| "First Episode at Hienton" | ||||
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| Song by Elton John from the album Elton John | ||||
| Released | April 10, 1970 (UK) July 22, 1970 (USA) |
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| Recorded | January 1970 | |||
| Genre | Ballad, pop | |||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | DJM (UK/world) Uni (US/Canada) |
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| Writer | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John track listing | ||||
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"First Episode at Hienton" is a song by Elton John with lyrics written by Bernie Taupin. It is the fifth track off his self-titled album, released in 1970. The song tells the story of a man and a girl named Valerie who had an affair at either a hotel or an inn, and how they grew apart from each other; "The songs still are sung, it was fun to be young, I am who I am, you are who you are, Now Valerie's a woman".
The musical structure is, like many of the other songs on the album, basically Elton and the piano with the guidance of Paul Buckmaster and his orchestration. The song also features a moog synthesizer-solo, which is played by Diana Lewis.
In a 1973 interview, John said of the song:
I like writing songs like "First Episode at Hienton", which really doesn't have any shape or form, it just meandered with a general feel of wistfulness.
This song was also one of John/Taupin's early compositions, being performed as early as 1968.