Elton John and Bernie Taupin are one of the most successful songwriting duos of all time. The partners, who work together since 1967, have sold over 250 million albums. Contrary to the likes of collaborators Lennon–McCartney, who worked together extensively, Elton and Taupin work separately. Taupin as a lyricist, and Elton as a musician. But their careers would’ve arguably never departed if it wasn’t for Elton John’s 1970 release “Your Song”.
Let’s dive into the story and meaning behind “Your Song”!
The Story Behind the Song
In 1967 Liberty Records placed an advertisement in the New Musical Express. ‘Liberty wants talent’ it read. ‘Call or write Ray Williams for appointment.’ Elton John read the ad, reached out, and earned himself an audition. At the time, Elton John still went by his birth name Reg Dwight. He was a backing musician for the blues formation Bluesology. But Reg Dwight wanted only one thing. He wanted to be a star.
Elton John auditioned for Ray Williams, who was impressed. Williams granted Elton a recording session. But the recordings couldn’t convince the executives of Liberty Records, and Williams had to disappoint Elton. Williams, however, had another idea up his sleeve. He had received poetry from a guy named ‘Bernie Taupin’. Taupin couldn’t sing and didn’t write music. No, Taupin replied to the same Liberty Records advertisement as Elton in search of someone who did.
“We had a one-time shot at meeting, and we got it,” Taupin said in an interview with the LA Times. “You can call it fate, kismet or, as they say, God’s right hand.”
Ray Williams matched Elton with Taupin and acted as a middle-man. Taupin delivered lyrics to Williams, who’d then give them to Elton, who’d turn them into songs. It turned out to be a fruitful partnership, for Elton and Taupin established a repertoire before they even met.
Elton and Taupin eventually met over a cup of coffee. The two had chemistry from the get-go. And as a result, Taupin decided to move in with Elton, who still lived in his parents’ house. It is in Elton’s parent’s house where the magical creation of “Your Song” occurred.
One morning, during breakfast, Taupin quickly scrawled some lyrics on a piece of exercise paper. He gave the paper, stained with egg, to Elton. And within a matter of minutes, Elton wrote the music and melody over “Your Song”.
“He gave me the lyric, I took it into the living room and sat at the piano and read it through,” Elton John said in an interview with Music Week. “It’s a beautiful lyric; I thought I mustn’t mess it up, it’s so good. I was very inspired and I wrote it very quickly and I called him in. I think when we both heard it we knew we were really on our way. It was the first great song we wrote.”
Read more: The 10 Best Elton John Songs of All Time
At the time Elton and Taupin worked for Dick James’ DJM Records. Under DJM Records Elton John released his first debut album “Empty Sky”. The album was made on a small budget and was commercially unsuccessful. But “Your Song” made it clear to everyone at DJM Records that Elton was a potential star. Dick James gave Elton a bigger budget for his next album and arranged a string of shows for him at the Troubadour in LA.
Elton’s performances at the Troubadour turned out to be quintessential, impressing the likes of Neil Diamond, Mike Love, and Gordon Lightfoot. Music critics were ecstatic and Elton John’s name quickly spread throughout America. “Your Song” was eventually released as a B-side single to “Take Me to the Pilot” in October 1970. Radio Stations rapidly recognized the beauty of the B-side single “Your Song”, which resulted in frequent airplay.
The song entered the US charts in late 1970. The song stayed there for 14 weeks and peaked at number 8. It was Elton John’s breakthrough song. The singles Levon, Tiny Dancer, and Rocket Man would quickly follow. The rest is history.
The Meaning of Your Song
Elton John’s “Your Song” is a love song told from the perspective of a young inexperienced romantic. Taupin later admitted the lyrics were ‘naive’ and ‘innocent’, but very ‘real’.
In 1989 he told Music Connection: “Now I could never write that song again or emulate it because the songs I write now that talk about love coming from people my age usually deal with broken marriages and where the children go. You have to write from where you are at a particular point in time, and ‘Your Song’ is exactly where I was coming from back then.”
Both Elton and Taupin clarified the song has a universal meaning, rather than being about a single individual.
The Song’s Legacy
“Your Song” is often attributed as a Beatles-esque song. In a 1975 interview with Rolling Stone John Lennon called it “the first new thing that’s happened since The Beatles happened.”
The song is a staple in Elton John’s live shows, having it played over 2300(!) times. It also knows many covers, most notably by Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga, and Ellie Goulding.
Interested in more stories behind Elton John songs? Click here
