"Candle in the Wind 1997" | ||||
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Single by Elton John | ||||
A-side | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" "Candle in the Wind 1997" |
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B-side | "You Can Make History (Young Again)" | |||
Released | 13 September 1997UK) 23 September 1997 (US) |
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Format | CD, 7" | |||
Recorded | September 1997 | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 3:59 ("Something About the Way You Look Tonight") 4:11 ("Candle in the Wind 1997") |
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Label | Rocket Records (UK) A&M (US/Canada) |
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Writer(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin (re-written) | |||
Producer | George Martin | |||
Certification | 11x platinum (RIAA) | |||
Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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"Candle in the Wind 1997" is a re-written and rerecorded version of Elton John's own 1973 hit "Candle in the Wind" that was released as a tribute single to the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, with certified sales it is "the best-selling single of all time."[1][2] The Guinness Book of World Records 2009 states that the song is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies," and is the best-selling single worldwide of all time.[3][4]
On release in September 1997, "Candle in the Wind 1997" entered number one in the UK, John's fourth UK number one single, and became the best-selling single in UK Chart history.[5][6] In October it became John's ninth U.S. number one single, where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, and is the best-selling single in Billboard history, and the only single ever certified Diamond in the U.S.[7]
"Candle in the Wind 1997" topped the German Singles Chart for seven weeks, the Australian ARIA Charts for six weeks, reached number one in Japan, Canada, France and music charts around the world.[6]
The 1997 version won John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1998.[8] The lyrics of the earlier version of "Candle in the Wind", written by Bernie Taupin, were a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. The opening lines of the 1973 version, "Goodbye Norma Jeane, though I never knew you at all," were adapted to "Goodbye England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts." In fact, most of the lyrics were adapted to suit the circumstances of Diana's life and death, but a notable and poignantly ironic omission was the line, "Even when you died, the press still hounded you..." which was replaced with the lyric, "Even though we try, the truth brings us to tears..."
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On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris, France. The news immediately shocked Elton John, as he and the Princess had been very good friends. He had also lost another good friend, the fashion designer Gianni Versace, earlier in the summer, and had attended his funeral with Diana where she was seen comforting him.[9][10]
I thought it was very important to project it from a nation's standpoint. I wanted to make it sound like a country singing it. From the first couple of lines I wrote [which began "Goodbye England's Rose"], the rest sort of fell into place
As a result of these deaths, John sank into a deep depression, and to cope with grief quickly decided he wanted to pay a tribute to Diana.[12] With that in mind, he contacted his veteran writing partner, Bernie Taupin, asking him to write lyrics for a song similar to "Candle in the Wind". However, Taupin misunderstood and thought he was being asked to revise the lyrics of the 1973 song "Candle in the Wind" to honour Diana. As a result, Taupin rewrote the song accordingly.[11] George Martin was contacted to help produce the song, and added a string quartet, (Peter Manning, Keith Pascoe, Levine Andrade and Andrew Shulman), and woodwind (Pippa Davies, flute) to help balance the recording.[8] Elton John met Martin at Townhouse Studios in West London to record the song.[10]
John publicly performed "Candle in the Wind 1997" only once, at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997.[12] Though he continues to sing the original 1973 version of the song at his concerts, John has repeatedly turned down requests to perform the 1997 version.[12] He refused even when asked to do so for the memorial Concert for Diana in July 2007, having vowed never to perform it again unless asked by Diana's sons.[13] The song has never been released (or re-released) on any of his other albums or compilations, not even on the 1997 Diana Princess of Wales: Tribute album (an official 2-CD release sanctioned by Diana's family that included other artists such as Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Queen, Celine Dion and Rod Stewart).[14]
"Candle in the Wind" was expected to debut high on the charts, partly due to its tribute to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. It became the fastest-selling single in the UK, selling 658,000 copies in its first day of release, and over 1.5 million copies in its first week.[13] The single remained at number one for 5 weeks, and it eventually sold 4.86 million copies in the UK, overtaking the 13-year-old record held by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?". It has been certified as the best-selling single of all time in the UK.[5][15]
The chart success in the United States was similar.[1][8] Released on 22 September 1997, "Candle in the Wind" debuted at number one on the Billboard 100, with first week sales at 3.5 million copies.[13] The album/single stayed at the top of the charts for 14 consecutive weeks, a record for a male solo artist. The best-selling single in Billboard history, and the only single ever certified Diamond in the United States, the single sold over 11 million copies in the U.S.[2][7] In terms of certified sales it went on to become "the best-selling single of all time" with 33 million copies sold,[1][8] while according to estimations from other sources it is the second best-selling single worldwide of all time.[4]
