Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Album Art By: Ian Beck

This month, I am going to start with an album “deep dive” that is close to my heart. The very first album that I discovered on my own while digging through my dad’s tape collection. Shortly after he got the CD player for his stereo, he used the tape decks less and less, so I spent a lot of time looking through the cassettes. I fell in love with this classic album at the tender age of 9 and it is still one of my absolute favorites!

There is a reason why Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has sold over 20 million copies since it was released in October of 1973. It is nothing short of brilliant. From the cover art to the seemingly flawless production. Among its many accolades, it reached #1 on the Billboard Top LP’s and Tape Chart and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. Considered one of the most prolific writing duo dating back to 1967,  Bernie Taupin is said to have written the lyrics for this album in two and a half weeks and Elton John composed the bulk of the melodies of the songs over three days in Jamaica where the production of this album started, which is reflected in the track, Jamaica Jerk Off. A track that doesn’t, in my opinion mesh with the rest of the album, but I digress. Due to social issues going on in the location at the time, the decision was made to move the production to France at the same studio that the two previous albums, Honky Château and Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player (also, quite successful albums) were recorded. The masterpiece, the seventh studio album written by the pair, was recorded over a period of just two weeks.

The album cover art was designed by Ian Beck. Mr. Beck is a children’s illustrator and author having sold more than 20 million copies of his own works. He got his start working in the music industry and this album cover is what he is most known for. It depicts a glamorous looking Elton John, donned in a white and green bomber jacket displaying his name in sequins on the back and a glittery pair of tall platform shoes, stepping up into a poster featuring the yellow brick road, reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. The use of color and the inclusion of a setting sun in the background seems to be symbolic imagery of the sun setting on childhood. This gatefold, double album also features nostalgic illustrations in the liner notes, including a spectacular vignette of Marilyn Monroe near the track information for, Candle in the Wind and what appears to be a nod to Clark Gable in, Gone with the Wind near the track information for, I’ve Seen That Movie Too. All of which make the album art for this album as a whole, simply put, Iconic.

The opening track, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is an eleven-minute, dramatic opening to the album featuring a medley of what was written as two separate songs but recorded seamlessly as one. The synthesizer in the beginning evokes the gut punch a funeral would and then the piano comes in ever so softly and builds up to a high energy, almost angry, eulogy for a failed relationship. With elements of classical piano, a hard driving bass line, and a cutting guitar riff, it really hits hard. A lot harder than most people traditionally associate with Elton John. Immediately after the blood pumping opening, it goes into the ballad, Candle In The Wind about Marilyn Monroe from a fan’s perspective, thus beginning to paint a picture of a teen beginning to understand the working of adulthood through the lens of the golden age of cinema, the beginnings of television, and rock music… which evokes so much nostalgia throughout the album, it’s almost painful at times. Candle In the Wind was reworked in 1997 as a memorial to Princess Diana (Candle in the Wind/Goodbye England’s Rose) and in the US, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 14 weeks straight and became the best-selling single in Billboard history. Bennie and The Jets is a catchy tune that really showcases the range of Elton John’s voice at the time. Originally, it wasn’t even on the radar to be released as a single, but it was so popular in the US and Canada that it was the A side single and in most other territories, became the B-side to Candle in the Wind and by April of 1974, single had sold 2.8 million copies. It has also been covered by an array of different artists, including Pink and The Beastie Boys. In addition to its commercial success, it has one of the most notorious lines of misheard lyrics “She's got electric boots, a mohair suit" which have often been misheard as “Electric Boobs.” The title track, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a powerful declaration for the need to reconnect with one’s roots or to go home, so to speak, and in my opinion, arguably one of the best songs ever written by the duo both commercially and creatively. The only track on the album that the rest of the band doesn’t play on is This Song Has No Title. It’s just the sound of Elton’s voice and him meticulously hammering on the keys of his piano.

As the album continues, the songs: I’ve Seen That Movie Too, Roy Rogers, Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock and Roll), and All the Young Girls Love Alice keep with coming-of-age theme, using a mastery of descriptive, lyrical writing Taupin paints a vivid picture of youth figuring out things like sexuality and relationships. One of the hardest hitting and most recognizable songs on the album is Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting). With the lyrics painting a perfect picture of a typical ‘rock and roll’ Saturday night for a bunch of wild, young adults who are craving excitement. We can all relate to that, right? The song was not as commercially popular as the other singles off the album but has been widely covered and used in movie soundtracks. It also really showcases Elton John’s inspiration from Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard with the style of his playing and Davey Johnstone playing one of the most recognizable opening guitar licks in rock history. In fact, Davey Johnstone shines in general, in addition to guitar, he plays banjo. Slide and steel guitar on this album as well (if you have a chance, check out his work with other artists and instruments, it’s vast!). The last track on this album is, Harmony.  Harmony was tapped to be released as a single from the jump, but due to the success of the other singles, releasing it as a single would have cut into the release of singles from the follow up album, Caribou. Despite not immediately being released as a single, it is a poignant song that is often regarded as one of the pair’s best compositions by critics.

                Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is an album that has earned every bit of the clout it has. It tells a story that everyone can relate to in a way that makes you close your eyes, so you can see it and feel it a little deeper. In the 53 years of its existence: its songs have been covered, reworked, reissued, and used as inspiration by many other artists young and old which run the gamut of genres. It has and will continue to stand the test of the time.

Album  Information:

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Recorded: May 1973

Released: October 5, 1973

Studio: Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France; remixed and overdubbed at Trident, London

Label: DJM Records

Personnel:

Elton John – vocals, acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Farfisa organ, Mellotron

David Hentschel – ARP synthesizer

Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Leslie guitar, slide guitar, steel guitar, banjo, backing vocals

Dee Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals

Nigel Olsson – drums, congas, tambourine, backing vocals, car effects

Ray Cooper – tambourine

Del Newman – orchestral arrangements

David Katz – orchestra contractor

Leroy Gómez – saxophone solo

Kiki Dee – backing vocals

Production:

Gus Dudgeon – producer, liner notes

David Hentschel – engineer

Peter Kelsey – assistant engineer

Andy Scott – assistant engineer

Barry Sage – tape operator (not listed in album credits)

David Larkham – art direction, artwork

Michael Ross – art direction, artwork

Ian Beck – artwork

John Tobler – liner notes