“Your Song” by Elton John

“Your Song” is a ballad performed by the iconic English singer Elton John. The lyrics, which were written by Elton’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, see the narrator express his love in a purely innocent and beautiful way to his significant other.

Who do the lyrics of “Young Song” address?

Despite many speculations that the lyrics of this song address a significant other in either Elton or Taupin’s teenage lives (because the song was written when both musicians were 17), Elton insists they aren’t about any particular person in either his or Taupin’s lives.

However, in an interview he had with Music Connection magazine in the late 1980s, he referred to the lyrics of the song as “childish and naïve” and said they were real at the time they were written. He further stated that the lyrics were exactly how he was feeling when he was a 17-year-old kid whose encounter with love was both new and naïve.

In another interview Elton had with Rolling Stone magazine, he said he often doesn’t ask Taupin who or what the lyrics he writes are about. According to him, he always thought Taupin wrote the song about one of his girlfriends. However, when he asked Taupin if he wrote it for a girlfriend of his, Taupin said NO!

“How wonderful life is while you’re in the world”

Writing of “Your Song”

The song was written by John and Bernie. Bernie wrote the lyrics and John composed the melody. The pair wrote this classic at Elton’s parents’ house in London, where they were both living.

According to Taupin, he wrote the lyrics on a “grubby piece of exercise paper” over breakfast on a kitchen table. The exercise paper on which the original lyrics of the song were written contains coffee stains. Hence if one were to take a look at original lyrics today, one would see that certain parts of them have visible coffee stains.

Having received the lyrics from Taupin, Elton used only 20 minutes to compose the melody.

The late English record producer Gus Dudgeon took care of the production. FYI, Gus died tragically with his wife in 2002 in a ghastly road accident.

Release Date

“Your Song” officially came out on October 26th, 1970. Elton’s label released it as one of the 3 singles from his second studio album titled after himself. The track went on to become not only Elton’s first hit but also his breakthrough single. It played a massive role in establishing his career.

And by the way, Elton wasn’t the first to release this classic. The American rock band Three Dog Night released this first. They released their version in March 1970 (about 7 months before Elton’s). The band decided not to release the song as a single because they wanted Elton (who was at that time budding artist) to release it as such since they felt it would help kick start his career.

John Lennon’s Comment

Speaking with Rolling Stone magazine in 1975, John Lennon said when he first heard “Your Song”, he was very pleased with what he heard. To him, it felt like “the first new thing” to have happened in the music industry since The Beatles happened.

A Legendary Song

According to many publications, this is one of the greatest songs of all time. For example, in both the Rolling Stone magazine’s 2004 and 2010 lists of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, this track was ranked at number 137.

This classic peaked at numbers 7 and 8 in Britain and U.S.A., respectively. This made it Elton’s first song to enter into the top 10 of both countries.

Since its birth in the 1970, this song has been performed live at every single major Elton John concert. According to Elton, it is one of the best love songs he has ever written.

Has “Your Song” won a Grammy?

The track was honored with an induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.

Which artists have covered “Your Song”?

Since “Your Song” came out in 1970, several prominent artists have released cover versions. Here are some of the famous covers of this song:

• Rod Stewart in 1992. Steward’s version peaked at numbers 41 and 48 in Britain and America respectively.
• Ellie Goulding in 2010. Goulding’s version made it all the way to number 2 Britain.
• Lady Gaga also came out with her own version in 2018.

In 2002, Elton recorded this song again with the renowned Italian opera singer Alessandro Safina for charity.