21 at 33

21 at 33
Studio album by Elton John
Released 13 May 1980
Recorded August 1979, January – March 1980
Genre Soft rock, pop, post-disco
Length 42:51
Label MCA, Rocket
Producer Elton John, Clive Franks
Elton John chronology

Lady Samantha
(1980)		 21 at 33
(1980)		 The Fox
(1981)
Singles from 21 at 33
  1. "Little Jeannie"
    Released: 1 May 1980
  2. "Sartorial Eloquence (Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More?)"
    Released: 5 August 1980
  3. "Dear God"
    Released: 14 November 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Rolling Stone Unrated[2]
Smash Hits 7/10[3]

21 at 33 is the fourteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Elton John, released on 13 May 1980. It was recorded at Super Bear Studios, Nice, France, in August 1979, and Rumbo Recorders and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California between January to March 1980.

The album sold over 900,000 copies in the United States, narrowly missing a Platinum certication.[4]

Background

Two of John's "classic" bandmates, drummer Nigel Olsson and bass player Dee Murray, reunited with him for one song. His backup keyboardist James Newton-Howard returned and performed on almost every track as was the case on Rock of the Westies and Blue Moves. Other musicians included members of The Eagles and Toto as well as Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits.

The title comes from the fact that this was John's 21st album in total at the age of 33. According to the liner notes in the remastered edition of the album, the count includes all standard albums, two "Greatest Hits" compilations, two live albums, as well as the Friends soundtrack, the three-song, 12-inch EP The Thom Bell Sessions and the UK-only "rarities" collection Lady Samantha.

John has not played any of the material in concert since touring in 1980, with the exception of "Little Jeannie", "White Lady White Powder" and "Sartorial Eloquence". Even "Little Jeannie", which was a huge North American hit (#3 Pop and #1 Adult Contemporary in the United States, and #1 in Canada) is rarely performed, although it was included in the two One Night Only concerts in 2000.[5]

Track listing

Side one

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Chasing the Crown"  Elton John, Bernie Taupin 5:38
2. "Little Jeannie"  John, Gary Osborne 5:21
3. "Sartorial Eloquence"  John, Tom Robinson 4:42
4. "Two Rooms at the End of the World"  John, Taupin 5:39

Side two

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
5. "White Lady White Powder"  John, Taupin 4:35
6. "Dear God"  John, Osborne 3:45
7. "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"  John, Robinson 4:07
8. "Take Me Back"  John, Osborne 3:52
9. "Give Me the Love"  John, Judie Tzuke 5:23

In 2003, Mercury/Universal and The Rocket Record Company reissued the album on CD, remastered by Gary Moore. The lineup contained no bonus tracks.

B-sides

Song Format
"Conquer the Sun" "Little Jeannie" 7" (US/UK)
"Cartier" "Sartorial Eloquence" 7" (US/UK)
"White Man Danger" "Sartorial Eloquence" 7" (US/UK)
"Tactics" "Dear God" 7" (UK)
"Steal Away Child" "Dear God" 7" (double) (UK)
"Love So Cold" "Dear God" 7" (double) (UK)

Personnel

Certifications

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Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[6] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[7] Gold 175,500[8]
United States (RIAA)[9] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Charts

Chart positions

Chart (1980) Peak position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[10] 7
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[11] 10
Dutch Mega Albums Chart[12] 41
French SNEP Albums Chart[13] 3
Italian Albums Chart[14] 25
Japanese Oricon LP Chart[15] 56
New Zealand Albums Chart[16] 3
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[17] 6
Swedish Albums Chart[18] 16
UK Albums Chart[19] 12
U.S. Billboard 200[20] 13
West German Media Control Albums Chart[21] 21

Year-end charts

Chart (1980) Position
Australian Albums Chart[10] 25
Canadian Albums Chart[22] 42
French Albums Chart[23] 58
Italian Albums Chart[14] 73

References

  1. ↑ 21 at 33 Elton John Allmusic.com Lindsay Planer
  2. ↑ "21 at 33". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2015-02-12.
  3. ↑ Cranna, Ian. "Albums". Smash Hits (June 12–25, 1980): 31.
  4. ↑ Liner notes to remastered 21 at 33 album
  5. ↑ One Night Only: The Greatest Hits DVD, 2000.
  6. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33". Music Canada.
  7. ↑ "French album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33" (in French). InfoDisc. Select ELTON JOHN and click OK
  8. ↑ "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr. SNEP. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  9. ↑ "American album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-29
  12. ↑ "Elton John - 21 at 33". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  13. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste : Elton John" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2012-02-29. Note: user must select 'Elton JOHN' from drop-down
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1980" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  15. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  16. ↑ "charts.org.nz Elton John – 21 at 33" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  17. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Elton John – 21 at 33" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  18. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Elton John – 21 at 33" (ASP). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  19. ↑ "Chart Stats - Elton John – 21 at 33" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  20. ↑ "allmusic ((( 21 at 33 > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  21. ↑ "Album Search: Elton John – 21 at 33" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  22. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1980". RPM. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
  23. ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1980 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2012-02-24.