Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
Single by Elton John
from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
B-side "Screw You"
Released 15 October 1973
Format Vinyl record (7" & 12")
Recorded Chateau d'Hierouville
Genre Pop rock, soft rock
Length 3:11
Label MCA (US/Canada)
DJM Records
Writer(s) Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Producer Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
(1973)		 "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
(1973)		 "Step into Christmas"
(1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road track listing
Side One
  1. "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"
  2. "Candle in the Wind"
  3. "Bennie and the Jets"
Side Two
  1. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
  2. "This Song Has No Title"
  3. "Grey Seal"
  4. "Jamaica Jerk-Off"
  5. "I've Seen That Movie Too"
Side Three
  1. "Sweet Painted Lady"
  2. "The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1903-34)"
  3. "Dirty Little Girl"
  4. "All the Girls Love Alice"
Side Four
  1. "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n' Roll)"
  2. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
  3. "Roy Rogers"
  4. "Social Disease"
  5. "Harmony"

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a ballad performed by musician Elton John. The song was written by Bernie Taupin and composed by John for his album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Its musical style and production is heavily influenced by 1970s soft rock. It was widely praised by critics, and some critics have named it John's best song.[1]

The song was released in 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 surpassed the previous single in sales and popularity quickly following its release.In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 1/4/1974 and Platinum on 9/13/1995 by the R.I.A.A.

The Yellow Brick Road is an image taken from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, Dorothy and her friends are instructed to follow the yellow brick road in search of the magical Wizard of Oz, only to find that they had what they were looking for all along. The road leads to the Emerald City in the land of Oz, often referred to as a metaphor for "The road that leads to life's fantasies" or "The road that leads to life's answers."

The Wizard of Oz was reportedly the first film Elton's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin had ever seen, and he conjured the imagery in the lyrics relating to his own life as his desire to "Get back to his roots." It is also a reference to Elton's fame and fortune in contrast to Bernie's attempts to remain "low-key."

In the Eagle Vision "Classic Albums" documentary on the making of the album, producer Gus Dudgeon said that after it was released, he was asked whether he artificially played with Elton's vocal to put it in such a high register. Dudgeon said he did not; it was simply the way Elton decided to sing it. "That's Elton," he said.

Contents

[edit] Critical response

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" received a generally positive response from music critics. Allmusic wrote that the song is "a vocal triumph" and a "pinnacle of its style".[2] Janis Schacht of Circus describes it as "delicate and beautiful".[3] Ben and Jerry's later created the ice cream flavor Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road in honour of John's performance in Vermont.[4] In 2010, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it #380 in the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.[5]

[edit] Chart performance

In Canada, the single reached #1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart on December 22, 1973 and held the position for one week,[6] making it John's third #1 in the year 1973 in that country (following "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel").[7] It entered the U.S. charts at #62, the highest debut of that week and in seven weeks rose to the #2 spot (8 December 1973), where it stayed for three weeks. In Ireland, it reached #4; in the UK it peaked at #6.

[edit] B-side

The song's flip side was a song called "Screw You", though the U.S. release re-titled the song "Young Man's Blues" so as not to offend American record buyers.

[edit] Live

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is still regularly included in John's live performances, although he has stated numerous times in interviews of his need to transpose the key of the song downward as he is no longer able to sing its high falsetto chorus.

On November 12, 2010 he performed the song live at Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

On 13 November 2010, Matt Cardle sang Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in the Elton John night of The X Factor (UK series 7).

[edit] Charts

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Canadian RPM 100 Top Singles Chart 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 7
Irish Singles Chart 4
UK Singles Chart 6

[edit] In Popular Culture

The band Keane (with Faultline) covered the song for the Help: A Day in the Life compilation. There is also a Dream Theater version of this song, yet it has not been officially released.

Famed Australian artist Sarah Blasko also recorded an acoustic version of this song, which can be found on Triple J's Like a Version vol #2

The song is featured in Stephen King's novel Roadwork, and was a personal favourite of late musician Elliott Smith.

On rapper Raekwon's 2009 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, close friend of John's RZA sampled the song on the track "Kiss the Ring". One of the few, if any, samples John has allowed of his music.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
  2. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
  3. ^ Schacht, Janis. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Circus Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
  4. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-07-15-elton-john-ice-cream_N.htm?csp=34
  5. ^ http://www.metrolyrics.com/rs/4
  6. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4944&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=ccntousk30frf6h4jsn237nm12
  7. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_RPM_number-one_singles_of_1973
Preceded by
"Top Of The World" by Carpenters		 Canadian RPM 100 number-one single
December 22, 1973		 Succeeded by
"The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" by Charlie Rich

[edit] References

Elton John songs
1960s and 1970s
"I've Been Loving You" (1968) · "Lady Samantha" (1969) · "It's Me That You Need" (1969) · "Border Song" (1970) · "Rock n' Roll Madonna" (1970) · "From Denver to L.A." (1970) · "Take Me to the Pilot" (1970) · "Your Song" (1970) · "Levon" (1971) · "Tiny Dancer" (1972) · "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" (1972) · "Honky Cat" (1972) · "Crocodile Rock" (1972) · "Daniel" (1972) · "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (1973) · "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (1973) · "Step into Christmas" (1973) · "Candle in the Wind" (1974) · "Bennie and the Jets" (1974) · "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (1974) · "The Bitch Is Back" (1974) · "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (1974) · "Philadelphia Freedom" (1975) · "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (1975) · "Island Girl" (1975) · "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" (1976) · "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" (1976) · "Pinball Wizard" (1976) · "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (1976) · "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (1976) · "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" (1977) · "Crazy Water" (1977) · "The Goaldigger's Song" (1977) · "Ego" (1978) · "Part-Time Love" (1978) · "Song for Guy" (1978) · "Are You Ready for Love" (1979) · "Mama Can't Buy You Love" (1979) · "Johnny B. Goode" (1979)
1980s
1990s
"Club at the End of the Street" (1990) · "You Gotta Love Someone" (1990) · "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (1991) · "The One" (1992) · "The Last Song" (1992) · "Simple Life" (1993) · "True Love" (1993) · "Shakey Ground" (1994) · "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (1994) · "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (1994) · "Circle of Life" (1994) · "Believe" (1994) · "Made in England" (1995) · "When the Money's Gone" (1995) · "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (1997) · "Candle in the Wind 1997" (1997) · "Written in the Stars" (1999)
2000s
"This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" (2002) · "Original Sin" (2002) · "Are You Ready for Love" (2003) · "Ghetto Gospel" (2005) · "Electricity" (2005) · "The Bridge" (2006) · "Joseph, Better You than Me" (2008)
Related articles
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goodbye_Yellow_Brick_Road_(song)&oldid=466224153"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages