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"Candle in the Wind 1997" is a song by Elton John, a re-written and re-recorded version of his 1973 song "Candle in the Wind". It was released on 13 September 1997 as a tribute single to the late 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 Recording Industry Association of America, with certified sales, it is "the best-selling single of all time."[1][2] The Guinness World Records 2009 states that the song is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies".[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 U.S. number one single, where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, and is the best-selling single in Billboard history, and was the first single certified Diamond in the U.S.[7] The song topped the German Singles Chart for seven weeks, the Australian ARIA Charts for six weeks, reached number one in Japan, Canada, France and music charts around the world.[6]
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", written by Bernie Taupin, were a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. The opening lines of the 1973 version, "Goodbye Norma Jeane, 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, but a notable omission was the line, "Even when you died, the press still hounded you." which was replaced with the lyric, "Even though we try, the truth brings us to tears."
Background
On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris, France. The news shocked Elton John, as he and the Princess had been very good friends. Earlier in the summer, he had also lost another good friend, fashion designer Gianni Versace, whose funeral he had attended with Diana.[9][10]
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]
John sank into a deep depression, and to cope with the grief, wanted to pay a tribute to Diana.[12] He 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, oboe) to help balance the recording.[8] It was recorded at Townhouse Studios in West London.[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 on 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 September 30, 1997.
Chart performance
"Candle in the Wind" was expected to debut high on the charts, due to its tribute to the death of Diana. It 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 single remained at number one on the UK Singles Chart for five weeks, and it eventually sold 4.93 million copies in the UK,[5] 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.[15][16]
The chart success in the United States was similar.[1][8] Released on 22 September 1997, "Candle in the Wind" debuted at number one on the Billboard 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. It has the biggest sales for any song sold within a single calendar year when it sold 8,111,000 physical copies in 1997, despite being recorded as late as September of the same year.[17] Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1997, despite being on the chart for only eight weeks in the chart year.[18] It was on the chart for 35 more weeks, making it the No. 8 song of 1998. The best-selling single in Billboard history, and the only single ever certified Diamond in the United States, the single shipped over 11 million copies in the U.S.[2][7] In the U.S., the solo #1 single broke Elton John's "Kiki jinx." After five number-one solo hits in America in the 1970s, John hit #1 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".
The song has sold over 33 million copies worldwide,[1][8] which makes it either the best-selling or the second best-selling single worldwide of all time.[19] 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.[20] 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."[21]
In Canada, "Candle in the Wind 1997" spent three years in the top 20, with 46 non-consecutive 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 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]
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]
Chart positions
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "RIAA News Room – The American Recording Industry Announces its Artists of the Century – Nov 10, 1999". Recording Industry Association of America website. RIAA. 10 November 1999. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
'Candle In The Wind 1997' soon surpassed Bing Crosby’s 'White Christmas' to become the best-selling single of all time.
(certified sales) - 1 2 Elton John: Biography | Rolling Stone Music Rolling Stone "Candle in the Wind 1997," easily became the all-time highest-certified single".
- ↑ Guinness Book of Records, 2007 Edition, page 187
- ↑ Guinness Book of Records 2009 states that "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the "best-selling single since charts began"; however, not of all time. Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is still recognized as the best selling single of all time, but since it was released prior to the start of many charts, its sales prior to the 1950s are estimated. John's 1997 song has sold the most copies when looking at copies sold since charts began, as verified in Guinness World Records. ISBN 1-904994-37-7. See also: Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169
- 1 2 3 Myers, Justin (9 February 2016). "Elton John's Official Top 20 most downloaded songs". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
- 1 2 3 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"
- 1 2 Billboard 3 Apr 1999 Billboard Retrieved 24 February 2011
- 1 2 3 4 Barry Miles Massive Music Moments p.207. Anova Books, 2008
- ↑ The Advocate 14 Oct 1997. Retrieved 25 December 2010
- 1 2 Fred Bronson The Billboard book of number one hits p.860. Billboard Books, 1997
- 1 2 "The songwriters idea book". Writer's Digest Books p.103.
