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Take Me to the Pilot

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"Take Me to the Pilot"
Single by Elton John
from the album Elton John
A-side"Your Song"
Released26 October 1970
RecordedJanuary 1970; Trident Studios
(London, England)
GenreArt rock
Length3:47
LabelUni (US)
DJM (UK)
Songwriter(s)Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon

"Take Me to the Pilot" is a rock song performed by British musician Elton John. The lyrics of the song were written by Bernie Taupin and the melody composed by John for his eponymous second album in 1970.

It was recorded at Trident Studios in London in January 1970 and released in the United States in October 1970 as the A-side of a single, with "Your Song" as the B-side. Both songs received airplay, but "Your Song" was preferred by disc jockeys, becoming the singer's first hit (on both sides of the Atlantic) and rendering "Take Me To The Pilot" as the B-side.

Composition and inspiration

Many—including Elton John himself[1]—find the song's lyrics cryptic and incomprehensible.

"If you feel that it's real, I'm on trial. And I'm here in your prison. Like a coin in your mint, I am dented. And I'm spent with high treason. Through a glass eye your throne, is the one danger zone. Take me to the pilot for control, take me to the pilot of your soul."

Lyricist Bernie Taupin has admitted to not knowing what the song's lyrics represent, comparing his writing style in "Pilot" to poets like "Baudelaire and Rimbaud...(who) just threw things together and went 'Wow! That sounds good'". The lyrics possess many elements: betrayal, either political or personal ("treason"); the illusion of danger ("through a glass eye"); and fearlessness toward the unknown ("take me to the pilot of your soul"). According to Elton, this and other songs recorded during this period were inspired by the science fiction books Bernie was reading at the time.

The country duo Brothers Osborne recorded a remake of the song for the 2018 tribute album Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Song history

This has become a staple of John's live shows and can be heard on many of his concert recordings — such as a performance with his early 1970s backup musicians, bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson on 17-11-70 (1970) to Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (1987) with a full scale orchestral reworking the original Paul Buckmaster score. John also performs the song in a solo version on the album Live in Moscow recorded in 1979. There have also been numerous notable cover versions from the likes of José Feliciano, folk/blues guitarist Buzzy Linhart, British Group Orange Bicycle, R&B vocalist Ben E. King, blues icon Odetta, pianist Nate Hopkins, a duet between singers Al Jarreau and Gloria Loring, and third-season contestant George Huff on American Idol. The Who segue into it from "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" on the Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album, Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. In 1983, Kikki Danielsson covered the song on her Singles Bar album.[2] Elton once quoted, in The Red Piano Tour in 2005, "And in the early days, there were a lot of inquiries about 'What does this song mean? What does that song mean?' and in the case of 'Take me to the pilot/Lead me through the chamber/Take me to the pilot/I am but a stranger', I have no idea! You're on your own, I tell you." American Idol season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino and Season 11 Top 3 finalist Joshua Ledet performed this song on the American Idol season 11 Finale. The song was also featured in the soundtrack of the 2018 Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora. Award-winning actor/singer-songwriter Ben Platt performed the song in his one-night-only concert at Radio City Music Hall on September 29, 2019, which was the last stop of his debut Sing to Me Instead Tour.

Format and track list

  • 1970 US 7" single
  1. . "Your Song" 3:57
  2. . "Take Me to the Pilot" 3:43
  • 1988 US 7" single
  1. "Take Me to the Pilot (live)" 3:58
  2. "Tonight (live)" 7:26
  • 1992 US 7" single
  1. "Nikita"
  2. "Take Me to the Pilot"
  • 1995 US CD single
  1. "Blessed" 4:19
  2. "Honky Cat (live)" 7:05
  3. "Take Me to the Pilot (live)" 5:55
  4. "The Bitch is Back (live)" 4:26

References

  1. ^ Interview: The Late Late Show with James Corden, March 1, 2018
  2. ^ Information at Svensk mediedatabas

3. TV series "Escape at Dannemora" 2018 w Benecio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano.

Part 3 - December 2, 2018

The song plays full length featuring a cinematic series about 2/3 through the episode.

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