| "Your Song" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of side-A labels of the US single | ||||
| Single byElton John | ||||
| from the albumElton John | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 26 October 1970 (1970-10-26) | |||
| Recorded | 22 January 1970 | |||
| Studio | Trident, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio video | ||||
| "Your Song" onYouTube | ||||
"Your Song" is a song written by British musicianElton John and lyricistBernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was John's first international Top 10 chart single.
"Your Song" was first released by American rock bandThree Dog Night in March 1970 as an album track onIt Ain't Easy. John was an opening act for the band at the time and allowed them to record it. They did not release it as a single as they wanted to let John, then an upcoming artist, have a go with it. John's version was recorded atTrident Studios in London in January 1970 and appeared in April as the first cut on hisself-titled second studio album. Following "Border Song" as the first album single, "Your Song" was released in the United States in October 1970 as theB-side to "Take Me to the Pilot". Both sides received airplay, but "Your Song" was preferred by disc jockeys and replaced "Take Me to the Pilot" as the A-side, eventually making it to number eight on theBillboard chart. The song also peaked at number seven on theUK singles chart, as well as charting in the top 10 in several other countries.
In 1998, "Your Song" was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[3] In 2004, the song was placed at number 136 onRolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", 137 in its 2010 list, and 202 in its 2021 list. The song is listed among theRock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[4] A demo version was included in John's 1990 box set albumTo Be Continued.[5] In 2017, the song was voted by the British public asThe Nation's Favourite Elton John Song in a UK-wide poll forITV.[6]
The song has been covered by a number of artists, includingRod Stewart,Lady Gaga andEllie Goulding. The song was also covered byEwan McGregor and opera singerAlessandro Safina in the 2001 musical filmMoulin Rouge! and byTaron Egerton in the 2019 filmRocketman. In 2024, the song was certified3× Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[7]
One widespread story is that Bernie Taupin wrote the song's lyrics after breakfast one morning on the roof of 20Denmark Street, London, where John worked for a music publishing firm as an office boy, hence the line "I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss." However, Taupin has denied this, pointing out that John had stopped working there by the time they met. According to Taupin, "I scribbled the lyric down on a lined notepad at the kitchen table of Elton's mother's apartment in the London suburb ofNorthwood Hills, breakfast time sometime in 1969. That’s it. Plain and simple."[8]
The instrumental focus is on John'sLeon Russell-influenced piano work, along withacoustic guitar,Paul Buckmaster's string accompaniment, and a shuffling rhythm section.[original research?]
The lyrics express the romantic thoughts of an innocent person. John sings a straightforward love-song lyric at the beginning: "It's a little bit funny this feeling inside / I'm not one of those who can easily hide / I don't have much money, but boy, if I did / I'd buy a big house where we both could live." At times the self-deprecating narrator stumbles to get out his feelings, which despite being a melodramatic device,AllMusic calls "effective and sweet":[9] According to a journal entry on John's official website, he wrote the music for "Your Song" on Monday, 27 October 1969.[10]
"Your Song" was the inspiration for the song "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" on John's 1975 albumCaptain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.[11]
The song is performed in the key ofE-flat major.[12]
"Your Song" was praised by critics upon its release and in subsequent years, and is widely regarded as one of John's greatest songs. Writing inNME on its release, Derek Johnson wrote, "The song itself is glowing and strangely haunting, the scoring is smooth and delicate and the performance is symptomatic of a new era in pop idols."[13]Bill Janovitz from AllMusic described it as a "near-perfect song".[9]
In a 1975 interview withRolling Stone,John Lennon recalled,
I remember hearing Elton John's 'Your Song', heard it in America—it was one of Elton's first big hits—and remember thinking, 'Great, that's the first new thing that's happened since we (The Beatles) happened.' It was a step forward. There was something about his vocal that was an improvement on all of the English vocals until then. I was pleased with it."[14]
John Mendelsohn fromRolling Stone called the song a "prettyMcCartney-esque ballad".[15] In the 2019 bookElton John: Every Album, Every Song – 1969–1979, author Peter Kearns made the following quote in reference to "Your Song". "The words securely insulate themselves against possible criticism by admitting their ineptitude for the task at hand".
