Elton John - "Your song"

"I don't think I've written a love song as good since." As is the case with so many artists, Elton John’s first hit is also one of his best loved.

Remarkably, lyricist Bernie Taupin was just 17 years old when, in 1967, he wrote the words, although it was not until four years later that the song became a hit.
The duo’s partnership came about by chance. Both Elton and Taupin had replied to a record label advert seeking new talent. Neither did quite enough to impress on their own, but the label saw potential in both and suggested they team up. The pair hit it off straight away and one of pop’s most enduring collaborations was born. Taupin soon moved in with Elton and his mum in north-west London and began furiously bashing out lyrics. “Your Song” was actually conceived one breakfast, while he was eating scrambled eggs. The original lyrics have coffee stains on them.
The most striking thing about the song is its innocence – it couldn’t have been written by anyone other than a teenager who, in Taupin’s own words, “had never got laid in his life”.

Elton wrote the music in about 20 minutes, as he often did with Taupin's lyrics in their early days. Elton’s uncomplicated music complements Taupin’s unpretentious lyrics and that really sums up why “Your Song” has remained such a favourite.

Elton's "We All Fall In Love Sometimes" is about the writing of this song.

Elton John performed the song on The Simpsons. Apu had asked him to serenade his wife, Manjula. The lyrics 'for you' were replaced with 'from Apu'.

Available on the album "Elton John"