This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2017) |
"Wrap Her Up" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Elton John | ||||
from the album Ice on Fire | ||||
B-side | "The Man Who Never Died" | |||
Released | October 1985 | |||
Recorded | January 1985 | |||
Genre | Synth-rock, new wave, blue-eyed soul | |||
Length | 6:21 (album version) 4:18 (single version) | |||
Label | Geffen (US) Rocket (UK) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Charlie Morgan, Paul Westwood, Davey Johnstone, Fred Mandel | |||
Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | |||
Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Wrap Her Up" on YouTube |
"Wrap Her Up" is a song by English musician Elton John, released as the second single from his 1985 album, Ice on Fire . George Michael provides backing vocals on the song. The single had limited success worldwide.
It reached number 12 in the UK Singles Chart, [1] number 22 in Australia, [2] number 26 in Canada on the RPM Top Singles chart and number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [3]
George Michael was quoted at the time in Smash Hits magazine that "it sounded like I had my willy in a garotte" because of the falsetto he sings throughout the song.
The song talks about fashion models as it was notable for the number of famous women's names dropped toward the end, including Kiki Dee, who had duetted with Elton on the hit song "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" in 1976, and also provided background vocals for "Wrap Her Up." The rest of the list includes (in order) Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Doris Day, Billie Jean King, Samantha Fox, Joan Collins, Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Grace Jones, Priscilla Presley, Vanessa Williams, Dusty Springfield, Nancy Reagan, Rita Hayworth, Madonna (as "Material Girl"), Julie Andrews, Superwoman, Annie Lennox, Mata Hari, Anouska Hempel, Shirley Temple, Tallulah Bankhead, Linda Lovelace, Little Eva, Nastassja Kinski, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Pat Fernandez (a close friend of George Michael who appeared in two Wham! videos), and Elsie Tanner.
"Wrap Her Up" has the longest credit of songwriters on a Elton John song.
Cash Box called it "a healthy tribute to the girl group’s of yesteryear." [4] Billboard said it has "shades of Temptations circa 1964." [5]
A music video was recorded for the song, which was directed by Russell Mulcahy, and featured John and George Michael, as well as Kiki Dee (who gets a custard pie in the face from Elton) and John's backing band. The video was featured in the video compilation version of The Very Best of Elton John in 1990, but the song was not included on any formats of the audio release edition of the compilation. The music video version of the song is abridged, with a running time of 4 minutes 11 seconds, almost two minutes shorter than the album version.
This song was heavily performed live during the 1985 leg of Ice On Fire World Tour. On the 1986 leg, John rarely performed this song on the concerts of the same tour.
Chart (1985–1986) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] | 22 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [7] | 26 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [8] | 54 |
Ireland (IRMA) [9] | 12 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [10] | 33 |
UK Singles (OCC) [11] | 12 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] | 20 |
Pauline Matthews, better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English pop singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records.
Caribou is the eighth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 24 June 1974 by MCA Records in the US and on 28 June by DJM Records in the UK. It was his fourth chart-topping album in the United States and his third in the United Kingdom. The album contains the singles "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart and number two in the US, and "The Bitch Is Back", which reached number 15 in the UK and number four in the US. Both singles reached number one in Canada on the RPM 100 national Top Singles Chart, as did the album itself.
Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 4 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.
Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released in October 1976. It was John's second double album and the first to be released by his own label, Rocket Records Ltd. The album reached number 3 in the US charts, ending a long streak of chart-topping albums for John that began with Honky Château 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.
"True Love" is a popular song written by American songwriter Cole Porter, published in 1956. The song was introduced by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in the musical film High Society. "True Love" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Kelly's contribution on the record is relatively minor, duetting with Crosby on only the final chorus. Nonetheless, the single is co-credited to her.
Too Low for Zero is the seventeenth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1983, the album marked a comeback for John, whose previous four albums had failed to yield many enduring international hit singles, and had disappointing sales compared to his string of hit records released during the first half of the 1970s.
Ice on Fire is the nineteenth studio album by English musician Elton John. Recorded at Sol Studios and released in November 1985, it was his first album since Blue Moves produced by his original long-time producer, Gus Dudgeon. David Paton and Charlie Morgan appear for the first time on bass and drums respectively, replacing original band members Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. Fred Mandel, who had played with John during the Breaking Hearts tour, also contributed guitar and keyboards.
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King composed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. Released as a single in May 1994, the song was a hit in the UK, peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and achieved success in the United States, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was a number-one hit in Canada and France. At the 67th Academy Awards in March 1995, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The same year, the song also won John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
"Little Jeannie" is a song written by English musician Elton John and Gary Osborne recorded by John, and released as a single in 1980 from John's album 21 at 33. It reached number three on the Billboard pop chart in the United States, becoming the singer's biggest U.S. hit since 1976's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", and his highest-charting solo hit since 1975's "Island Girl".
"Island Girl" is a 1975 song by English musician Elton John. It was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin and released as the first single from the album Rock of the Westies (1975). It reached number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., selling over one million copies, and also reached the top twenty in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, Caribou (1974), and was released as a single that peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a 1976 duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee. It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers such as Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston.
"Nikita" is a love song by English musician Elton John from his 19th studio album, Ice on Fire (1985). It was released as the album's lead single on 4 October 1985, charting at number three on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number seven in the United States, and reaching the top 10 worldwide, topping the charts of eight countries. The song features George Michael on backing vocals and Nik Kershaw on guitar.
"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.
"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is the closing track on English musician Elton John's eighteenth studio album Breaking Hearts, written by John and Bernie Taupin, released in 1984 as the lead single of the album. It reached No. 7 on the UK chart and No. 5 on the U.S. chart. The song reached the Top 10 of many countries except in Germany and Italy where it reached the Top 20. The single version of this song appeared on the 1990 box set To Be Continued... and various versions of the 2007 compilation Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits.
"I'm Still Standing" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, from John's 1983 album Too Low for Zero. It was the second single released from the album in the UK, and the first single released in the United States.
"I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" is a song from English musician Elton John's 21st studio album, Reg Strikes Back (1988), released as the lead single of the album. The track was written by John and his long-time songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin.
"Kiss the Bride" is a song by English musician Elton John, from his 17th studio album, Too Low for Zero released as the third single of the album. Written by John and Bernie Taupin, the up-beat song was a top 40 hit in many countries. The song reached No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 25 in Australia, No. 37 in Canada, No. 17 in Ireland, and No. 32 in New Zealand. In Germany, the song peaked at No. 58.
"Heartache All Over the World" is an upbeat song by English musician Elton John from his 20th studio album, Leather Jackets (1986). Written by John and Bernie Taupin, it was released as the album's lead single in September 1986, charting at number 45 in the UK Singles Chart and at number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and reaching the top 10 in Australia, where it peaked at number 7.