Part-Time Love

"Part-Time Love" is a song written by Elton John with lyrics by Gary Osborne. It is the sixth track off his 1978 album, A Single Man. It is also the opening track of side two. It proved to be one of the most popular singles the pair wrote, along with 1982's "Blue Eyes" and the 1980 US million seller Little Jeannie. It was banned in the Soviet release of the album along with another song, "Big Dipper". The single reached #15 in the UK and peaked just outside the Top 20 in the U.S. at #21.

Musical structure

The song opens with a jaunty piano, and then goes into the main riff, an uptempo disco-flavoured party song. The lead guitar played here is by John's long-time bandmate Davey Johnstone. The song features strings in such a way that it could easily be referred to as a disco anthem. Ray Cooper also appears on percussion that flows together with the drums and bass. The bridge in the song is very messy, fitting in with the lyric.

Lyrical meaning

In the September 29, 1979 edition of the Ann Landers advice column, one writer going by the title "Want A Better Environment For Our Youth" alleged that these lyrics of this song dealt with adultery: "You've been seen running around...Don't tell me what to do when you've been doing it too."^[1]

Due to the disco craze at the time, the song wasn't popular, and John only played it in his live sets of 1978 and 1979. It did however appear on his compilation The Very Best of Elton John in 1990. While the A-side was written by Gary Osborne, the B-side, "I Cry at Night" was written by Bernie Taupin. It is one of the few singles John released with different lyricists on each side.

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Chart (1978–79)	Peak position
Australia ^[2]	12
Canadian RPM Top Singles ^[3]	13
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary	7
New Zealand ^[4]	18
UK	15
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	22
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	40
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 ^[5]	13

Year-end charts

Chart (1978)	Rank
Australia ^[2]	88
Canada ^[6]	141

Personnel

Elton John - piano, vocals
Tim Renwick - guitars
Clive Franks - bass
Steve Holly - drums
Ray Cooper - percussion
Vicki Brown - backing vocals
Joanne Stone - backing vocals
Stevie Lange - backing vocals
Gary Osborne - backing vocals
Chris Thompson - backing vocals
Davey Johnstone - backing vocals, lead guitar
Paul Buckmaster - orchestral arrangement

References

↑ Landers, Ann (September 29, 1979). "Some Rock Lyrics Are Offensive". The Dispatch (Lexington, N.C.). p. 6. Some newspapers published this column on October 1.
1 2 Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1978-12-24. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
↑ "Cash Box Top 100 12/30/78". 50.6.195.142. 1978-12-30. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2015-10-27.

Elton John songs

1960s and 1970s	"Skyline Pigeon" (1968) "I've Been Loving You" (1968) "Lady Samantha" (1969) "It's Me That You Need" (1969) "Border Song" (1970) "Rock n' Roll Madonna" (1970) "From Denver to L.A." (1970) "Take Me to the Pilot" (1970) "Your Song" (1970) "Levon" (1971) "Tiny Dancer" (1972) "Rocket Man" (1972) "Honky Cat" (1972) "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" (1972) "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" (1972) "Crocodile Rock" (1972) "Elderberry Wine" (1972) "Daniel" (1972) "Teacher I Need You" (1973) "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (1973) "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (1973) "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (1973) "Step into Christmas" (1973) "Candle in the Wind" (1974) "Bennie and the Jets" (1974) "Harmony" (1973) "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (1974) "The Bitch Is Back" (1974) "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (1974) "Philadelphia Freedom" (1975) "I Saw Her Standing There" (1975) "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (1975) "Island Girl" (1975) "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" (1976) "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" (1976) "Pinball Wizard" (1976) "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (1976) "Cage the Songbird" (1976) "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (1976) "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" (1977) "Crazy Water" (1977) "The Goaldiggers Song" (1977) "Ego" (1978) "Part-Time Love" (1978) "Song for Guy" (1978) "Are You Ready for Love" (1979) "Mama Can't Buy You Love" (1979) "Johnny B. Goode" (1979)

1980s	"Little Jeannie" (1980) "Sartorial Eloquence (Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More?)" (1980) "Dear God" (1980) "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" (1981) "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" (with Kiki Dee, 1981) "Blue Eyes" (1982) "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" (1982) "Ball and Chain" (1982) "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1982) "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (1983) "I'm Still Standing" (1983) "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (1984) "Nikita" (1985) "That's What Friends Are For" (1985) "Wrap Her Up" (1985) "Take Me to the Pilot" (1988) "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" (1988) "Town of Plenty" (1988) "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)" (1988) "Healing Hands" (1989) "Sacrifice" (1989)

1990s	"Club at the End of the Street" (1990) "You Gotta Love Someone" (1990) "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (1991) "The One" (1992) "Runaway Train" (1992) "The Last Song" (1992) "Simple Life" (1993) "True Love" (1993) "Shakey Ground" (1994) "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (1994) "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (1994) "Circle of Life" (1994) "Believe" (1995) "Made in England" (1995) "When the Money's Gone" (1995) "You Can Make History (Young Again)" (1996) "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (1997) "Candle in the Wind 1997" (1997) "Written in the Stars" (1999)

2000s	"I Want Love" (2001) "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" (2002) "Original Sin" (2002) "Are You Ready for Love" (2003) "Ghetto Gospel" (2005) "Electricity" (2005) "The Bridge" (2006) "Joseph, Better You than Me" (2008) "Tiny Dancer (Hold Me Closer)" (2009)

Related articles	Albums discography Videography

Book:Elton John Category:Elton John

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