I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues

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"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues Single.jpg
Single by Elton John
from the album Too Low for Zero
B-side
  • "Choc-Ice Goes Mental" (UK)
  • "The Retreat" (US)
ReleasedApril 1983 (UK)
November 1983 (US)
RecordedSeptember 1982
Genre
Length4:45
Label Rocket
Geffen (US)
Songwriter(s) Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Davey Johnstone
Producer(s) Chris Thomas
Elton John singles chronology
"All Quiet on the Western Front"
(1982)
"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
(1983)
"I'm Still Standing"
(1983)
Music video
"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" on YouTube

"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" is a song by English musician Elton John, with music by John and Davey Johnstone and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It is the first single from John's 17th studio album Too Low for Zero . In the United States, it became one of John's biggest hits of the 1980s, holding at No. 2 for four weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart, and reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top ten in five countries, including the UK, peaking at number five. It was the first single since 1975 to feature the classic lineup of the Elton John Band.

Contents

The song received largely favourable reviews, with Bill Janovitz of AllMusic declaring the song "likely to stand the test of time as a standard." [3] The song was also featured on the film soundtrack to Peter's Friends in 1992.

Janovitz wrote: "As with the lyric, the music has more than a tinge of nostalgia, with a '50s-like R&B shuffle, a jazzy piano theme, and an inspired, Toots Thielemans-like harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder. The soaring solo takes the song to new heights, the ache of the sentiment palpable in every note." [3]

Performances

John has performed the song, a fan favourite, live numerous times, [4] occasionally playing it as part of a medley with his hit "Blue Eyes" (from the 1982 album Jump Up! ).

The song was later performed live by Mary J. Blige and Elton John, and this version of the song was part of the Mary J. Blige & Friends EP. A live version of the song with Mary J. Blige also appeared on John's One Night Only – The Greatest Hits live compilation, recorded in Madison Square Garden in October 2000. Another live version, this one featuring just Elton John and basic rhythm section, was recorded live in Verona in 1996 during John's appearance with Luciano Pavarotti as part of the master tenor's Pavarotti and Friends for War Child benefit concerts.

Music video

The original music video, one of twenty directed for John by Australian Russell Mulcahy, [5] tells the story of two 1950s-era young lovers who are separated when the man is forced to leave for National Service, depicting the trials and tribulations he experiences there, and then are finally reunited at the end of the song. It was filmed in the Rivoli Ballroom in London and at Colchester Garrison Barracks, Essex, and featured William Dimeo.[ citation needed ]

Track listings

US 7-inch single

  1. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
  2. "The Retreat"

UK 7-inch single

  1. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
  2. "Choc Ice Goes Mental"

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1983–1984)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] 4
Germany (Media Control AG) [7] 22
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [8] 48
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [9] 12
South Africa (RISA) [10] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [11] 12
UK Singles (OCC) [12] 5
Zimbabwe Singles (ZIMA) [13] 1
Chart (1984)Peak
position
Canadian Adult Contemporary [14] 1
Canadian Top Singles [15] 9
US Billboard Hot 100 [16] 4
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary [17] 2

Year-end charts

Year-end chart (1983)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [18] 38
Year-end chart (1984)Position
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [19] 33

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] Gold400,000
United States (RIAA) [21] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers

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References

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  12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
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  13. "Contemporary Adult". RPM . 39 (22). 4 February 1984. ISSN   0315-5994 . Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  14. "50 Singles". RPM . 39 (23). 11 February 1984. ISSN   0315-5994 . Retrieved 21 June 2011.
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