Elton's Song

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"Elton's Song"
Song by Elton John
from the album The Fox
Released20 May 1981
RecordedAugust 1979 - March 1980
StudioSuper Bear (Nice, France); Sunset Sound Recorders, The Village Recorder and Davlen Sound Studios (Los Angeles, California); EMI Studios Abbey Road (Abbey Road, London, UK)
GenreSoft rock, Pop
Length3:02
Label
Songwriter(s)Elton John
Tom Robinson
Producer(s)Chris Thomas, Elton John, Clive Franks

"Elton's Song" is a song written by Elton John (music) and Tom Robinson (lyrics). Recorded between August 1979 and March 1980 and produced by John and Clive Franks, the song first appeared much later on the 1981 album The Fox. It was previewed in concerts from that period.[1]

"It was the first gay song that I actually recorded as a homosexual song," Elton told Rolling Stone in an interview.[2]

Style[]

The song is a mournful ballad in form, the lyrics deal frankly with a gay teenage boy's crush on another boy. Themes of heartbreak and shame permeate. The music is comparatively stark, yet it subtly employs John's classical training (as well as a classical mood) in its occasional use of conflicting parallel major and minor keys. This plus the syncopation in the chorus helps to convey the wounded mood of the song. The spare arrangement consists entirely of John's piano and voice and "string" synthesizers programmed and played by James Newton Howard.[3]

Performances[]

"Chloe", "Just Like Belgium", "Nobody Wins" and "Elton's Song" all from the album The Fox were included in Elton John's Jump Up tour in 1982. While "Chloe", "Just Like Belgium" and "Nobody Wins" were never performed again since that tour, "Elton's Song", a crowd popular song would be included in a few concerts on later solo tours notably in 1999.

Music video[]

A video was shot for this song in a school and was included on a video album accompanying The Fox. It was never shown on television. According to Tom Robinson, Elton had the plot based on a subplot from the Lindsay Anderson movie if.....[2] The music video presented a very clear interpretation of this song, showing a schoolboy pining for a slightly older and very athletic straight male classmate.[4]

The theme of gay love of a gay schoolboy caused a controversy, inspiring such tabloid headlines as "Elton's gay video shocker". The video was directed by Russell Mulcahy and produced by Eric Fellner. The story line was written by Keith Williams on an idea supplied by Elton John himself who wanted a mini-movie made from the song without him necessarily having to appear/perform in it - a radical step in 1981 music videos.

References[]

  1. ^ "His song" by Elizabeth Rosenthal
  2. ^ a b Cameron Crowe (October 10, 2013). "Elton John: My Life in 20 Songs - Cameron Crowe explores Elton's journey from Reginald Dwight to technicolored pop sensation to rehab and back". Rolling Stone magazine. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  3. ^ THE FOX album and liner notes.
  4. ^ YouTube Elton John page: "Elton's Song"

External links[]

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