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Jump Up! (Elton John album)

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Jump Up!
Studio album by
Released9 April 1982
RecordedSeptember–October 1981
StudioAIR, Montserrat; Pathe Marconi, France
GenreRock, soft rock, pop rock, new wave
Length42:31
LabelGeffen (US), Rocket (UK)
ProducerChris Thomas
Elton John chronology
The Fox
(1981)
Jump Up!
(1982)
Too Low for Zero
(1983)
Singles from Jump Up!
  1. "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)"
    Released: 12 March 1982
  2. "Blue Eyes"
    Released: March 1982
  3. "Princess"
    Released: 1982[1]
  4. "Ball and Chain"
    Released: September 1982
  5. "All Quiet on the Western Front"
    Released: November 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Rolling Stone[3]
Robert Christgau(B)[4]

Jump Up! is the sixteenth studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John. It was released in 1982 by The Rocket Record Company except in the US and Canada, where it was released by Geffen Records.

Background

The album includes "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)", a tribute to John Lennon (who had also signed to Geffen for the release of Double Fantasy, which is now owned by EMI). This is one of the first few LPs that showcases John singing in a deeper voice, as can be heard in songs such as "Blue Eyes", "Princess", "Ball and Chain" and "Spiteful Child". "Legal Boys" was written by John and Tim Rice, who later wrote lyrics for The Lion King and The Road to El Dorado. This is the last studio album in which James Newton-Howard played keyboards (although he would play keyboards with John again on the soundtrack of Gnomeo & Juliet almost 30 years later).

In a 2010 Sirius radio special, John's lyricist, Bernie Taupin, talking about Jump Up!, said it was "one of our worst albums". He added, "It's a terrible, awful, disposable album, but it had 'Empty Garden' on it, so it's worth it for that one song." In the United States, it was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1982. The album's gatefold artwork shows John's lifelong friend Vance Buck and Gary Osborne's then 5-year-old son Luke.[5]

Since 1982, only "Empty Garden" and "Blue Eyes" have been performed live in concert.

Recording

It was recorded and mixed digitally at AIR Studios in Montserrat,[6] and Pathe Marconi Studios in France.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dear John"John, Gary Osborne3:31
2."Spiteful Child"John, Taupin4:15
3."Ball & Chain"John, Osborne3:27
4."Legal Boys"John, Tim Rice3:05
5."I Am Your Robot"John, Taupin4:43
6."Blue Eyes"John, Osborne3:25
7."Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)"John, Taupin5:09
8."Princess"John, Osborne4:56
9."Where Have All the Good Times Gone?"John, Taupin4:00
10."All Quiet on the Western Front"John, Taupin5:59

Previously available since 1983 on CD in Europe on the Rocket/Phonogram label, in 2003, John's company, Rocket, in association with Mercury/Universal Records, reissued the album on CD, remastered by Gary Moore. It had no bonus tracks but did include many new and previously released photographs of John during the early 1980s, full lyrics and snapshots of the cover art for the album's singles, along with liner notes by John Tobler.

Two slightly different artworks exist.

Outtakes

Outtakes from Jump Up! include "At This Time in My Life", "Desperation Train", "I'm Not Very Well", "Jerry's Law", "Moral Majority", "Waking Up in Europe" and "The Ace of Hearts and the Jack of Spades". They all have yet to see circulation, either on bootlegs or officially.[7]

However, "Desperation Train" was later recorded and released by John's lyricist Bernie Taupin on his 1987 album, Tribe.

B-sides

Song Format
"Take Me Down to the Ocean" "Empty Garden" 7" (US/UK)
"Hey Papa Legba" "Blue Eyes" 7" (US/UK)
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" (alternate version) "All Quiet on the Western Front" 7" (UK) / "Ball and Chain" 7" (US)
"The Retreat" "Princess" 7" (UK)

"Hey Papa Legba" and "The Retreat" were recorded during the sessions for 21 at 33 in August 1979.

Personnel

Production

Charts

Charting Singles

Single Chart Position
Blue Eyes Australian Singles Chart 4
Belgium Music Charts 8
Canada (RPM) 5
Germany Singles Chart 51
Ireland Singles Chart 8
Netherlands Music Chart 19
New Zealand Music Chart 11
Swiss Music Charts 9
UK Singles Chart 8
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 12
US "Billboard"Adult Contemporary 1
Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) Australian Music Chart 63
Canada (RPM) 8
Ireland Singles Cart 29
New Zealand Music Chart 14
UK Singles Chart 51
U.S.Billboard Hot 100 12
U.S. "Billboard" Adult Contemporary 1
Ball and Chain U.S. "Billboard Rock Chart 14

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[20] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Elton John - Princess" at Discogs
  2. ^ Jump Up! at AllMusic
  3. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on 4 November 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "CG: elton john". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  5. ^ http://www.eltonjohnworld.com/index.php/cheryl-s-specials/4818-from-little-jeannie-to-little-monsters-gary-osborne-s-rich-and-enduring-career
  6. ^ "AIR MONTSERRAT". Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  7. ^ Rocket Man: Elton John From A-Z (ISBN 0275956989)
  8. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ Library and Archives Canada Archived 29 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 May 2013
  10. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Elton John - Jump Up!" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  11. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  12. ^ "charts.nz Elton John - Jump Up!" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  13. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Elton John - Jump Up!". Hung Medien. VG-lista. Archived from the original (ASP) on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  14. ^ "swedishcharts.com Elton John - Jump Up!" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  15. ^ "Elton John > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  16. ^ "allmusic ((( Jump Up! > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  17. ^ "Album Search: Elton John - Jump Up!" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Albums '82". RPM. 25 December 1982. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  19. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1982 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 29 December 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  20. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Elton John – Jump Up!". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  21. ^ "British album certifications – Elton John – Jump Up". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Jump Up in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  22. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – Jump Up". Recording Industry Association of America.