In 2018,The Guardian ranked the song number four on their list of the 50 greatest Elton John songs,[16] and in 2022,Billboard ranked the song number two on their list of the 75 greatest Elton John songs.[17]
"Your Song" rose to number eight on theBillboard Hot 100 and number seven on theUK Singles Chart by January 1971. In 2002, John re-recorded the song as a duet with Safina for the firstSport Relief charity telethon and released it on 15 July 2002; this version reached number four in the UK.[18][19] In the US it was certified Gold and Platinum on 13 December 2012 by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over one million digital downloads. On 23 July 2021, it was certified 2× Platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting sales in excess of 1,200,000 digital downloads. In the US in April 2018, it was certified 2× Platinum for sales of two million digital downloads by the Recording Industry Association of America.
In 2020, Canadian singer-songwriterthe Weeknd referenced "Your Song" on his song "Scared to Live".
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofElton John.[20]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[48] | Platinum | 100,000* |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[49] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[50] | 2× Platinum | 180,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[51] | Gold | 300,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[52] sales since 2009 | 2× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[53] 1996 release | Gold | 50,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[54] | 5× Platinum | 150,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[55] | 2× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[56] sales since 2008 | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[57] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
John has played "Your Song" at almost every live performance during his solo career, and issued several live versions, including with his band, solo on piano and with orchestra. One notable version was during his Central Park concert in 1980, when John was dressed asDonald Duck.
A live version of John's concert with theMelbourne Symphony Orchestra, recorded on 14 December 1986, was included in his 1987 albumLive in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He also performed "Your Song" live withRonan Keating atMadison Square Garden, New York, in 2000, the recording of which can be found on Keating's 2010 albumDuet. On 20 October 2001, John performed the song withBilly Joel atThe Concert for New York City, a tribute show to theSeptember 11 attacks. In 2004,Daniel Bedingfield performed a cover of the song to Elton John atAn Ivor Novello Tribute: Elton John. John performed "Your Song" to open theConcert for Diana on 1 July 2007.[58] John andLady Gaga performed a medley of "Your Song" with Gaga's song "Speechless" at the52nd Annual Grammy Awards on 31 January 2010.[59] At the2013 Grammy Awards, Colombian singerJuanes performed a bilingual rendition of "Your Song".[60] Gaga recorded a cover of the song for the 2018 tribute albumRevamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.[61]
Cilla Black covered the song on her 1971 albumImages.[62]
Soul singerBilly Paul released a version of the song onPhiladelphia International in 1972, as the B-side of "Me and Mrs. Jones", then in 1977, which reached number 37 on theUK Singles Chart and spent seven weeks in the top 75.[63] Also in 1972, the song was covered by Finnish band Alwari Tuohitorvi, with Finnish lyrics.[64]
In 1973,Mia Martini released an Italian version of the song on her albumIl giorno dopo, under the title "Picnic".[citation needed]
In 2014, singerAloe Blacc released "The Man" from his 2014 albumLift Your Spirit and the melody of this album hinges on the melody of this song.[citation needed]
In 2018, John starred in the annualChristmas advert of British department store chainJohn Lewis & Partners, titled "The Boy & the Piano". Set to "Your Song", it featured John reminiscing about his life in reverse, culminating with him receiving a piano for Christmas as a child.[65][66]
In December 2021, it was reported that the original plan was for John to sing "Your Song" at thefuneral of Diana, Princess of Wales, but the final choice was "Candle in the Wind 1997".[67]
| "Your Song" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byRod Stewart | ||||
| from the albumTwo Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin | ||||
| B-side | "Broken Arrow" | |||
| Released | 6 April 1992 (1992-04-06)[68] | |||
| Length | 4:49 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Composer | Elton John | |||
| Lyricist | Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer | Trevor Horn | |||
| Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
English singer and songwriterRod Stewart covered "Your Song" for the tribute albumTwo Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin (1991). His version was released in April 1992 byWarner Bros. as adouble A-side single with "Broken Arrow".
