One of the songs that reminds me of childhood. This was Elton in his most fertile period of the seventies. Elton and Bernie had the Midas touch with songs.
Elton and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin went to Jamaica to record the album, but the studio wasn’t up to standard, so the project was abandoned there with only a rough version of “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” actually being recorded. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and the rest of the album were recorded in France at Strawberry Studios (The Chateau d’Hierouville).
The song peaked at #2 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #6 in the UK, and #2 in New Zealand in 1973-74. This made the third Elton single to make number 1 in Canada in 1973.
The song’s B side was originally titled “Screw You”, although the US release re-titled the song “Young Man’s Blues” so that it would not offend American record buyers.
Bernie Taupin: “It’s funny, but there are songs that I recall writing as if it was yesterday. And then there are those I have absolutely no recollection of, whatsoever. In fact, I’d have to say that for the most part, if someone was to say that the entire Yellow Brick Road album was actually written by someone else, I might be inclined to believe them. I remember being there, just not physically creating.
There was a period when I was going through that whole ‘got to get back to my roots’ thing, which spawned a lot of like-minded songs in the early days, this being one of them. I don’t believe I was ever turning my back on success or saying I didn’t want it. I just don’t believe I was ever that naïve. I think I was just hoping that maybe there was a happy medium way to exist successfully in a more tranquil setting. My only naiveté, I guess, was believing I could do it so early on. I had to travel a long road and visit the school of hard knocks before I could come even close to achieving that goal. So, thank God I can say quite categorically that I am home.”
From Songfacts
The Yellow Brick Road is an image taken from the movie The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, Dorothy and her friends follow the yellow brick road in search of the magical Wizard of Oz, only to find they had what they were looking for all along. It was rumored that the song was about Judy Garland, who starred in the film.
Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to this and most of Elton’s other songs. He often seems to write about Elton, but this one appears to be about himself. The lyrics are about giving up a life of opulence for one of simplicity in a rural setting. Elton has enjoyed a very extravagant lifestyle, while Taupin prefers to keep it low key.
Bernie’s canine imagery, including the part about sniffing around on the ground, is a sly poke at Linda’s two little dogs. Linda was a girlfriend of Elton John’s.
In 2008, Ben & Jerry’s created a flavor of ice cream in honor of Elton John called “Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road.” Made of chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks, it was made to commemorate Elton’s first concert in Vermont (home of the ice cream makers) on July 21, 2008 at the Essex Junction fairgrounds. Elton had played every other state before his Vermont show. He had some of the ice cream before the show.
Ben Folds told Rolling Stone magazine for their 100 Greatest Singers Of All Time issue: “He was mixing his falsetto and his chest voice to really fantastic effect in the ’70s. There’s that point in ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,’ where he sings, ‘on the grooound’ – his voice is all over the shop. It’s like jumping off a diving board when he did that.”
American rock group Queens Of The Stone Age covered the song for the 2018 Elton John tribute album Revamp. Their version was produced by Mark Ronson and features backing vocals with Jake Shears of The Scissor Sisters.
“It’s nice to pick something that may seem off kilter at first for us to do. But ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ really has the psychedelic carousel nature to it,” said QOTSA’s Josh Homme. “I think at first we thought we will tinker with the arrangement, but there’s so many beautiful chords- the chord progression is so wonderful- once you step on that carousel, it’s just this beautiful musical swirl and it’s really intoxicating to be on that carousel. And it seemed like there’s a psychedelic element that we could bring out, that it’s touching on, and that maybe the key for us to do it would be to accentuate the wispiness that is going on in the song.”
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
When are you gonna come down?
When are you going to land?
I should have stayed on the farm
I should have listened to my old man
You know you can’t hold me forever
I didn’t sign up with you
I’m not a present for your friends to open
This boy’s too young to be singing, the blues
So goodbye yellow brick road
Where the dogs of society howl
You can’t plant me in your penthouse
I’m going back to my plough
Back to the howling old owl in the woods
Hunting the horny back toad
Oh I’ve finally decided my future lies
Beyond the yellow brick road
What do you think you’ll do then?
I bet that’ll shoot down your plane
It’ll take you a couple of vodka and tonics
To set you on your feet again
Maybe you’ll get a replacement
There’s plenty like me to be found
Mongrels who ain’t got a penny
Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground
So goodbye yellow brick road
Where the dogs of society howl
You can’t plant me in your penthouse
I’m going back to my plough
Back to the howling old owl in the woods
Hunting the horny back toad
Oh I’ve finally decided my future lies
Beyond the yellow brick road
That entire album is brilliant, IMO. Whenever someone asks me to name a favorite Elton John song, it’s “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” which leads into the rest of this exceptional work.
LikeLiked by 4 people
It is one of his if not best. I would say this or Captain Fantastic. In the early to mid-seventies it was hard to touch him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think Elton John is one of the best performers the world has ever seen. He is just phenomenal. He has electricity running through his veins and that makes his shows just magical.
