Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 5 October 1973 | |||
Recorded | May 1973 | |||
Studio | Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France; remixed and overdubbed at Trident, London | |||
Genre | Pop rock [1] · glam rock [2] | |||
Length | 76:20 | |||
Label | DJM | |||
Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
Elton John chronology | ||||
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Singles from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | ||||
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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by English singer, pianist, and composer Elton John, first released on 5 October 1973 as a double album by DJM Records. The album has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide [3] [4] and is widely regarded as John's magnum opus. Among the 17 tracks, the album contains the hits "Candle in the Wind," US number-one single "Bennie and the Jets," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", along with the live favourite "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding."
Recorded at the Studio d'enregistrement Michel Magne at the Château d'Hérouville in France, the album became a double LP once John and his band became inspired by the locale. [5] The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003, [6] and continues to be highly regarded in various rankings. It was ranked number 112 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
Under the working titles of Vodka and Tonics and Silent Movies, Talking Pictures, Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics in two and a half weeks, with John composing most of the melodies in three days while staying at the Pink Flamingo Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica. [7] John had wanted to go to Jamaica, in part because the Rolling Stones had just recorded Goats Head Soup there. [8]
Production on the album was started in Jamaica in January 1973, but due to difficulties with the sound system and the studio piano, logistical issues arising from the Joe Frazier–George Foreman boxing match taking place in Kingston, and protests over the political and economic situation in the country, the band decided to move before any productive work was done. [7]
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was recorded in two weeks at the Studio d'enregistrement Michel Magne , at the Château d'Hérouville near Pontoise, in France, where John had previously recorded Honky Château and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player . While a version of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" was recorded in Jamaica, that recording was discarded; the released version of the song came from the sessions at the Château. The band plays on all the songs except "This Song Has No Title," on which John performs all the piano, keyboard and vocal parts.
According to the album's producer, Gus Dudgeon, the album was not planned as a two-record collection. John and Taupin composed a total of 22 tracks for the album, [7] of which 18 (counting "Funeral for a Friend" and "Love Lies Bleeding" as two distinct tracks) were used, enough that it was released as a double album, John's first (three more such albums followed up to 2011). Through the medium of cinematic metaphor, the album builds on nostalgia for a childhood and culture left in the past. [7] [9] Tracks include "Bennie and the Jets," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," [10] the 11-minute "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," and the Marilyn Monroe tribute "Candle in the Wind." "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" was inspired by memories of a Market Rasen pub Taupin frequented when younger. "Grey Seal", previously the B-side of the 1970 single "Rock and Roll Madonna," was re-recorded for the album. [11]
"Harmony" the album's final track, was considered as a fourth single, but was not issued at the time because the chart longevity of the album and its singles brought it too close to the upcoming releases of Caribou and its proposed accompanying singles. It was, however, used as the B-side of the American release of the "Bennie and the Jets" single, and was popular on FM playlists of the day, especially WBZ-FM in Boston, whose top 40 chart allowed for the inclusion of LP cuts and B-sides as voted for by listeners. "Harmony" spent three weeks at no. 1 on WBZ-FM's chart in June 1974 and ranked no. 6 for the year, with "Bennie and the Jets" at no. 1 and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" behind "Harmony" at no. 7. "Harmony" was released as a single in Britain in 1980 and failed to chart.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [12] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B [13] |
The Daily Vault | A [14] |
Rolling Stone | (negative) [15] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
Slant Magazine | [17] |
The album was released on 5 October 1973 as a double LP, with cover art by illustrator Ian Beck depicting John stepping into a poster. It debuted at no. 17 on the Billboard 200 [18] and quickly rose to no. 1 on its fourth week on the chart, where it stayed for eight consecutive weeks. [19] It was the best selling album in the US in 1974. [20] The album was preceded by its lead single, "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," which reached no. 7 in the UK and no. 12 in the US. Its next single, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" reached no. 6 in the UK and no. 2 in the US. "Bennie and the Jets" was released as a single in the US, and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in 1974. And its final single, "Candle in the Wind," released in the UK, reached no. 11.
