Song’ was the breakthrough hit for Elton John and Bernie Taupin who had initially given it to the American Rock band ‘Three Dog Night’ to record for their 1970 Album ‘It Ain’t Easy,’ but instead of that band releasing it as a single, they suggested that Elton should have a go with it, which saw it peak at Number 8 on Billboard, and Number 7 in the UK. In 2002 Elton re-recorded ‘Your Song’ as a duet with the Italian Operatic tenor Alessandro Safina for the ‘Sports Relief Charity,’ and this new version reached Number 4 in the UK. In 2010 the English singer Ellie Goulding (see also best songs 304) recorded the song, which was later chosen as the Christmas advert for the department store ‘John Lewis,’ for that year, and helped her recording reach Number 2 in the UK. I would also highly recommend the 1972 recording of ‘Your Song’ by the American Sou;l singer Billy Paul, (1934-2016) which was first issued as the ‘B’ side of ‘Me and Mrs Jones,’ (see also best songs 896) and later as an ‘A’ side, which reached Number 37 in 1977 in the UK.

‘I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss. Well a few, of the verses, well they’ve got me quite cross, but the sun’s been quite kind while I wrote this song. It’s for people like you that oh keep it turned on.’