Elton John – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is a single released by Elton John in 1974, and was the second number one single inspired by Julian Lennon (“Hey Jude” was the first). Lennon talked about the song’s origin with David Sheff for a Playboy interview: “My son Julian came in one day with a picture he painted about a school friend of his named Lucy. He had sketched in some stars in the sky and called it ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.’ Simple.”

Elton John’s “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 48 on November 30, 1974. When it became Elton’s third number one single five weeks later, it also became the second John Lennon and Paul McCartney song not by the Beatles to top the chart (“A World Without Love” was a No. 1 single for Peter and Gordon in June 1964). It also took the title of most successful Beatles cover version of the rock era.

Embed

Copy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed.

Elton John - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Elton John - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Live On The Old Grey Whistle Test)05:35

Elton and the band honored their new friend John Lennon by covering this Beatles’ classic, with its writer making a guest appearance as Dr. Winston O’Boogie, as a stand-alone single in 1974 and taking it to #10 in the UK and #1 in the US. They also included it on their world tour that year This video, showing Elton is his full mid-70s form, is from his ‘Christmas Show’ at the Hammersmith Odeon on December 24, 1974, which was partially simulcast on the ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’. The band that night included the famed Muscle Shoals Horns as well as current band members Nigel Olsson (drums), Davey Johnstone (guitar), and Ray Cooper (percussion).

“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is the third title on the Side A of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Beteas has never released a single from this album.

Views: 0