The original 1973 LP was released on two discs, while the 1992 and 1995 CD remasters put the album on one disc as it was slightly less than 80 minutes. The 30th anniversary edition followed the original format, splitting the album across two discs to allow the inclusion of the bonus tracks, while a DVD on the making of the album was also included. The album has also been released by Mobile Fidelity as a single disc 24 karat gold CD. The album (including all four bonus tracks) was released on SACD (2003), DVD-Audio (2004), and Blu-ray Audio (2014). [21] These high resolution releases included the original stereo mixes, as well as 5.1 remixes produced and engineered by Greg Penny.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is widely regarded as one of John's best albums, and is one of his most popular; [7] it is his best-selling studio album.
In the US it was certified gold on 12 October 1973 (just days after release), 5× platinum in March 1993, and eventually 8× platinum in February 2014 by the RIAA.
The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003, [6] and was included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die .
In 2003 and 2012, the album was ranked number 91 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, [22] and re-ranked number 112 in a 2020 revised list. [23] Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ranked number 59 in Channel 4's 2009 list of 100 Greatest Albums. [24]
In 2023, Joe Lynch of Billboard ranked the album cover, depicting the "bedazzled rocker – wearing ruby red platform heels and a bomber jacket with his name on it — step[ping] into a poster of the famed yellow brick road Dorothy and her coterie followed to the Emerald City of Oz," as the 74th best album cover of all time. Lynch dubbed the image career-defining, as it "came out three years before Elton himself did – but if you didn't get that he was a Friend of Dorothy based on this, that's on you." [25]
The liner note illustration for the song "I've Seen That Movie Too," depicting silhouettes in front of a movie screen, inspired the staging of the comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . [26] [27]
All music is composed by Elton John; all lyrics are written by Bernie Taupin
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" | 11:09 |
2. | "Candle in the Wind" | 3:50 |
3. | "Bennie and the Jets" | 5:23 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | 3:13 |
2. | "This Song Has No Title" | 2:23 |
3. | "Grey Seal" | 4:00 |
4. | "Jamaica Jerk-Off" | 3:39 |
5. | "I've Seen That Movie Too" | 5:59 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sweet Painted Lady" | 3:54 |
2. | "The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909–34)" | 4:23 |
3. | "Dirty Little Girl" | 5:00 |
4. | "All the Girls Love Alice" | 5:09 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Your Sister Can't Twist (but She Can Rock 'n Roll)" | 2:42 |
2. | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | 4:57 |
3. | "Roy Rogers" | 4:07 |
4. | "Social Disease" | 3:42 |
5. | "Harmony" | 2:46 |
Total length: | 76:20 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" (B-side of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting") | 2:52 |
2. | "Jack Rabbit" (B-side of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting") | 1:50 |
3. | "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)" (B-side of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road") | 4:42 |
4. | "Candle in the Wind" (2003 acoustic remix by Greg Penny) | 3:51 |
Total length: | 89:35 |
According to the album's liner notes. Track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [47] original release | 10× Platinum | 500,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [48] re-release | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [49] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [50] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [51] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [52] 1973 release | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [53] 2014 release | 2× Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [54] | 8× Platinum | 8,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player is the sixth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in January 1973 by DJM Records, it was the first of two studio albums he released in 1973, and was his second straight No. 1 album in the US and first No. 1 album in the UK.
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by English musician Elton John. The album is an autobiographical account of the early musical careers of Elton John and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin. It was released in May 1975 by MCA Records in America and DJM in the UK and was an instant commercial success. The album was certified gold before its release, and reached No. 1 in its first week of release on the US Billboard 200, the first album to achieve both honours. It sold 1.4 million copies within four days of release, and stayed in the top position in the chart for seven weeks.
Greatest Hits is the eleventh official album release for English musician Elton John, and the first compilation. Released in November 1974, it spans the years 1970 to 1974, compiling ten of John's singles, with one track variation for releases in North America and for Europe and Australia. It topped the album chart in both the United States and the United Kingdom, staying at number one for ten consecutive weeks in the former nation and eleven weeks in the latter. In Canada, it was number one for 13 weeks between December 14, 1974, and March 22, 1975, missing only December 28, 1974, at number 2 to Jim Croce's Photographs & Memories.
