Lady Samantha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Lady Samantha" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Elton John | ||
| Released | January 17, 1969 | |
| Format | 7-inch | |
| Recorded | DJM studio | |
| Genre | Rock, piano rock | |
| Length | 3:02 | |
| Label | Phillips, DJM, Congress | |
| Writer(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |
| Producer(s) | Steve Brown | |
| Elton John singles chronology | ||
| "I've Been Loving You" (1968) |
"Lady Samantha" (1969) |
"It's Me That You Need" (1969) |
"Lady Samantha" is the second solo single by British musician Elton John; it was released on January 17, 1969 in Great Britain, and some time later in the United States. The song was written by John and his collaborator Bernie Taupin, and produced by Steve Brown.
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[edit] Lyrics
The song depicts the plight of a forlorn, ghostly figure with a tragic past who roams what might have been the Scottish moors. Bernie later remarked that this was the first song to represent the songwriting duo's new direction. [1] They were writing to please themselves instead of the marketplace.
[edit] Song history
Dick James who oversaw John's output was initally reluctant to release the song since it didn't fit his commercial vision for Elton and Bernie. But when Lionel Conway, head of James's publishing division, got the BBC to make it their record of the week, James changed his mind. The song had some success on the radio, becoming a turntable hit although it barely sold any copies. [2] What it did do, however was catch the interest of the group Three Dog Night. One of the group's singers, Danny Hutton, fell in love with Elton's demo of the song, when the Briton played it for him while touring together in 1969. "Lady Samantha" was included on Three Dog Night's Suitable for Framing album in June of that year.
The song also brought the first live Elton John performance to BBC listeners. On October 28, 1968, Elton auditioned for a BBC panel, performing on piano and organ, with Caleb Quaye on guitar and others on bass and drums. Besides, "Lady Samantha" they played "All Across the Havens," (its eventual B-side), and "Skyline Pigeon." In July, Elton appeared with Hookfeat members Quaye, Pope, and David Glover on the BBC's Symonds on Sunday radio program to play "Lady Samantha" and some other songs.
In March 1980, the song finally appeared on an album when DJM released the rarities collection titled Lady Samantha.
[edit] Format and tracklist
- January 1969 UK 7" vinyl single
- "Lady Samantha"
- "All across the Havens"
- January 1969 US 7" vinyl single
- "Lady Samantha"
- "All across the Havens"
- January 1970 US 7" vinyl single
- "Lady Samantha"
- "It's Me That You Need"
[edit] Notes
- ^ Taupin, Bernie. Liner notes of Rare Masters. 1992.
- ^ Taupin, John, Gus Dudgeon and others. Radio interview with Paul Gambaccini, Fall 1976.
[edit] External links
- Song lyrics at Eltonography.com
