Candle in the Wind 1997

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For other uses, see Candle in the Wind (disambiguation).
"Something About the Way You Look Tonight"/"Candle in the Wind 1997"
File:Something About the Way You Look Tonight & Candle in the Wind 1997.jpg
CD single cover
Single by Elton John
A-side
B-side "You Can Make History (Young Again)"
Released 13 September 1997 (1997-09-13)
Genre Pop rock
Length
  • 3:59 ("Something About the Way You Look Tonight")
  • 4:11 ("Candle in the Wind 1997")
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) George Martin
Script error: The function "ucfirst" does not exist. singles chronology
"Something About the Way You Look Tonight"
(1997)		 "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" / "Candle in the Wind 1997"
(1997)		 "Recover Your Soul"
(1998)
Audio sample

"Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind". It was released on 13 September 1997 as a tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales, with the global proceeds from the song going towards Diana's charities. In many countries, it was pressed as a double A-side with "Something About the Way You Look Tonight". It was produced by Sir George Martin.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the second highest-selling physical single of all time (behind Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" from 1942),[1][2] and is the highest-selling single since charts began in the 1950s.[3][4]

After being released, "Candle in the Wind 1997" entered at number one in the UK Singles Chart, John's fourth UK number-one single, and became the best-selling single in UK chart history.[5][6] In October it became John's ninth US number-one single, where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, and is the best-selling single in Billboard history; it was the first single certified Diamond in the US.[7] The song also topped the German Singles Chart for seven weeks, the Australian Singles Chart for six weeks, and many other music charts around the world.

The 1997 version won John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1998.[8] At the 1998 Brit Awards the song was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single. The lyrics of the earlier version of "Candle in the Wind", also written by Taupin, were a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. The opening lines of the 1973 version, "Goodbye Norma Jean, though I never knew you at all," were adapted to "Goodbye England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts." Most of the lyrics were adapted to suit the circumstances of Diana's life and death.

Background

On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris, France. The news shocked John, as he and the Princess were very good friends. A month earlier, he had also lost another good friend, fashion designer Gianni Versace. Pictures depicting Diana appearing to console a distraught John at Versace's funeral were featured prominently in news coverage throughout the world.[9][10]

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I thought it was very important to project it from a nation's standpoint. I wanted to make it sound like a country singing it. From the first couple of lines I wrote [which began "Goodbye England's Rose"], the rest sort of fell into place

Bernie Taupin on writing the lyrics for "Candle in the Wind 1997"[11]

To cope with the grief, John wanted to pay a tribute to Diana.[12] In his autobiography, Me, John says he had a phone call from Richard Branson who said that many of those writing in the Book of Condolence at St James Palace were quoting the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind". Branson asked John if he would rewrite the lyrics and sing them at the funeral. John believed that Branson had been contacted by the Spencer family. John contacted his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, asking him to revise the lyrics of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind" to honour her.[11] George Martin was contacted to help produce the song, and added a string quartet (Peter Manning, Keith Pascoe, Levine Andrade, and Andrew Shulman), and woodwind (Pippa Davies, flute and oboe) to help balance the recording.[8] It was recorded at Townhouse Studios in West London, immediately following the funeral.[10]

John publicly performed "Candle in the Wind 1997" only once, at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997.[12] He continues to sing the original version of the song at his concerts but has repeatedly turned down requests to perform the revised version,[12] even for the memorial Concert for Diana in July 2007, having vowed never to perform it again unless asked by Diana's sons.[13] The song has never been released (or re-released) on any of his other albums or compilations, not even his 1997 album The Big Picture, nor the 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute album (an official 2-CD release sanctioned by Diana's family that included other artists such as Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Queen, Celine Dion, and Rod Stewart).[14] The song was included on Diana, Princess of Wales: The BBC Recording of the Funeral Service. The soundtrack was released on 30 September 1997.