"Tiny Dancer" is a song written by English musician and composer Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally released on John's 1971 album Madman Across the Water, and was later produced and released as a single in 1972.
"Candle in the Wind" is a threnody written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.
"Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in summer 1972 at the Château d'Hérouville studio in France, where John and his team had previously recorded the Honky Château album. It was released on 27 October 1972 in the UK and 20 November 1972 in the U.S., as a pre-release single from his forthcoming 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, and became his first U.S. number-one single, reaching the top spot on 3 February 1973, and staying there for three consecutive weeks. In the U.S., it was certified Gold on 5 February 1973 and Platinum on 13 September 1995 by the RIAA.
"Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" is a medley of two songs written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It is the opening track of the 1973 double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits is a live album released by English musician Elton John in 2000. The album was recorded on 20 and 21 October 2000 at Madison Square Garden. An extended version was also released as a DVD, entitled One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden. While the album is called "One Night Only," it was in fact recorded over two nights. Due to technical issues on the first night, most of the recordings were drawn from the second show. In the US, it was certified gold in July 2001 by the RIAA.
Sir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, pianist and composer. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s and for his lasting impact on the music industry, his music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history.
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a ballad written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It is the title track on John's album of the same name. The titular road is a reference to L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz film and book series.
"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (sometimes written "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)") is a song originally recorded by English musician Elton John. John composed it with his long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. It was released on John's best-selling album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and as the first single. It has been covered by many artists and featured on motion picture, video game, and television soundtracks.
"Bennie and the Jets" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs and was performed during his appearance at Live Aid.
Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits is a compilation album by English musician Elton John featuring 13 number one songs and a number of bonus tracks and live renditions. Worldwide there have been released 17 different versions of the album, including a CD/DVD combo. All versions include, "Your Song", the title track, "Rocket Man ", "Daniel", "Candle In The Wind", and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".
Elton 60 – Live at Madison Square Garden is a 2-disc DVD release, starring Elton John performing some of his biggest hits and several fan favourites. The release features appearances by comedians Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as special remarks to the audience by lyricist Bernie Taupin. The concert was recorded on John's 60th birthday, 25 March 2007, and coincides with his record-setting 60th concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
"Rock and Roll Madonna" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song was released as a single in England in 1970, where it never charted. It appeared on several bootlegs and rarities compilations, such as 1992's Rare Masters, before it appeared on 1995 remaster of his self-titled album and to the 2008 deluxe edition of the same album, along with two previously unreleased demo versions of the song.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road Tour was a concert tour by English musician Elton John taking place in North America and Europe in promotion of the 40th anniversary re-release of 1973's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
The albums discography of British musician and singer-songwriter Elton John consists of 31 studio albums, 5 live albums, 10 soundtrack albums, 16 compilation albums, 4 extended plays, 3 tribute albums, 4 collaboration albums, and 2 holiday albums.
"Harmony" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It is the final song on the 1973 double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The song was recorded in May 1973, at Château d'Hérouville, France.
Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin and Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin are two tribute albums to English musician Elton John and his frequent songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, both released on 6 April 2018. Revamp was described as John's project and features covers of the duo's back catalogue by pop, rock and R&B artists, whereas Restoration was seen as Taupin's project and features covers by country music artists. Revamp was released via Island Records and Restoration by Universal Music Group Nashville. The release of the albums coincided with John's 2018–2023 Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
Live from Moscow 1979 is a live album by English musician Elton John released in April 2019. It was recorded during John's May 1979 tour of the Soviet Union, when he played a series of shows in Leningrad and Moscow accompanied by percussionist Ray Cooper. The live recordings were initially broadcast by BBC Radio 1 and were long available on bootleg albums. Footage was also included in the 1979 documentary To Russia...With Elton. The official release, as a limited-edition double LP, was issued for Record Store Day 2019 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the tour. The album was then re-released in 2020 on vinyl and CD, and in digital music stores.