"I Don't Care" is a song by Elton John

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

 with lyrics by Gary Osborne

Gary Osborne

Gary Osborne is an English singer and songwriter from the United Kingdom.-Career:Osborne was born in London, educated in Switzerland, and followed his father into the music industry at the age of fifteen....

. It is the third track off his 1978 album, A Single Man.

Musical structure

It is one of the fastest song of the album, coming in between many slow songs. It starts with a bluesy piano pattern, with the rhythm section kicking off after the first line is played. The chorus is backed by female vocalists, singing it in style with one of John's most loved genres, gospel

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

. The electric guitar features a heavily used phaser

Phaser (effect)

A phaser is an audio signal processing technique used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs is typically modulated so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect...

-effect that gives the song a spacy feel. After the first half of the song, a string section comes in, playing with both the guitars and the beat, reminiscent of the disco-music that was popular at the time. The song then fades out clocking at almost four and a half minutes.

It is very reminiscent to one of his other songs from the album, "Part-Time Love

Part-Time Love

"Part-Time Love" is a song written by Elton John with lyrics by Gary Osborne. It is the sixth track off his 1978 album, A Single Man. It is also the opening track of side two. It proved to be one of the most popular singles the couple wrote, along with 1982's "Blue Eyes". It was banned in the...

".

Lyrical meaning

It is another one of Osborne's love songs, this time it deals with a man who doesn't care about anything just as long as he can get the love of the person mentioned. It is by many considered to be a classic album-filler

Filler

In general, a filler is something that is used to fill gaps. Specialized meanings of the word "filler" include:* Filler , dietary fiber and other ingredients added to pet foods to provide bulk...

.

Personnel

• Elton John - piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  , vocals, clavinet
  Clavinet
  A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
  
  
• Tim Renwick - guitars
  Acoustic guitar
  An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
  
  
• Clive Franks - bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Steve Holly - drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  
• Ray Cooper - tambourine
  Tambourine
  The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
  
  
• Vicky Brown
  Vicki Brown (singer)
  Vicki Brown was an English pop, rock and contemporary classical singer. She is best known for her membership of both The Vernons Girls and The Breakaways, and as one of the UK's most enduring backing vocalists...
  
  - backing vocals
• Joanne Stone - backing vocals
• Stevie Lange - backing vocals
• Gary Osborne - backing vocals
• Chris Thompson - backing vocals
• Paul Buckmaster - orchestral management