The Intro

Sir Elton Hercules John is a pop and rock icon and one of the biggest-selling stars of all time. Over 300 million records sold. More than 50 top 40 singles and seven UK number ones, among them Candle in the Wind 1997, the best-selling of all time in both the UK and US, which sold over 33 million worldwide. And yet he didn’t achieve a solo number 1 until Sacrifice in 1990, by which point he was way past his peak. But this first number 1, a duet with friend Kiki Dee, came 14 years beforehand.

Before

A lot of the following info will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the 2019 biopic Rocketman, but John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex. The unassuming Dwight had a rocky relationship with his parents, particularly his straight-laced father, a Royal Air Force flight lieutenant. But they were both keen on music, and passed that down to Dwight, particularly his mother, who loved the rock’n’roll stars of the 50s. Dwight took particular notice of the pianists Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, and it was his beloved grandmother’s piano that he took to from a young age. His mother would get him to play at family gatherings. At seven he started formal piano lessons, and four years later he won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Dwight had lessons each weekend but left at 16 before his final exams.

His parents, who had never really got on, divorced when their son was 14. He did like his new stepfather though, and John loved being in their new apartment so much, he remained until he had four albums simultaneously in the US top 40.

They encouraged his musical development, and at 15 he was hired as a pianist at a local pub, where, known as simply Reggie, he would perform standards and throw some of his own material in for good measure. He also performed briefly with a group called The Corvettes, and around this time he began wearing glasses on stage. He didn’t need to – it was just his tribute to Buddy Holly.

In 1962 he formed Bluesology with friends and inbetween solo shows, within a few years the group were backing touring US soul and R’n’B musicians including The Isley Brothers and would also work as Long John Baldry’s backing band in a new line-up. Dwight and Baldry would become close friends, and Baldry, who was openly homosexual, helped Dwight come to terms with his own sexuality and the fact he did not love his fiancée.

Dwight answered a New Musical Express ad placed by Ray Williams, A&R manager of Liberty Records. Williams was looking for songwriters, and at their first meeting he handed Dwight an unopened envelope of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who had also answered the ad. Dwight wrote a song around the words and sent it to Taupin, beginning one of pop’s most enduring and successful partnerships. Six months later Dwight renamed himself Elton John in honour of Bluesology’s saxophonist Elton Dean and Baldry and by the end of the year he had left that band. He legally became Elton Hercules John in 1972.

John and Taupin joined Dick James’s DJM Records in 1968 as staff writers and over the next two years they penned songs for acts including Lulu. They were a two-man factory, Taupin would write the lyrics in under an hour and John would set them to music in half an hour. On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John began composing for himself and released his debut single, the John/Taupin composition I’ve Been Loving You in 1968. His first album, Empty Sky, followed in 1969 but it was Elton John in 1970 that really got the ball rolling. Gus Dudgeon was on board as producer and the beautiful second single Your Song reached seven in the charts here and eight in the US. John was finally a star.

The next few albums, country and western concept LP Tumbleweed Connection, live album 17-11-70 and soundtrack to the film Friends all sold nicely, and John’s US tour also went down very well. 1971 album Madman Across the Water contained the classic Tiny Dancer. Honky Château, recorded in France and released in 1972, saw John take a more rocky approach and Rocket Man became his biggest hit to date, shooting to two.

In 1973 John’s flamboyance made him a natural to join the glam rock movement, and Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player spawned the hits Crocodile Rock (five, and his first US number 1) and Daniel (four). Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was his best album yet, featuring Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting (seven) and the moving title track (six). He topped the year off with the festive Step Into Christmas (eight).

John formed his own music label in 1974. Calling it The Rocket Record Company, he signed Neil Sedaka and Dee, who he took a close interest in. Dee, born Pauline Matthews on 6 March 1947 in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, had always wanted to be a pop star. She won a talent contest aged 10 and at 16 she was singing with a dance band in Leeds while working in Boots by day. She became a session singer and worked with Dusty Springfield among others, and soon she was signed to Fontana Records.

In 1963 she released her debut single, Early Night, from her first album I’m Kiki Dee (songwriter Mitch Murray came up with her stage name). Despite becoming the first British white artist to be signed by Motown in the States, Dee wasn’t really going anywhere until John took her under her wing after two failed singles on the legendary Detroit label. Her fortunes improved with her cover of Amoureuse, which climbed to 13 in 1973. I’ve Got the Music in Me, credited to The Kiki Dee Band, went to 19 in 1974.

That year was another hugely successful one for John. The original Candle in the Wind, from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, was a smash, peaking at 11. Then came the album Caribou, allegedly recorded in a fortnight and featuring two of his best-known hits Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (16) and The Bitch Is Back (15). He also collaborated with John Lennon on a cover of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and then sang harmonies and played piano on Lennon’s Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.

When it became the former Beatles’ only solo number 1 in the US. When they recorded it, John made a bet with Lennon that the song would top the charts. Lennon was so skeptical he promised John he would perform at one of his shows if it happened. He fulfilled the promise with a rare appearance at a Madison Square Garden gig. They performed their two collaborations and a rendition of The Beatles’ I Saw Her Standing There. It would be Lennon’s final major show.

In 1975 John released the autobiographical account of John and Taupin’s early years together. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy contained only one single, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, in which he paid tribute to Baldry helping to stop him wanting to commit suicide. The album was the first to go straight to number 1 in the US, and the last to feature the Elton John Band, who had been an important part of his rise to fame. John dismissed drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray. Guitarist Dave Johnstone was retained. That year John starred in Ken Russell’s adaptation of The Who’s rock opera Tommy as the ‘Local Lad’ and recorded a storming version of Pinball Wizard, which was a number seven smash in 1976. By the time that year rolled around, John was heavily into drugs and dressing ever more flamboyantly for his stage appearances. Critically and commercially adored, nobody could see how unhappy he was behind the facade.

He and Taupin originally wrote Don’t Go Breaking My Heart as a duet for John to record with Dusty Springfield. Using the pseudonyms Ann Orson (John) and Carte Blanche (Taupin), they planned a disco-flecked affectionate tribute to Motown duets of the likes of Marvin Gaye and Tami Terrell. When Springfield turned it down due to illness, John decided to give it to Dee, who in addition to being on his label would perform backing vocals on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and most recent LP Rock of the Westies. Also on the track were James Newton Howard on acoustic piano and orchestral arrangements, Johnstone and Caleb Quaye on electric guitars, new rhythm section Kenny Passarelli on bass and Roger Pope, plus Cindy Bullens, Ken Gold and Jon Joyce on backing vocals, uncredited.

Review

While I don’t deny John’s talent, and a few of the songs I’ve mentioned above are undeniable classics, I’m not always a fan, particularly of his 80s output onwards. So it’s a shame some of his more deserving tracks didn’t top the charts but the later material did. So it goes.

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart isn’t a classic, but it is pretty good. It’s slick and well-produced and does a good job of copying that Motown duet sound. It’s plain to see, from the pseudonyms used and the fluffy lyrics that John and Taupin aren’t taking themselves seriously, but are such talented songwriters, when they do go for a commercial pop sound, they nail it. Dee duets well with John but I’d have loved to hear Springfield’s take.

Having said that, John and Dee clearly have a genuine friendship, as you can see in the video above. The sleeve of the single is another matter – it looks like John is giving her a dirty look behind her back for some reason.

This is one of the better number 1s of the year – not that that’s saying much, and I think John and Taupin winning the Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically is a bit much but there you go.

After

1976 was a very memorable summer for Dee. As well as holding the number 1 spot for a very impressive six weeks, she went on to support Queen at Hyde Park, performing for more than 150,000 people. The Kiki Dee EP went to 13 later that year. She had a couple more hits in 1977 – First Thing in the Morning (32) and Chicago (28). Things went quiet for a few years but she made a successful comeback in 1981 with Star, which later became the theme tune to BBC One’s Opportunity Knocks. Also on the album it came from, Perfect Timing, was another duet with John, Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever. Two years later she was singing backing vocals on John’s album Too Low for Zero.

She released music sporadically in the 80s but duetted with John at Live Aid on their number 1. She moved into theatre, and was acclaimed for her performance in Blood Brothers, even receiving an Olivier Award nomination in 1989. She returned to the singles chart with John when True Love nearly garnered another number 1, but it stalled at two in 1993. Her last album to date is A Place Where I Can Go, released in 2013. Rachel Muldoon played her in Rocketman.

The Outro

As for John, well, we know we’ll hear much more from him, but not for a fair while. But I will point you to the 1994 remake of this number 1 in which drag queen RuPaul took the place of Dee. It was a number seven hit and it’s good fun.

The Info

Written by

Ann Orson & Carte Blanche

Producer

Gus Dudgeon

Weeks at number 1

6 (24 July-3 September)

Trivia

Births

27 July: AI researcher Demis Hassabis
9 August: Radio producer Aled Haydn-Jones/Actress Rhona Mitra/Conservative MP Sam Gyimah
13 August: Idlewild singer Roddy Woomble
1 September: Cricketer Clare Connor

Deaths

19 August: Actor Alastair Sim – 19 August
30 August: Labour MP David Rees-Williams, 1st Baron Ogmore

Meanwhile…

27 July: The UK breaks diplomatic relations with Uganda. 

29 July: A fire destroys the head of Southend Pier.

5 August: The Great Clock of Westminster, aka Big Ben, suffers internal damage and stops running for over nine months.

6 August: John Stonehouse, the last person to serve as Postmaster General, is sentenced to seven years in jail for fraud.

14 August: 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland. 

30 August: 100 police officers and 60 carnival-goers are injured during riots at the Notting Hall Carnival.

1 September: The summer heat takes its toll, as drought measures are introduced in Yorkshire.

August 31-3 September: Riots ensue at Hull Prison.