LikeLiked by 2 people
He is one performer I haven’t seen…I hope I get to one day when he starts up again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nope, probably not. He retired from performing a couple of years ago. We went to his final performance in Denver then. it was right around my birthday. he still sounded great and was magic at the piano, but he could barely walk.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t believe this but no…he announced this: Elton John has announced the rescheduled North American dates for his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.” Following his recently announced dates in Europe, beginning September 1, 2021 in Berlin (tour dates here), the tour will kick off again in North America on January 19, 2022, in New Orleans
Whether he does it or not…who knows?
LikeLiked by 1 person
WOW! This is news to me. I guess he didn’t like retirement too much. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rod Stewart was messing with him saying this farewell tour has been forever. I guess when that is all you have done…it’s hard to stop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I expect he will… he seems to still love playing live and I”m sure will be missing the stage by now. One of the oversights of my life that I never saw him in concert… bizarrely he played my home town – a suburb, not Toronto downtown – twice since I moved away from it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess Yellow Brick Road was a song (and I guess most of the album) that was sung on every school bus trip I’ve ever taken! I’ve never known until now what the hell it was about!
LikeLiked by 1 person
One mystery solved Bruce! I think on a lot of songs they think of a great sounding title…and just write around it…that happens a lot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A first class song by a first class musician.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love these songs Lisa…but I’m trying to find more unknown…if I could find them like yesterday’s song…that is all I would post…at least I would mix them more…tomorrow is more unknown!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you have a new mission. Have you listened to The Black Keys at all? I love their song, Ten Cent Pistol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I like the Black Keys…I’ll check Ten Cent Pistol out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Can you see who I’m hinting you do a post on 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL I’m checking them out! Oh on my top ten Beatle covers…I have one of your guys. I had to pick between them on the same song.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh!? Which one of my guys? Or is going to be a secret?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just be surprised!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve started the Black Keys song….probably sometime next week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
YAY! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Elton at his peak, a classic single from a great album, and one which shows just what a amazing singer he was in his younger heyday – he could really reach those notes and sing with passion and emotion. I think he is still under-rated as a singer right up until his operation changed the tone to something much deeper and less emotive sometime in the 90’s.
LikeLike
That chord progression is amazing – one of John’s best for sure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I does sound really good. I’m not an expert on keyboards of any kind but I love the melody.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The chord changes are so fast it probably wouldn’t be fun to play on guitar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I once tried playing Your Song with piano chords on guitar…I switched to the easy guitar version.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fast change songs work on piano – sounds choppy when you change chord every beat on the guitar.
LikeLike
One of my favorite songs of the ’70s from arguably my favorite album of the decade. this, “Philadelphia Freedom” and “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” are the co-winners of the Elton gold medal in his list of songs to me, but he’s had a lot of “silver” ones coming close.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Everything him and Bernie touched until a time was golden…they could do no wrong. Did they have some clinkers yea…everyone does but what a ride they had
LikeLiked by 1 person
Classic! That is all I can say as what more needs to be said.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is one of those “I remember where I was when I first heard this” songs. I instantly loved it–and the whole album, for that matter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In the early to mid seventies Mitch…him and Bernie just as the midas touch. I’m like that with Tiny Dancer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always loved that tune. In fact, it’s one of my all-time favorite Elton John songs from what I feel was his best period.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was his best period. Everything he did from the early seventies to around 76 was a hit I think…He couldn’t do much wrong.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You already know how much I love this album. It’s amazing that Bernie Taupin recalled not feeling very engaged with the songwriting process for the album, when many of its songs are so brilliant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It may be their best album. The melodies are great…no one could touch them in the early to mid seventies.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love this song and I’m glad I finally saw the lyrics. This is another one I’ve suffered mondegreens on. LOL!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep…didn’t know what the heck he was saying.
LikeLike
“Where the dogs of society howl…” I heard “And, your downtown society house…” 😆
And he pronounces “toad” like “town.” No wonder this song never made sense. And, Taupin doesn’t remember writing it? Drugs…😁😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doesn’t remember it…ah the wonderful 70s…please come back
LikeLike
Here-here! 🍻🥂🍾
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a great song – although I don’t tend to enjoy a lot of his stuff, this is genuinely brilliant and I would agree with Josh Homme when he says that there’s a “psychedelic carousel nature to it”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a great statement.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree this song makes me reminisce my childhood a great deal. In fact one day as a kid I rang up the radio station and requested this song for my Dad. This album and Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ were the only two records I wrote out the complete lyrics and made minibooklets out of them. The album is a classic and in my top 10 albums of all time. Although I really like ‘Too Low 4 Zero’ as well. I enjoyed reading what Bernie said about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those are a great pair of albums…it’s odd that Bernie doesn’t have much memory of this…but it was the 70s lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think I fully appreciated Elton John until I was in college. This is a great song.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Everything he touched in the early to mid 70s was just gold. I didn’t appreciate him until I got his second greatest hits…I was astonished
LikeLiked by 1 person