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"Lady Samantha" | ||||
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![]() Side A of the 1970 US reissue | ||||
Single by Elton John | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 17 January 1969 (UK) / (US) January 1970 (US) (Second release) | |||
Recorded | December 1968 DJM Studios | |||
Length | 3:04 | |||
Label | Philips (UK 1969) DJM (US 1969) Congress (US 1970) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Brown | |||
Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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"Lady Samantha" is a song by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was released on 17 January 1969 as his second single, six months before his first album, Empty Sky , came out. It appeared on its 1995 reissue as a bonus track.
Recorded in December 1968 along with its B-side, "All Across the Havens," it was performed on several radio broadcasts including John's first BBC radio airing on 28 October 1968, with Caleb Quaye on guitar [1] but forgotten afterward. Despite the performances, John never played it in concert.
John's first single, "I've Been Loving You," did not fare well on the British charts. This song went the same way. It was praised by critics, and yielded what producer Gus Dudgeon, who became a fan of the song upon hearing it on the radio, later called "a turntable hit." The song garnered a fair amount of airplay, but sold few copies and failed to chart. It was John's final single on the Philips label. This was also John's first American single, released on the DJM label in the United States, but it failed to chart there as well. It was re-released a year later, this time on the Congress label, but again failed to chart. Its B-side was his third British single, "It's Me That You Need."
"Lady Samantha" also surfaced in other reissue configurations, including as a double B-side (with "It's Me That You Need") to a DJM single issue of "Rocket Man" in 1972, and again as part of a DJM album compilation titled Lady Samantha , released in the US in 1980 and earlier in the UK in 1974 in cassette/8 track tape-only format with different cover art. This collection featured rarities and B-sides from the earliest days of John's career. It later also appeared on the MCA Records' 4-CD boxed set To Be Continued... in 1990, and on Mercury's 2-CD Rare Masters compilation released in 1992, prior to its inclusion as a bonus track on the CD reissue of Empty Sky in 1995.
Bernie Taupin remembers in "His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John" by Elizabeth Rosenthal that the song was the first to represent the songwriting team's new direction, courtesy of advice from producer Steve Brown, who suggested the two should write what they like and please themselves, not the marketplace.
American rock group Three Dog Night recorded the song in 1969. It appeared as the second track on their second album, Suitable for Framing , and was also included on the band's retrospective compilation, Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story.
New Zealand singer Shane Hales, known professionally as Shane, [2] released the song as a single in 1969. It reached number 3 on charts of that country.
Empty Sky is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Elton John, released on 6 June 1969. It was not issued in the United States until January 1975, with different cover art, well after John's fame had been established internationally.
Elton John is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John. It was released on 10 April 1970 through DJM Records. Including John's breakthrough single "Your Song", the album helped establish his career during the rise of the singer-songwriter era of popular music.
Tumbleweed Connection is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John. It was recorded at Trident Studios, London, in March 1970, and released in October 1970 in the UK and January 1971 in the US. It is a concept album based on country and western and Americana themes. All songs are written by John and Bernie Taupin, with the exception of "Love Song" by Lesley Duncan.
Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 5 November 1971 by DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. John's first progressive rock album, Madman Across the Water contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on two songs.
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.
Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 24 October 1975. The title is a spoonerism on the phrase "West of the Rockies", the album having been recorded at Caribou Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
"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.
"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.
"Levon" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was recorded on 27 February 1971, and was released on John's 1971 album, Madman Across the Water. Backing vocals are provided by Tony Burrows. Paul Buckmaster wrote the orchestral arrangements and directed the orchestra.
Lady Samantha is a compilation album by English musician Elton John, released in 1974 through DJM Records. Only available in the United Kingdom at the time, the album featured rarities and B-sides from the earliest days of John's career. It would eventually be issued on vinyl in 1980 by DJM and finally on CD in 1988. A remastered CD by PolyGram appeared in 1998. All fourteen songs were included on the 1992 compilation album Rare Masters.
"Take Me to the Pilot" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally released on John's eponymous second album in 1970.
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin is a 1991 tribute album consisting of interpretations of sixteen songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The title refers to a song on John's album 21 at 33, "Two Rooms at the End of the World", and to the duo's unusual collaborative style; it is also the title of a 1991 film documenting their collaboration.
"Skyline Pigeon" is a ballad composed and performed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It is the eighth track on his first album, Empty Sky. It was originally released by Guy Darrell and Roger James Cooke simultaneously as a single in August 1968.
Caleb Quaye is an English rock guitarist and studio musician best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Hall & Oates and Ralph McTell, and also toured with Shawn Phillips in the 1970s. He is the son of singer/pianist Cab Kaye, younger brother of musician Terri Quaye, and elder half-brother of singer Finley Quaye.
Bluesology was a 1960s British blues group, best remembered as being the first professional band of Elton John.
"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.
"It's Me That You Need" is a song by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin.
"Bite Your Lip " is a song co-written by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It is the closing track of his 1976 album, Blue Moves. It came out as a single two months after the release of the album. The US b-side was another album track, "Chameleon", which was also featured on the "Crazy Water" single that only came out in the UK, only four days later, but the UK release of 'Bite Your Lip' was released as a double-A side single, which was backed with 'Chicago' by Kiki Dee, making the release a joint chart effort. The single peaked at No. 28 in both the U.S. and the UK. 500 copies were sent to radio DJ's on a special 12" edition, by The Rocket Record Company.
"I've Been Loving You" is the 1968 debut single by English musician Elton John with lyrics credited to Bernie Taupin. The B-side is "Here's to the Next Time", an Elton John composition. "I've Been Loving You" was not originally included on any album and the single was withdrawn shortly after its release. Neither side appeared on any official album release until the 1992 Rare Masters box set.
Regimental Sgt. Zippo is the thirty-first studio album by English musician Elton John. Recorded during late 1967 and early 1968, it was originally intended to be John's debut album, but his publisher Dick James did not approve of the record's musical style, and the album was scrapped. John then recorded and released Empty Sky (1969) as his debut album instead. Regimental Sgt. Zippo remained unreleased until Record Store Day of June 2021, when it was issued in mono on vinyl. It was followed by a wider release of the album in July 2022 in stereo vinyl and stereo/mono CD.