Whoever coined the songwriting adage to “write what you know” obviously never considered Bernie Taupin and Elton John when coming up with this admittedly arbitrary standard. in fact, the songwriting duo’s first major hit is a perfect antithesis to the idea that a writer does best in familiar territory. Taupin had no real idea of what he was writing about. And John had no real experience being a rock star.
But by the end of the songwriting process, neither mattered. The second single from John’s second studio album entered the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-December 1970. From there, the rock ‘n’ roll pianist was catapulted to international fame. And with the lyrical help of Taupin, the song remains one of the pair’s best in their catalog.
Their song, after all, was their gift.
Elton John Wasn’t the First pick to Record “Your Song”
If the on-the-nose lyrical reference wasn’t clue enough,the song that cemented Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s names in rock ‘n’ roll history was,of course,”Your Song”. John released the track as his second single from his eponymous sophomore release, but he wasn’t the first artist to do so. Three Dog Night was the first group to cut a version of “Your Song” in March 1970, seven months before John’s October release date. British pop-rockers, The Hollies, were also considering recording it, based on a demo John recorded at Trident Studios.
Demo was the operative word. Initially,John planned on re-recording the song with higher quality. But after publisher Dick James heard what John had accomplished in the studio, he decided to release the “demo” as is. Clearly,
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