| This was Elton's first single to chart. It was
on his second album, but the single did not come out until 7 months
later, when it was released to promote his tour. Elton released his
third album, Tumbleweed Connection, before the single came
out. |
| This was one of the first songs John wrote
with Bernie Taupin. They met after a record company gave John some
of Taupin's lyrics to work with. Eventually, they both moved into
John's parents' house, where they started working together. |
| The song was written in 1967. Taupin was 17. |
| Taupin wrote this over breakfast at John's
parents' house, where he was living. The original lyrics have coffee
stains on them. |
| Elton wrote the music in about 20 minutes, as
he often did with Taupin's lyrics in their early days. |
| This helped alter the music landscape in the
early '70s. After it came out, singer/songwriters like James Taylor
and Carole King had a lot of success with heartfelt songs featuring
a prominent vocal and a soft piano or guitar. |
| Elton performs this at all his concerts. |
| This attracted the attention of some heavy
hitters in the music industry. Arranger Paul Buckmaster and producer
Gus Dudgeon both signed on to work with Elton after hearing this.
They played a big part in crafting his songs over the next several
years. |
| Elton appeared on US TV for the first time
performing this on The Andy Williams Show. He was shy and
dressed very plain, which changed a few years later when he became
known for his outrageous costumes and flamboyant personality. |
| Elton's song "We All Fall In Love Sometimes"
is about the writing of this song. |
| After hearing this, John Lennon said Elton was
"The first new thing that's happened since we (The Beatles) happened."
They ended up becoming good friends. |
| Elton: "I don't think I've written a love song
as good since." |
| This was originally released as the B-side of
"Take Me To The Pilot." |
| In 1987, John released a live version as a
single from his album Live In Australia. It didn't chart, but
the next single from the album, "Candle In The Wind," did. |
| Billy Joel performed this with Elton at the
2001 "Concert For New York" to benefit victims of the World Trade
Center attacks. It was not included on the CD of the show. |
| This was used in the movie Welcome Home,
and also in a commercial for Rimmel Cosmetics. |
| This played a major role in the 2001 movie
Moulin Rouge. It is sung by Ewan McGregor when he presents it as
a poem to Nicole Kidman. |