Chart performance

"Candle in the Wind 1997" became the fastest-selling single in the UK, selling 658,000 copies on its first day of release and over 1.5 million in its first week.[13] The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart the day after its release on 13 September 1997,[15] staying at number one for five weeks and becoming the best-selling song in the UK, overtaking the 13-year-old record held by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" It has been certified as the best-selling single of all time in the UK,[16][17] and has sold 4.94 million copies in the UK as of September 2017.[5]

The chart success in the US was similar.[3][8] Released on 22 September 1997, "Candle in the Wind 1997" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, with first week sales at 3.5 million copies.[13] The album/single stayed at the top of the charts for 14 consecutive weeks, a record for a male solo artist. The song has sold 8,839,000 physical singles in United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[18] On 17 January 1998, it was knocked out of the number-one spot on the Hot 100 chart by "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden.[19] Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1997, despite being on the chart for only eight weeks in the chart year. The song was the only number-one debut to top the Year-End Hot 100 until Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" in 2017. It was on the chart for 35 more weeks, making it the number 8 song of 1998, making "Candle in the Wind 1997" one of only three songs in the history of the chart to be ranked on the top ten of two separate Hot 100-year-end charts, along with Chubby Checker's "The Twist" (number 10 in 1960 and 9 in 1962) and LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" (number 9 in 1997 and 5 in 1998); the latter had charted on the same period with the song. The best-selling single in Billboard history, and the only single ever certified Diamond in the United States at the time, the single shipped over 11 million copies in the US.[4][7] In the US, the solo number-one single broke Elton John's "Kiki jinx". After five number-one solo hits in America in the 1970s, John hit number one in a duet with Kiki Dee with 1976's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". From then until "Candle in the Wind 1997", John did not record a number-one single by himself and only had two chart toppers altogether. The first of those was 1986's "That's What Friends Are For", where he joined forces with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder to form a quartet known as Dionne & Friends which helped raise money for AIDS research. Six years later John teamed with George Michael on a re-release of his earlier hit "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". "Candle in the Wind 1997" was also the only number-one song in the year-end to be number one the year after. (1997 year-end, and it was number one for the first two weeks of 1998.)

On the Canadian Singles Chart, "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" spent three years in the top 20, with 46 non-consecutive weeks at the top spot.[20] 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. On Canada's RPM Top Singles chart, neither song made it to the top spot, with "Candle" reaching number 14 and "Something" peaking at number 13 and spending a much longer amount of time in the top 20.[21] In Germany, the song is the 8th best selling pop hymn ever.[22] Having spent six weeks at number one on the ARIA Charts, "Candle in the Wind 1997" is one of the all-time best-selling singles in Australia, being certified 14 times platinum with 56 weeks in the Top 100.[23] According to Musiikkituottajat, the Finnish music industry federation, "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling single of all time in Finland, with quintuple-platinum sales of over 54,000 copies to date.[24]:{{{3}}}

It is estimated that at the peak of sales, almost six copies of the single were sold per second.[13] In the UK, the single grabbed the number one slot on the first day of its release, with more than 650,000 copies sold in 24 hours, becoming the fastest-selling record of all time in the UK charts.[6] All artist and composer royalties and record company profits were donated to Diana's charities via the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.[13]

