Candle in the Wind 1997
| "Candle in the Wind 1997" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| A-side | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" "Candle in the Wind 1997" |
| B-side | "You Can Make History (Young Again)" |
"Candle in the Wind 1997" is a remake of his own 1973 hit "Candle in the Wind" by Sir Elton John that was released as a tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales. With over 37 million copies sold, it is the best-selling single since records began.[1][2] On release in September 1997, "Candle in the Wind 1997" peaked at number one in the UK, becoming John's fourth number one single, and was also becoming the first song to reach the top in each of the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, and Germany.
The lyrics of the earlier version of "Candle in the Wind," written by Bernie Taupin, were a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. The opening lines of the 1973 version, "Goodbye Norma Jean, though I never knew you at all," were adapted to "Goodbye England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts." In fact, most of the lyrics were adapted to suit the circumstances of Diana's life and death, but a notable and poignantly ironic omission was the line, "Even when you died, the press still hounded you..." which was replaced with the lyric, "Even though we try, the truth brings us to tears..."
Background
On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris, France. The news immediately shocked Elton John, as he and the Princess had been very good friends: he had also lost another good friend, the fashion designer Gianni Versace, earlier in the summer, and had attended his funeral with Diana.
As a result of these deaths, John sank into a deep depression, and considered not going to the funeral due to the emotional trauma.[citation needed] In the end, he decided to attend after receiving support from other friends. Following the recovery, John decided he wanted to pay a tribute to Diana: with that in mind, he contacted his veteran writing partner, Bernie Taupin. Due to the confusion created by a message John left on Taupin's answering machine in which he asked Taupin to write a lyric similar to "Candle in the Wind", Taupin rewrote that song.[citation needed] George Martin was contacted to help produce the song, and added a string quartet, (Peter Manning, Keith Pascoe, Levine Andrade and Andrew Shulman), and woodwind (Pippa Davies, flute) to help balance the recording.
John publicly performed "Candle in the Wind 1997" only once, at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997. Though he continues to sing the original 1973 version of the song at his concerts, John has repeatedly turned down requests to perform the 1997 version. He refused even when asked to do so for the memorial Concert for Diana in July 2007, having vowed never to perform it again unless asked by Diana's sons.[3] The song has never been released (or re-released) on any of his other albums or compilations, not even on the 1997 Diana Princess of Wales: Tribute album (an official 2-CD release sanctioned by Diana's family that included other artists such as Celine Dion and Rod Stewart).
Chart performance
"Candle in the Wind" was expected to debut high on the charts, partly due to its tribute to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales; but its actual results were record breaking. Released on 13 September 1997, it became the fastest-selling single in the UK, selling 658,000 copies in its first day of release, and over 1.5 million copies in its first week.[3] The single would remain at number one for 5 weeks, and it eventually sold 4.86 million copies in the UK, overtaking the 13-year-old record held by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?". It has been certified as the best-selling single of all time in the UK.[4]
The chart success in the United States was similar.[2] Released on 22 September 1997, "Candle in the Wind" debuted at number one, with first week sales at a staggering 3.5 million copies.[3] As a result, the album/single stayed at the top of the charts for 14 consecutive weeks, a record for a male solo artist. The single sold over 11 million copies in the United States and became the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated worldwide sales totaling over 35 million copies.[5]
The single's success was also seen in most countries around the world.[citation needed] In Canada, the single spent three years in the top 20, with 45 non-consecutive weeks at the top spot.[3] However, the song's unusual chart performance in Canada has also been explained as a structural factor; due to the relative lack of CD singles available for sale in Canadian stores, in some weeks the song was able to chart on sales of less than 100 copies across the entire country.[citation needed]
As a testament to the single's success, it is estimated that at the peak of sales, almost six copies of the single were sold across the world per second.[3] All artist and composer royalties and record company profits were donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.[3]
Comprehensive charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Flanders Ultratop 50 Singles Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Wallonia Ultratop 40 Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 1 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italian FIMI Singles Chart | 1 |
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
Sales certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 11× Platinum (Diamond) | 11,000,000 |
| United Kingdom | 9× Platinum | 5,400,000 |
| Germany | 9× Platinum | 4,500,000 |
| France | Diamond | 2,000,000 |
| Canada | Diamond | 1,000,000 |
| Australia | 14× Platinum | 980,000 |
| Japan | 2× Platinum | 630,000 |
| Spain | 9× Platinum | 450,000 |
| Switzerland | 9× Platinum | 450,000 |
| Netherlands[7] | 6× Platinum | 300,000 |
| Austria | 6× Platinum | 180,000 |
| New Zealand | 15× Platinum | 150,000 |
| Brazil | Platinum | 125,000 |
| Mexico | Gold | 100,000 |
| Norway | 8× Platinum | 80,000 |
| Finland | 5× Platinum | 54,225 |
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (April 2009) |
- This song is parodied in The Simpsons episode "Funeral for a Fiend" (a parody of "Funeral for a Friend", another Elton John song) with Krusty the Clown singing altered lyrics while playing piano at Sideshow Bob's funeral.
- The song was parodied by Australian comedy team The Chaser in 2007 with Andrew Hansen's altered lyrics lamenting the departure of host Naomi Robson from the current affairs program Today Tonight.
- The song is listed at #41 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[8]
See also
References
- ^ Guinness Book of Records 2007 states that "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the biggest selling single "since records began". Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" was covered and has had countless different versions performed of it, sales of which were not included. John's 1997 song has sold the most copies as verified in Guinness World Records. ISBN 1-904994-11-3.
- ^ a b "RIAA News Room - The American Recording Industry Announces its Artists of the Century - Nov 10, 1999". Recording Industry Association of America website. RIAA. 1999-11-10. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
'Candle In The Wind 1997' soon surpassed Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' to become the best-selling single of all time.
- ^ a b c d e f Doyle, Jack (2008-04-26 (updated 2008-05-12)). "Candle in the Wind, 1973 & 1997". PopHistoryDig.com. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ UK Top 10 Best Selling Singles ukcharts.20m.com
- ^ "World Best Selling Singles, Uk'S All Time Best Singles". Phil Brodie Band. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ エルトン・ジョン-リリース-ORICON STYLE ミュージック
- ^ Search page "NVPI, de branchevereniging van de entertainmentindustrie - Goud/Platina" (in Dutch). Select "Single" from "Type" and enter "Candle in the Wind" in "Titel" field, then click on "zoek". NVPI.
- ^ "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (50-41)". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- Articles with trivia sections from April 2009
- 1990s ballads
- 1997 singles
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Charity singles
- Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial
- Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
- Elton John songs
- European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
- Funerary and memorial compositions
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Australia
- Number-one singles in Austria
- Number-one singles in Belgium
- Number-one singles in France
- Number-one singles in Germany
- Oricon Weekly number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Sweden
- Number-one singles in Switzerland
- Number-one singles in Norway
- RPM Top Singles number-one singles
- Songs in memory of deceased persons
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles
- Soft rock songs
- Pop ballads
- Songs with music by Elton John
- Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin
- Singles certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
- Singles certified diamond by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique