Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song)
| "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | |||||||
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| Single by Elton John | |||||||
| from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |||||||
| B-side | "Screw You" | ||||||
| Released | 15 October 1973 | ||||||
| Format | Vinyl record (7" & 12") | ||||||
| Recorded | May 1973 at Château d'Hérouville, France | ||||||
| Genre | |||||||
| Length | 3:11 | ||||||
| Label | |||||||
| Writer(s) | |||||||
| Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | ||||||
| Elton John singles chronology | |||||||
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"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a ballad performed by musician Elton John. Lyrics for the song were written by Bernie Taupin and the music composed by John for his album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Its musical style and production is heavily influenced by 1970s soft rock. It was widely praised by critics, and some critics have named it John's best song.[1]
The song was released in 1973 as the album's second single, and entered the Top Ten in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It was one of John's biggest hits, and surpassed the previous single, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, in sales and popularity quickly following its release. In the US, it was certified Gold on 4 January 1974 and Platinum on 13 September 1995 by the RIAA.
The Yellow Brick Road is an image taken from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, Dorothy and her friends are instructed to follow the yellow brick road in search of the Wizard of Oz, only to find that they had what they were looking for all along. The road leads to the Emerald City in the land of Oz, often referred to as a metaphor for "The road that leads to life's fantasies" or "The road that leads to life's answers."
The Wizard of Oz was reportedly the first film that Elton John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin had ever seen, and he used the imagery in the lyrics relating to his own life as his desire to "get back to [his] roots".
Critical response
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" received a generally positive response from music critics. Janis Schacht of Circus describes it as "delicate and beautiful".[2] Allmusic writes that the song is "a vocal triumph" and a "pinnacle of its style".[1] Ben and Jerry's later created the ice cream flavour Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road in honour of John's performance in Vermont.[3] In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 380 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4]
Chart performance
In Canada, the single reached No.1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart on 22 December 1973 and held the position for one week,[5] making it John's third No.1 in the year 1973 in that country (following "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel").[6] It entered the US charts at No. 62, the highest debut of that week and in seven weeks rose to the No. 2 spot (8 December 1973), where it stayed for three weeks. In Ireland, it reached No. 4; in the UK it peaked at No. 6.
B-side
The song's flip side is a song called "Screw You", though the US release re-titled the song "Young Man's Blues" so as not to offend American record buyers.
Live
John's One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden had this song done as a duet with Billy Joel.
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is still regularly included in John's live performances, although he has stated numerous times in interviews of his need to transpose the key of the song downward as he is no longer able to sing its high falsetto chorus.
On 12 November 2010, he performed the song live at Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
Personnel
- Elton John – piano, vocals
- Davey Johnstone – Leslie guitar, backing vocals
- Dee Murray – bass, backing vocals
- Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM 100 Top Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[7] | 23 |
| German Singles Chart[8] | 49 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 4 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[9] | 9 |
| South African Singles Chart[10] | 7 |
| UK Singles Chart | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| Cash Box Top 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 7 |
In popular culture
The song is featured in Stephen King's 1981 novel Roadwork.
The song was performed by Camile Velasco on the third season of American Idol for the Elton John theme night; she was eliminated after her performance.
The band Keane (with Faultline) covered the song for the Help: A Day in the Life compilation around 2005.
Australian artist Sarah Blasko recorded an acoustic version of the song, which can be found on Triple J's 2006 Like a Version (vol. #2).
Rapper RZA stated that he listened to the song "at least ten times a day" while making the film The Man with the Iron Fists.[11]
On rapper Raekwon's 2009 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, RZA, a close friend of John's, sampled the song on the track "Kiss the Ring". John has allowed few, if any, other instances of sampling of his music.
On 13 November 2010, Matt Cardle sang "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" on Elton John night of Series 7 of the The X Factor in the UK.
There is a Dream Theater version of this song, yet it has not been officially released.[12]
Casey Crescenzo of The Dear Hunter released a cover version of the song.
Sara Bareilles often covers the song live and released a piano & solo voice, down-tempo version on Brave Enough: Live at the Variety Playhouse as the concert-ending track.
The song was featured in David O. Russell's film American Hustle and the film's soundtrack.
Progressive rock band Transatlantic covered this song on their 2014 album Kaleidoscope, on disc 2 of the special edition.
An instrumental version of the song as featured on an episode of Japanese variety show AKBingo!, during comments about "heart-warming" story from Ali Takajo's grandfather.
Country singer Hunter Hayes covered the song for the 40th Anniversary deluxe edition of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.[13]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mason, Stewart. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
- ↑ Schacht, Janis. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Circus Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
- ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-07-15-elton-john-ice-cream_N.htm?csp=34
- ↑ http://www.metrolyrics.com/rs/4
- ↑ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4944&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=ccntousk30frf6h4jsn237nm12
- ↑ List of RPM number-one singles of 1973
- ↑ http://swisscharts.com/song/Elton-John/Goodbye-Yellow-Brick-Road-8871
- ↑ http://swisscharts.com/song/Elton-John/Goodbye-Yellow-Brick-Road-8871
- ↑ http://swisscharts.com/song/Elton-John/Goodbye-Yellow-Brick-Road-8871
- ↑ ""Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" on the South African Singles Chart". Springbok Radio. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=en_bn9#/video/showbiz/2012/10/23/iri-rza.cnn
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Dream-Theater-International-Fan-Clubs-Christmas-CD-1998-Once-In-A-Livetime-Outtakes/release/2898108
- ↑ Mansfield, Brian. "Fall Out Boy, Hunter Hayes cover Elton John for reissue". USA Today. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
| Preceded by "Top Of The World" by Carpenters |
Canadian RPM 100 number-one single 22 December 1973 |
Succeeded by "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" by Charlie Rich |
| Preceded by "Top of the World" by Carpenters |
Cash Box Top 100 number-one single 8 December 1973 |
Succeeded by "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" by Charlie Rich |
References
- "BBC: The Official UK Charts Company". United Kingdom sales chart. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
- "Billboard". Billboard Hot 100 airplay and sales charts. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