All time sales ranking

The song has sold over 33 million copies worldwide,[3][8] which makes it either the best-selling or the second best-selling single worldwide of all time.[25] The confusion and debate on whether John's record is or is not the best-selling single in the world is due to a lack of information on sales for the record's main contender for the number-one spot, Bing Crosby's recording of "White Christmas," because Crosby's recording was released before the advent of the modern-day US and UK singles charts. However, after careful research, Guinness World Records in 2007 concluded that, worldwide, Crosby's recording of "White Christmas" has, in their estimation, sold at least 50 million copies, and that John's recording of "Candle in the Wind" has sold 33 million, making Crosby's recording the best-selling single of all time.[26] However, an update in the 2009 edition of the book decided to further help settle the controversy amicably by naming both John's and Crosby's songs to be "winners" by stating that John's recording is the "best-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s," while maintaining that "the best-selling single of all time was released before the first pop charts," and that this distinction belongs to "White Christmas," which it says "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and – remarkably – still retains the title more than 50 years later."[27]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[91] 14× Platinum 980,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[92] 6× Platinum 300,000
Belgium (BEA)[93] 9× Platinum 450,000
Brazil (ABPD)[94] Platinum Expression error: Missing operand for *.
Canada (Music Canada)[95] 19× Platinum 190,000
Czech Republic (IFPI Czech)[96] 7× Platinum 28,000[96]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[97] Platinum 54,225[97]
France (SNEP)[98] Diamond 2,029,000[99]
Germany (BVMI)[100] 9× Platinum 4,500,000
Italy 300,000[101]
Japan (RIAJ)[102] 2× Platinum 200,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[103] 6× Platinum 450,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[104] 15× Platinum 225,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[105] 8× Platinum 80,000
Poland (ZPAV)[106] Platinum 20,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[107] 4× Platinum 80,000
Sweden (GLF)[108] 7× Platinum 210,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[109] 9× Platinum 450,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[110] 9× Platinum 4,935,000[5]
United States (RIAA)[111] 11× Platinum 11,000,000
Summaries
Worldwide 33,000,000[3][8]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

In 1997 La Bouche covered "Candle in the Wind 1997" as a bonus track on their album A Moment of Love.[112]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Guinness Book of Records, 2007 Edition, page 187 Archived 15 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. See also: Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (certified sales)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Elton John: Biography | Rolling Stone Music Rolling Stone "Candle in the Wind 1997," easily became the all-time highest-certified single".
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Entertainment BBC | Entertainment: Elton's candle burns in Canada BBC News "In the UK the song, which Sir Elton performed at the Diana's funeral on 6 September 1997, became the fastest-selling record of all time"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Billboard 3 Apr 1999 Billboard Retrieved 24 February 2011
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Barry Miles Massive Music Moments p.207. Anova Books, 2008
  9. ↑ The Advocate 14 Oct 1997. Retrieved 25 December 2010
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Fred Bronson The Billboard book of number one hits p.860. Billboard Books, 1997
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Katherine White Elton John pp.11–12. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Last FM: Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute page. Retrieved 15 January 2011
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ BBC – Press Office: Elton John tops million sellers chart BBC Radio 2 Official Charts Company
  17. ↑ UK Top 10 Best Selling Singles ukcharts.20m.com
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Die erfolgreichsten Pop-Hymnen aller Zeiten RTL
  23. ↑ ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine ARIA. Retrieved 25 August 2011
  24. ↑ The first is the list of the best-selling foreign singles of all time in Finland, the second is that of the domestic singles:
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. See also: Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Guinness Book of Records, 2007 Edition, page 187
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. See also: Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 and 169 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  29. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  32. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3342." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  33. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3322." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997" (in French). Les classement single.
  39. ↑ "Musicline.de – Elton John Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Elton John". Irish Singles Chart.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 39, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  46. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  47. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997". Top 40 Singles.
  48. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997". VG-lista.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ "Archive Chart: 19970920". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997". Singles Top 100.
  53. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind 1997". Swiss Singles Chart.
  54. ↑ "Archive Chart: 19970920" UK Singles Chart.
  55. ↑ "Elton John – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Elton John.
  56. ↑ "Elton John – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Elton John.
  57. ↑ "Elton John – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Elton John.
  58. ↑ "Elton John – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Elton John.
  59. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  62. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  63. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  64. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  65. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  66. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  67. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  68. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  69. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  70. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  71. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  72. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  73. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  74. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  75. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  76. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  77. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  78. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  79. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  80. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  81. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  82. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  83. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  84. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  85. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  86. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  87. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  88. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  89. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  90. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  91. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  92. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Elton John in the field Interpret. Enter Candle in the Wind in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
  93. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  94. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  95. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  96. ↑ 96.0 96.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "FinlandElton_JohnCandle_in_the_WindsingleCertRef" defined multiple times with different content
  98. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  99. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  100. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  101. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  102. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  103. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  104. ↑ THE FIELD id (chart number) MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION.
  105. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  106. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  107. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  108. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  109. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  110. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way.. in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  111. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  112. ↑ La Bouche A Moment of Love

External links

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