Elton John – Your Song

“Your Song” – Single by Elton John (B-side: “Take Me to the Pilot””Into the Old Man’s Shoes”) from the album Elton John. Released on October 26, 1970.
Songwriters: Elton John and Bernie Taupin

In 1967, teenage musicians Elton John and Bernie Taupin met for the first time after a record company gave John some of Taupin’s lyrics to work with. Eventually, they both moved into John’s parents’ house, where they started working together in earnest. One of the first songs that came out of this contrived but remarkable partnership would turn out to be one of John’s biggest hits.

One morning, while Taupin was sitting at breakfast at Elton’s parents’ house, an idea struck him. From there, he grabbed whatever piece of paper he could find and began rapidly jotting down the lyrics to what would eventually become ‘Your Song.’

“The original lyric was written very rapidly on the kitchen table of Elton’s mother’s apartment in Northwood Hills in the suburbs of London, if I recall, on a particularly grubby piece of exercise paper,” Taupin remembered. From there, Taupin took the coffee-stained lyric sheet to John and, sitting in his living room, came up with a melody in 20 minutes.

This was Elton’s first single to chart. Before he hit it big, he worked as a songwriter and studio musician, and for a time was the warm-up act for Three Dog Night, who recorded this song on their 1970 album It Ain’t Easy (they had previously recorded Elton’s “Lady Samantha”). When it looked like Elton might finally make it in the States with his own version of “Your Song,” Three Dog Night chose not to release it as a single in an effort to give this young upstart a chance to make it on his own.

Lyrics:
It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside
I’m not one of those who can easily hide
I don’t have much money, but boy if I did
I’d buy a big house where we both could live

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show
I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do
My gift is my song, and this one’s for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you’re in the world

I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well, a few of the verses, well, they’ve got me quite cross
But the sun’s been quite kind while I wrote this song
It’s for people like you that keep it turned on

So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do
You see I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you’re in the world

I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you’re in the world

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