There has been some confusion and considerable debate on whether John's record is or is not the best-selling single in the world, due to a lack of information on sales for the record's main contender for the number-one spot, Bing Crosby's recording of "White Christmas," because Crosby's recording was released before the advent of the modern-day US and UK singles charts. However, after careful research, Guinness World Records in 2007 concluded that, worldwide, Crosby's recording of "White Christmas" has, in their estimation, sold at least 50 million copies, and that John's recording of "Candle in the Wind" has sold 33 million, making Crosby's recording the best-selling single of all time.[3] However, an update in the 2009 edition of the book decided to further help settle the controversy amicably by naming both John's and Crosby's songs to be "winners" by stating that John's recording is the "best-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s," while maintaining that "the best-selling single of all time was released before the first pop charts," and that this distinction belongs to "White Christmas," which it says "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and - remarkably - still retains the title more than 50 years later."[4]
In Canada, "Candle in the Wind 1997" spent three years in the top 20, with 46 non-consecutive weeks at the top spot. However, the song's unusual chart performance in Canada has also been explained as a structural factor; due to the relative lack of CD singles available for sale in Canadian stores. In Germany, the song is the 8th best selling pop hymn ever.[16] Having spent six weeks at number one on the ARIA Charts, "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the all-time best-selling single in Australia, and is certified 14 times platinum with 56 weeks in the Top 100.[17] According to Musiikkituottajat, the Finnish music industry federation, "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling single of all time in Finland, with platinum-sales of 54,225 copies in 1997.[18][19]
It is estimated that at the peak of sales, almost six copies of the single were sold per second.[13] In the UK, the single grabbed the number one slot on the first day of its release, with more than 650,000 copies sold in 24 hours, becoming the fastest-selling record of all time in the UK charts.[6] All artist and composer royalties and record company profits were donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.[13]
Peak positions
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Year-end charts
Sales and certifications
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Preceded by "Men in Black" by Will Smith |
German Singles Chart number-one single 12 September 1997 – 31 October 1997 |
Succeeded by "Barbie Girl" by Aqua |
French SNEP Singles Chart number-one single 13 September 1997 – 18 October 1997 |
Succeeded by "Savoir aimer" by Florent Pagny |
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Preceded by "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba |
Irish Singles Chart number-one single 20 September 1997 – 18 October 1997 |
Succeeded by "Barbie Girl" by Aqua |
Preceded by "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 |
Belgian Flanders Ultratop 50 number-one single 20 September 1997 – 1 November 1997 |
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Preceded by "Men in Black" by Will Smith |
Belgian Wallonia Ultratop 40 number-one single 20 September 1997 – 25 October 1997 |
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Swiss Singles Chart number-one single 21 September 1997 – 23 November 1997 |
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Preceded by "Barbie Girl" by Aqua |
Swiss Singles Chart number-one single 11 January 1998 (one week) |
Succeeded by "It's Like That" by Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins |
Swedish Singles Chart number-one single 26 September 1997 – 7 November 1997 |
Succeeded by "Burnin'" by Cue |
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Dutch Top 40 number-one single 27 September 1997 – 25 October 1997 |
Succeeded by "Alane" by Wes |
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Preceded by "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 |
Austrian Singles Chart number-one single 27 September 1997 – 31 January 1998 |
Succeeded by "Breathe" by Midge Ure |
Italian FIMI Singles Chart number-one single 4 October 1997 – 23 November 1997 |
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Preceded by "Breathe" by Midge Ure |
Italian FIMI Singles Chart number-one single 13 December 1997 – 20 December 1997 |
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Italian FIMI Singles Chart number-one single 11 January 1998 – 28 January 1997 |
Succeeded by "All Around the World" by Oasis |
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Preceded by "All Around the World" by Oasis |
Italian FIMI Singles Chart number-one single 26 February 1998 |
Succeeded by "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion |
Preceded by "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 |
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number-one single 4 October 1997 – 8 November 1997 |
Succeeded by "Barbie Girl" by Aqua |
Preceded by "Men in Black" by Will Smith |
Australia ARIA Singles Chart number-one single 5 October 1997 – 9 November 1997 |
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Preceded by "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba |
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single 5 October 1997 – 9 November 1997 |
Succeeded by "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by N-Trance |
Preceded by "Honey" by Mariah Carey |
Japanese Oricon International Chart number-one single[56] 6 October 1997 – 24 November 1997 |
Succeeded by "Be the Man" by Celine Dion |
Preceded by "Tanoshiku Tanoshiku Yasashikune" by Tomomi Kahala |
Japanese Oricon Weekly Chart number-one single 6 October 1997 – 19 October 1997 |
Succeeded by "Liar! Liar!" by B'z |
Preceded by "The Drugs Don't Work" by The Verve |
UK Singles Chart number-one single[57][58] 20 September 1997 – 25 October 1997 |
Succeeded by "Spice Up Your Life" by Spice Girls |
Preceded by "4 Seasons of Loneliness" by Boyz II Men |
US Billboard Hot 100 number one single[59][60] 11 October 1997 – 10 January 1998 |
Succeeded by "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden |
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