"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | ||||
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Single by Elton John | ||||
from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | ||||
B-side | "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)" | |||
Released | 7 September 1973 (UK) 15 October 1973 (US) | |||
Recorded | 10 May 1973 | |||
Studio | Château d'Hérouville, France | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | |||
Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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"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.
The song has been widely praised by critics; some consider it a strong contender for John's finest song ever. [2] Rolling Stone listed the song at No. 390 of its 500 greatest songs of all time in 2010. [4] In the US, it was certified gold on 4 January 1974 and platinum on 13 September 1995 and 2× platinum on 2 March 2020 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [5]
The lyrics, written by Taupin, contain autobiographical elements, referring to his childhood on a farm in Lincolnshire. [6] The song expresses a desire to get back to one's "roots", a common theme of Taupin's early lyrics. [7]
In 2014, Taupin reflected, "It's been said many times, but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a cinematic album. The lyrics to the title track do say that I want to leave Oz and get back to the farm. I think that's still my M.O. these days. I don't mind getting out there and doing what everybody else was doing, but I always had to have an escape hatch." [8]
In 2020, he added, "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. My only naïveté, I guess, was believing I could do it so early on. I had to travel a long road and visit the school of hard knocks before I could come even close to achieving that goal." [7]
After being recorded in May 1973, the song was released in late 1973 as the album's second single and entered the top ten in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It was one of John's biggest hits, and quickly surpassed his previous single, "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", in both sales and popularity, following its release. [9]
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" received generally positive response from music critics. Janis Schacht of Circus describes it as "delicate and beautiful". [10] AllMusic writes that the song is "a vocal triumph" and a "pinnacle of its style". [2] Billboard stated that the song's "sonic impression is still strong and haunting" and the "blending of voices with strings on the bridges is beautiful," although the lyrics are sometimes difficult to understand. [11] Cash Box described the song as "soft, melodic pop that’s going to impress folks all over again as to [John's] performing abilities," going on to say that "Bernie Taupin’s lyrics are again highly poetic and blend perfectly with Elton's music." [12] Record World called it "a gorgeous John-Taupin tune that rivals their very best compositions" with a "beautiful melody woven through a standout lyric." [13]
In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 390 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [14]
In 2018, The Guardian ranked the song number six on their list of the 50 greatest Elton John songs, [15] and in 2022, Billboard ranked the song number four on their list of the 75 greatest Elton John songs. [16]
In Canada, the single reached No. 1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart on 22 December 1973 and held the position for one week, [17] making it John's third No. 1 in the year 1973 in that country (following "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel"). On the US Hot 100, it went to No. 2, behind both "Top of the World" by the Carpenters and "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Charlie Rich. [18] On the US Easy Listening chart, it rose to No. 7 and spent 18 weeks on the charts. [19] In Ireland, it reached No. 4; in the UK it peaked at No. 6. [20]
The song's flip side was originally titled "Screw You", although the US release re-titled the song "Young Man's Blues" so that it would not offend American record buyers.
John's One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden featured this song performed as a duet with Billy Joel.
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is still regularly included in John's live performances, and John named his farewell tour after the song, naming it the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. [21]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [38] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [39] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [40] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Bernard John Taupin is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin is behind the majority of John's songs, dating back to the 1960s.
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. 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. 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."
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 23 May 1975 by DJM Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US. The album is an autobiographical account of the early musical careers of Elton John and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin. 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 on 8 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 14 December 1974, and 22 March 1975, missing only 28 December 1974, at number two 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.
"Daniel" is a song written by English musician Elton John and his long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was first released on John's 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.
"Candle in the Wind" is a threnody style ballad 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.
"Step into Christmas" is a Christmas song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was released as a stand-alone single in November 1973 with the song "Ho, Ho, Ho " as the B-side. Upon its original 1973 release, the song peaked at No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart, and it reached a new peak of No. 8 on the same chart in 2019. In the United States, the single reached No. 56 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart.
Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II is the sixteenth official album release for English musician Elton John, and the second compilation. The original 1977 US version features one song from 1971 and two songs from 1974 that were not on the first greatest hits album. It also features several hit songs from 1975 and two hit singles from Elton's last year of performing in 1976. The cover photograph was taken by Gered Mankowitz.
"Your Song" is a song written by musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was John's first international Top 10 chart single.
"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 Recording Industry Association of America (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.
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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.
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Taupin's words of ambivalence, when paired with an ascendant pop melody worthy of Broadway...