Jump Up! (Elton John album)

Jump Up!
Studio album by Elton John
Released	9 April 1982
Recorded	September–October 1981
Studio	AIR, Salem, Montserrat Pathé Marconi, Paris
Genre	Pop rock
Length	42:31
Label	Geffen (US), Rocket (UK)
Producer	Chris Thomas
Elton John chronology
The Fox (1981) Jump Up! (1982) Too Low for Zero (1983)
Singles from Jump Up!
"Blue Eyes" Released: March 1982 "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" Released: May 1982 "Princess" Released: 1982 "Ball and Chain" Released: September 1982 "All Quiet on the Western Front" Released: November 1982

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Robert Christgau	B [3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
Smash Hits	7.5/10 [5]

Jump Up! is the sixteenth studio album by British musician Elton John. It was released in 1982 by The Rocket Record Company except in the US and Canada, where it was released by Geffen Records. In the United States, the album was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1982.

Background

The album includes "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)", a tribute to John Lennon (who had also signed to Geffen for the release of Double Fantasy , which is now owned by EMI). This is one of the first few LPs that showcases Elton John singing in a deeper voice, as can be heard in songs such as "Blue Eyes", "Princess", "Ball and Chain" and "Spiteful Child". "Legal Boys" was written by John and Tim Rice, who later wrote lyrics for The Lion King and The Road to El Dorado . This is the last studio album in which James Newton Howard played keyboards (although he would play keyboards with John again on the soundtrack of Gnomeo & Juliet almost 30 years later).

The album's inner sleeve artwork shows John's lifelong friend Vance Buck and Gary Osborne's then 5-year-old son Luke. ^[6] It was recorded and mixed digitally at AIR Studios in Montserrat, ^[7] and Pathé Marconi Studios in France.

In a 2010 Sirius radio special, John's lyricist, Bernie Taupin, talking about Jump Up!, said it was "one of our worst albums". He added, "It's a terrible, awful, disposable album, but it had 'Empty Garden' on it, so it's worth it for that one song." ^[8]

After the Jump Up! Tour ended, only "Empty Garden" and "Blue Eyes" have been performed live in concert.^{[ citation needed ]}

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dear John"	Elton John Gary Osborne	3:31
2.	"Spiteful Child"	John Bernie Taupin	4:15
3.	"Ball & Chain"	John Osborne	3:27
4.	"Legal Boys"	John Tim Rice	3:05
5.	"I Am Your Robot"	John Taupin	4:43
6.	"Blue Eyes"	John Osborne	3:25
Total length:			22:26

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)"	John Taupin	5:09
2.	"Princess"	John Osborne	4:56
3.	"Where Have All the Good Times Gone?"	John Taupin	4:00
4.	"All Quiet on the Western Front"	John Taupin	6:03
Total length:			20:08

Outtakes

Outtakes from Jump Up! include "At This Time in My Life", "Desperation Train", "I'm Not Very Well", "Jerry's Law", "Moral Majority", "Waking Up in Europe" and "The Ace of Hearts and the Jack of Spades". They all have yet to see circulation, either on bootlegs or officially. ^[9]

However, "Desperation Train" was later recorded and released by John's lyricist Bernie Taupin on his 1987 album, Tribe , with a new melody written by Martin Page.

Personnel

Musicians

• Elton John – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic piano, electric grand piano, harpsichord on "Empty Garden"
• James Newton Howard – Fender Rhodes, synthesizers, brass and string arrangements, conductor
• Richie Zito – guitars
• Pete Townshend – acoustic guitar on "Ball and Chain"
• Dee Murray – bass, backing vocals
• Jeff Porcaro – drums, percussion
• Steve Holley – tambourine on "Ball and Chain", synth drum on "I Am Your Robot"
• Martyn Ford (billed in the credits as "Mountain Fjord") – brass and orchestra
• Gavyn Wright – concertmaster
• Gary Osborne – backing vocals

Production

• Produced by Chris Thomas
• Recorded by Bill Price
• Assistant engineers – Nigel Barker and Mike Stavrou
• Mastered by Greg Fulginiti at Artisan Sound Recorders (Hollywood, California)
• Design – David Costa
• Photography – David Nutter

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Jump Up! Chart (1982) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [10] 3 Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [11] 19 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [12] 26 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [13] 47 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [14] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [15] 3 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [16] 15 UK Albums (OCC) [17] 13 US Billboard 200 [18] 17

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Jump Up! Chart (1982) Position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [19] 25 Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [20] 88 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [21] 17 US Billboard 200 61

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [22]	Platinum	50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [23]	Platinum	15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [24]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA) [25]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Jump Up! at AllMusic
2. Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
3. "CG: elton john". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
4. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 4 November 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2006.
5. Dellar, Fred (29 April – 12 May 1982). "Elton John: Jump Up!" (PDF). Smash Hits . Vol. 4, no. 9. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 21. ISSN   0260-3004. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022– via World Radio History.
6. "From Little Jeannie to Little Monsters: Gary Osborne's Rich and Enduring Career".
7. "AIR MONTSERRAT" . Retrieved 16 August 2012.
8. "How Elton John Got Back on Track with 'Jump Up!'". 25 April 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
9. Rocket Man: Elton John From A-Z ( ISBN   0275956989)
10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
11. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6482". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Jump Up!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – Jump Up!" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
14. "Charts.nz – Elton John – Jump Up!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
15. "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Jump Up!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – Jump Up!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
17. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
18. "Elton John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
19. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
20. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6170". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
21. "Top Selling Albums of 1982 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
22. "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)" . Retrieved 13 November 2021– via Imgur.com.
23. "New Zealand album certifications – Elton John – Jump Up!". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 20 November 2024.
24. "British album certifications – Elton John – Jump Up". British Phonographic Industry.
25. "American album certifications – Elton John – Jump Up". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• Jump Up! at Discogs (list of releases)