Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song)
Encyclopedia
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a ballad
performed by musician Elton John
. The song was written by Bernie Taupin
and 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.
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
in sales and popularity quickly following its release.In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 1/4/1974 and Platinum on 9/13/1995 by the R.I.A.A.
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 magical 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 Elton's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin had ever seen, and he conjured the imagery in the lyrics relating to his own life as his desire to "Get back to his roots." It is also a reference to Elton's fame and fortune in contrast to Bernie's attempts to remain "low-key."
In the Eagle Vision "Classic Albums" documentary on the making of the album, producer Gus Dudgeon said that after it was released, he was asked whether he artificially played with Elton's vocal to put it in such a high register. Dudgeon said he did not; it was simply the way Elton decided to sing it. "That's Elton," he said.
flavor Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road in honour of John's performance in Vermont.
In 2010, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it #380 in the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.
national singles chart on December 22, 1973 and holding the position for one week, making it his third #1 in the year 1973 in that country (following "Crocodile Rock
" and "Daniel
"). It entered the U.S. charts at #62, the highest debut of that week and in seven weeks rose to the #2 spot (8 December 1973), where it stayed for three weeks. In Ireland, it reached #4; in the UK it peaked at #6.
chorus.
On November 12, 2010 he performed the song live at Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
On 13 November 2010, Matt Cardle sang Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in the Elton John night of The X Factor (UK series 7)
.
version of this song, yet it has not been officially released.
Famed Australian artist Sarah Blasko
also recorded an acoustic version of this song, which can be found on Triple J's Like a Version vol #2
The song is featured in Stephen King
's novel Roadwork
, and was a personal favourite of late musician Elliott Smith
.
On rapper Raekwon
's 2009 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, close friend of John's RZA
sampled the song on the track "Kiss the Ring". One of the few, if any, samples John has allowed of his music.
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
performed by musician Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. The song was written by Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
and composed by John for his album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, released in 1973, is the seventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Elton John. It has come to be regarded as Elton John's best and most popular album, and is his best selling studio album with worldwide sales of at least 15 million copies.Recorded at the Château...
. Its musical style and production is heavily influenced by 1970s soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
. It was widely praised by critics, and some critics have named it John's best song.
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
"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is a rock song performed by musician Elton John and covered by W.A.S.P., Flotsam and Jetsam, Nickelback , Queen and The Who...
in sales and popularity quickly following its release.In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 1/4/1974 and Platinum on 9/13/1995 by the R.I.A.A.
The Yellow Brick Road is an image taken from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. In the movie, Dorothy and her friends are instructed to follow the yellow brick road in search of the magical 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 Elton's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin had ever seen, and he conjured the imagery in the lyrics relating to his own life as his desire to "Get back to his roots." It is also a reference to Elton's fame and fortune in contrast to Bernie's attempts to remain "low-key."
In the Eagle Vision "Classic Albums" documentary on the making of the album, producer Gus Dudgeon said that after it was released, he was asked whether he artificially played with Elton's vocal to put it in such a high register. Dudgeon said he did not; it was simply the way Elton decided to sing it. "That's Elton," he said.
Critical response
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" received a generally positive response from music critics. Allmusic wrote that the song is "a vocal triumph" and a "pinnacle of its style". Janis Schacht of Circus describes it as "delicate and beautiful". Ben and Jerry's later created the ice creamIce cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
flavor Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road in honour of John's performance in Vermont.
In 2010, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it #380 in the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.
Chart performance
In Canada, the single went to the very top, reaching #1 on the RPM 100RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
national singles chart on December 22, 1973 and holding the position for one week, making it his third #1 in the year 1973 in that country (following "Crocodile Rock
Crocodile Rock
"Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in June 1972 at the Strawberry Studios, Château d'Hérouville in France. It was released on 27 October 1972 in the UK and 20 November 1972 in the US, as a pre-release single from his forthcoming 1973 album Don't Shoot...
" and "Daniel
Daniel (song)
"Daniel" was a major hit song by Elton John. It appeared on the 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. It was written by John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. In the United States the song reached #2 on the pop charts and #1 on the adult contemporary charts for two weeks in the spring...
"). It entered the U.S. charts at #62, the highest debut of that week and in seven weeks rose to the #2 spot (8 December 1973), where it stayed for three weeks. In Ireland, it reached #4; in the UK it peaked at #6.
B-side
The song's flip side was a song called "Screw You", though the U.S. release re-titled the song "Young Man's Blues" so as not to offend American record buyers.Live
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 falsettoFalsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
chorus.
On November 12, 2010 he performed the song live at Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
On 13 November 2010, Matt Cardle sang Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in the Elton John night of The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
.
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM 100 RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Top Singles Chart |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 7 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 4 |
| UK Singles Chart | 6 |
In Popular Culture
The band Keane (with Faultline) covered the song for the Help: A Day in the Life compilation. There is also a Dream TheaterDream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
version of this song, yet it has not been officially released.
Famed Australian artist Sarah Blasko
Sarah Blasko
Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow , is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. After fronting Sydney-based band Acquiesce from the mid-1990s, Blasko developed her solo career from 2002. In 2007, she won the 'Best Pop Release' for What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have at the ARIA Music Awards, which...
also recorded an acoustic version of this song, which can be found on Triple J's Like a Version vol #2
The song is featured in Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's novel Roadwork
Roadwork
Roadwork is a novel by Stephen King, published in 1981 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books, which is no longer in print...
, and was a personal favourite of late musician Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
.
On rapper Raekwon
Raekwon
Corey Woods , better known by the stage name Raekwon, is an American rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. He released his solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... in 1995, and has since recorded four solo albums, as well as work with Wu-Tang and an extensive amount of guest contributions with...
's 2009 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, close friend of John's RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
sampled the song on the track "Kiss the Ring". One of the few, if any, samples John has allowed of his music.