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[69] | 25 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[70] | 23 |
| France (SNEP)[71] | 38 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[72] | 60 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[73] | 41 |
| UK Airplay (Music Week)[74] | 14 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[75] | 48 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[76] | 6 |
| "Your Song" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byEllie Goulding | ||||
| from the albumBright Lights | ||||
| Released | 12 November 2010 (2010-11-12) | |||
| Length | 3:10 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Composer | Elton John | |||
| Lyricist | Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer | Ben Lovett | |||
| Ellie Goulding singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Your Song" onYouTube | ||||
English singer and songwriterEllie Goulding covered "Your Song" for the reissue of her debut studio album, titledBright Lights. Produced byBen Lovett ofMumford & Sons, it was released digitally on 12 November 2010 as the re-release's lead single.[77] The song was featured in theChristmas 2010 television advert for department store chainJohn Lewis.[78]
Goulding performed "Your Song" at the reception party ofPrince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding atBuckingham Palace on 29 April 2011, to which the couple shared theirfirst dance.[79] She also performed the song onSaturday Night Live on 7 May 2011, along with "Lights".[80] Goulding's version was featured at the end of the 29 July 2011 episode of theSyfy supernatural drama seriesHaven, titled "Love Machine".[81]
Nick Levine ofDigital Spy gave the song four out of five stars, commenting that producer Lovett "shrouds her beautifully fluttery vocals in little but piano and strings, just adding a few harmonies towards the finish, allowing her to draw out the tenderness in Bernie Taupin's lyrics and the utter loveliness of one of Elton John's very best melodies. The result is a quiet, modest triumph, but a triumph nonetheless."[82] Caryn Ganz ofSpin magazine opined that her cover is "everything Gaga's Grammy version wasn't—a tender, vulnerable gift".[83]AllMusic critic Jon O'Brien, in his review forBright Lights, called it "unimaginative" and felt that it "sounds out of place alongside the rest of her rather more adventurous material".[84]
"Your Song" debuted at number 39 on theUK Singles Chart for the week of 14 November 2010. The single jumped to number three the following week, selling 84,896 copies.[85] In its third week, it climbed to its peak position of number two (behindThe X Factor Finalists 2010's cover ofDavid Bowie's "'Heroes'") on sales of 72,292 copies,[86] becoming Goulding's highest-peaking single until 2013.[87] It maintained its position the following week, selling 63,753 units.[88] The song also topped theUK Singles Downloads Chart for the week ending 11 December 2010.[89]
The single was certified double platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 24 September 2021 and had sold 826,000 copies in the UK by August 2013.[90][91] Elsewhere, "Your Song" reached number four in Austria,[92] number five in Ireland,[25] number 22 in Denmark,[93] number 25 in Sweden[94] and number 56 in Switzerland.[95]
The music video, directed by Ben Coughlan and Max Knight,[96] premiered onYouTube on 14 November 2010. Shot in a home video look, it depicts Goulding's life on the road with friends. Areas from Goulding's hometown ofHereford can be seen throughout the video, includingHereford railway station.[97]
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofBright Lights.[98]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[107] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[108] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[109] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[110] | Platinum | 10,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[90] | 2× Platinum | 1,300,000[111] |
| United States (RIAA)[112] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 "Your Song" by Lady Gaga onYouTube |
American singerLady Gaga recorded a cover of "Your Song" for the 2018 tribute albumRevamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.[113] It was released digitally as apromotional single on 30 March 2018.[114] Gaga performed the song atThe Recording Academy's tribute concert, titled "Elton John: I'm Still Standing – AGrammy Salute", which aired onCBS on 10 April 2018.[115] In April, during the release ofRevamp in Japan (there re-titledYour Song: Elton John Best Hits Cover),[116] Lady Gaga's cover of "Your Song" was widely promoted on the country's radio stations, becoming the most played song on Japanese radio in mid-April.[117] The song reached the top thirty in Hungary, Japan, Mexico, the digital downloads chart of Spain and the USPop Digital Songs chart.
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France Downloads (SNEP)[118] | 31 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40)[119] | 18 |
| Italy (Musica e Dischi)[120] | 27 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100) (Billboard)[121] | 27 |
| Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard)[117] | 3 |
| Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[122] | 30 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[123] | 79 |
| Spain Downloads (PROMUSICAE)[124] | 12 |
| USPop Digital Songs (Billboard)[122] | 21 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[125] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| The Fame | |
|---|---|
| The Fame Monster | |
| Born This Way | |
| Artpop |
|
| Cheek to Cheek | |
| Joanne | |
| A Star Is Born | |
| Chromatica | |
| Love for Sale | |
| Top Gun: Maverick | |
| Harlequin | |
| Mayhem | |
| As featured artist |
|
| Other songs recorded | |
| Other songs written | |