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.
- 1 2 3 Katherine White Elton John pp.11–12. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003
- 1 2 3 4 5 Doyle, Jack (26 April 2008). "Candle in the Wind, 1973 & 1997". PopHistoryDig.com. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
- ↑ Last FM: Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute page. Retrieved 15 January 2011
- ↑ BBC – Press Office: Elton John tops million sellers chart BBC Radio 2 Official Charts Company
- ↑ UK Top 10 Best Selling Singles ukcharts.20m.com
- ↑ Paul Grein (3 January 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: Top Songs of 2012". Chart Watch (Yahoo Music). Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- ↑ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1997
- ↑ Guinness Book of Records 2009 states that "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the "best-selling single since charts began"; however, not of all time. Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is still recognized as the best selling single of all time, but since it was released prior to the start of many charts, its sales prior to the 1950s are estimated. John's 1997 song has sold the most copies when looking at copies sold since charts began, as verified in Guinness World Records. ISBN 1-904994-37-7. See also: Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169
- ↑ Guinness Book of Records, 2007 Edition, page 187
- ↑ Guinness Book of Records 2009 states that "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the "best-selling single since charts began"; however, not of all time. Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is still recognized as the best selling single of all time, but since it was released prior to the start of many charts, its sales prior to the 1950s are estimated. John's 1997 song has sold the most copies when looking at copies sold since charts began, as verified in Guinness World Records. ISBN 1-904994-37-7. See also: Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169
- ↑ Die erfolgreichsten Pop-Hymnen aller Zeiten RTL
- ↑ ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles ARIA. Retrieved 25 August 2011
- ↑ The first is the list of the best-selling foreign singles of all time in Finland, the second is that of the domestic singles:
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Radio2 Top 30 Artiest: Elton John". VRT (in Dutch). Top30-2.radio2.be. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ↑ "Elton John – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Elton John. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Elton John – Chart history (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits of the World: Denmark". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media): 61. 11 October 1997. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
- ↑ "Elton John: Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Musicline.de – John, Elton Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ The Irish Charts – Top 20 of all time Irish charts.ie. Retrieved 19 April 2012
- ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "エルトン・ジョン-リリース-Oricon Style ミュージック".
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Elton John search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997". VG-lista. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Elton John – Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Elton John: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Elton John – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Elton John. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Elton John – Chart history (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Elton John – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Elton John. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Elton John – Chart history (Pop Songs)". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Elton John – Chart history" Billboard Radio Songs for Elton John. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 1997". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1997 Österreich – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS (1997)". Ultratop (in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS (1997)". Ultratop (in French). Ultratop.be. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1997 Finnland – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Top 100 Single – Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
- ↑ "Hit Parade Italia – Top Annuali Single: 1997" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". MegaCharts (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 1997". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1997 Norwegen – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1997 Schweiz – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "UK's million-selling singles: the full list". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1997". Retrieved 2014-02-14.
- ↑ "Hits 1998 Österreich – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1998 Finnland – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1998 Deutschland – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1998 Norwegen – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1998 Schweiz – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Hits 1998 UK – Single-Charts" (in German). Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1998". Retrieved 2014-02-14.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 28 June 2010. Enter Elton John in the field Interpret. Enter Candle in the Wind in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
- ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 1997". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
- ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind". Music Canada. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- 1 2 "Elton John" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "French single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ↑ "Les Meilleures Ventes Tout Temps de 45 T. / Singles" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Elton John; 'Candle in the Wind')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ↑ "The Record > February 2001" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-07-16.
- ↑ "Certificaciones – Elton John" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Dutch single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Norwegian single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the wind" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "Polish single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
- ↑ "Spanish single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 2 July 2011. Select the "Chart", enter ' in the field "Year". Select ' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Elton John; 'Candle in the Wind')". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 July 2011. Enter Candle in the Wind 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
- ↑ "American single certifications – Elton John – Candle in the Wind". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 June 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
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