Candle in the Wind
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Candle In The Wind 1997" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by Elton John | ||
| Released | 1997 | |
| Format | CD single, Cassette single | |
| Recorded | The Townhouse Studios | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 3:39 | |
| Label | A&M | |
| Writer(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |
| Certification | 11x Platinum (U.S.) 9x Platinum (U.K.) |
|
| Chart positions | ||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||
| "Live Like Horses" (1996) |
"Candle in the Wind 1997" (1997) |
"Recover Your Soul" (1998) |
"Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written and released in 1973, written in honour of Marilyn Monroe. In 1997, Elton John did a remake of it, as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. This version of the song was released as a single version, and peaked at number one in the UK, USA, Australia and Canada.
Contents |
The original version was found on Elton John's 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The lyrics of the song are a sympathetic portrayal of the life of Marilyn Monroe (the song's opening line "Goodbye Norma Jeane" refers to Monroe's real name). The single release of the original song reached number eleven in the UK charts in 1974, and a live recording reached number five in 1988. Taupin was inspired to write the song after hearing the phrase "candle in the wind" used in tribute to the late Janis Joplin.
This version is ranked #347 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Candle In The Wind 1997" is a remake of "Candle In The Wind" by Elton John that was released as a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Released in 1997, the song peaked at number one in the UK becoming John's fourth number one single. It also peaked at number one in the USA, Australia, and Canada. As of 2006, it is the world's best-selling CD single in history.
On 31 August 1997, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash. The news immediately shocked John, as he and the Princess had been very good friends. He had also lost another good friend, the fashion designer Gianni Versace, just weeks before, and had attended his funeral with the princess.
As a result of these deaths, John sank into a deep depression, and considered not going to the funeral due to the emotional trauma. In the end, he decided to attend after receiving support from other friends. Following the recovery, John decided he wanted to pay a tribute to Diana. With that in mind, he contacted his veteran writing partner, Bernie Taupin. Due to the limited time available, they felt it was not possible to write a new song, and chose to re-write the lyrics to "Candle in the Wind". George Martin was contacted to help produce the song, and added a string quartet and woodwind to help balance the recording and with the first line now "Goodbye, England's Rose".
John sang "Candle In The Wind 1997" in public, for the first and only time in history, at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997. John has repeatedly turned down requests to perform the song live and only plays the 1973 version at concerts. The song has also never been released on any of his albums. He has stated that he will play the song again only if requested by Diana's sons William and Harry. It has been reported that John will play the 1997 version at the Concert For Diana, due to be held at Wembley Stadium in 2007.
As the song was a tribute to the popular Diana and because pre-order numbers had been high, it was expected by chart analysts for the song to top the charts, but its results were record breaking. Released on September 13, 1997, it became the fastest-selling single in the UK, selling 658,000 copies in the UK on that day alone, and over 1.5 million copies in its first week. The single would remain at number one for 5 weeks. All in all, it eventually sold 4.86 million copies in the UK, overtaking "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to become the best-selling single of all time in the UK.
The response in the USA was quite similar. It became the 7th song in history to debut at number one, and sold over a million copies in its first week. As a result, the single held on to the number one position for 14 weeks, the record for a male solo artist. In total, it sold over 11 million copies in the United States to become the second best-selling single worldwide, after receiving advance orders of nearly 9 million. Besides being the 2nd best-selling single in the USA, it is also the most shipped single in the USA with a certification of 11x platinum. This makes "Candle In The Wind 1997" the only song in the USA ever to be certified for more than 4 million copies sold, and the first and only diamond single ever.
Its success was also seen in most countries around the world. In Canada, it spent three years in the top 20, with 46 weeks at the top spot. However, the song's unusual chart performance in Canada has also been explained as a structural factor -- due to the relative lack of CD singles available for sale in Canadian stores, in some weeks the song was able to chart on sales of less than 100 copies across the entire country.
From a worldwide perspective, over 33 million copies were sold around the globe, making it the second best-selling single of all time worldwide, although it should be noted that this sales figure takes into account only CD singles and was released after the era of the traditional single had effectively ended. It is estimated that at the peak of sales, almost six copies of the single were sold across the world per second. All artist and composer royalties and record company profits were donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" / "Something About The Way You Look Tonight" | UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" | Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" | Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales | 1 |
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" | Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 21 |
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" | Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 32 |
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" | Billboard Adult Top 40 | 22 |
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 5 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" | ARIA (Australia) Singles Chart | 1 |
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" | Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| 1997 | "Candle In The Wind 1997" / "Something About The Way You Look Tonight" | Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
- United States: (11x Platinum) (Sales: 11,000,000)
- United Kingdom (9x Platinum) (Sales: 5,400,000)
- Germany: (9x Platinum) (sales: 4,500,000+)
- France: (Diamond) (sales: 2,000,000+)
- Canada: (Diamond) (Sales:1,000,000)
- Australia: (14x Platinum) (Sales: 980,000+)
- Switzerland: (9x Platinum) (450,000)
- The Netherlands: (6x Platinum) (Sales: 300,000)
- The Guinness Book of Records 2007 states that "Candle In the Wind 1997" is the biggest selling single 'since records began', however states that in total overall sales, Bing Crosby's White Christmas has sold the most singles. This accounts for the ambiguity appearing in the main article when stating 'best selling single'.
| Preceded by "4 Seasons of Loneliness" by Boyz II Men |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single October 11, 1997- January 10, 1998 |
Succeeded by "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden |
| Preceded by "The Drugs Don't Work" by The Verve |
UK Singles Chart Number 1 single September 14, 1997- October 12, 1997 |
Succeeded by "Spice Up Your Life" by Spice Girls |
Categories: Elton John songs | 1974 singles | 1997 singles | Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles | Number-one singles in the Netherlands | Number-one singles in the United Kingdom | Number-one singles in Australia | Number-one singles in Canada | Number-one singles in Germany | Number-one singles in Ireland | Number-one singles in Japan | Funerary and memorial compositions