Candle in the Wind
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the 1997 version in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, see Candle in the Wind 1997.
| “Candle in the Wind” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Elton John from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road |
||
| Released | 1973 | |
| Format | CD single, Cassette single | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 3:39 | |
| Label | MCA (US/Canada) DJM Records |
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| Writer(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |
"Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written and released in 1973, written in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.
In 1997, John performed a remake of the song as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. This version of the song was released as a single, and reached number one in many countries, proving a much greater success than the original.
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[edit] Original version
The original version was on John's 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The lyrics of the song are a sympathetic portrayal of the life of Marilyn Monroe (the song's opening line "Goodbye Norma Jean" refers to Monroe's real name). The single release of the original song reached number eleven in the UK charts in 1974. It was not released as a single in the United States at the time, as "Bennie and the Jets" was chosen as the single there instead. A live recording reached number six in the United States in 1988. Taupin was inspired to write the song after hearing the phrase "candle in the wind" used in tribute to the late Janis Joplin.
This version is ranked #347 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
[edit] 1990 resurfacing
On April 7, 1990, at Farm Aid 4, John dedicated the song to Ryan White, his friend who was suffering from AIDS. White died the day after, due to AIDS complications.
[edit] 1997 version
- For full information, see Candle in the Wind 1997.
"Candle in the Wind 1997" or "Goodbye England's Rose" is a remake of "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John that was released as a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Released in 1997, the song peaked at number one in the UK becoming John's fourth number one single. It also peaked at number one in most other countries. The Guinness Book of Records 2007 states that "Candle In the Wind 1997" is the biggest selling single "since records began", but that Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" has sold the most copies.
