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Thirty Days of Song - Day Sixteen
May. 7th, 2020 07:33 pmDay Sixteen - A song that’s a classic favorite
Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road)
There isn't a version of this song that I don't love - the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" version that I first listened to at the tender age of seven with Eldest Sister, or the Central Park concert version (I wanted to go but I couldn't get my dad to take me - he didn't like Elton, and while Eldest Sister and I did many things together, spending a hot summer day in Central Park in 1980 was probably not on the list of things my mother would have approved of). Watching the video of the performance, I am absolutely amazed at the physicality of Elton and how he really fed from and fed into the crowd's delight. But then, watching the 1974 live performance (the first video), it's part of a well-established act.
I also adore The Who's version, which is much harder (naturally) - I remember reading that they recorded it as part of Elton's deal to star as the Pinball Wizard in Tommy.
And of course, there's Taron Egerton's version for Rocketman, which has - for the moment - become the one I most prefer. It feels so authentically honky-tonk.
( If you want to play along, here are the thirty days of song )
Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road)
There isn't a version of this song that I don't love - the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" version that I first listened to at the tender age of seven with Eldest Sister, or the Central Park concert version (I wanted to go but I couldn't get my dad to take me - he didn't like Elton, and while Eldest Sister and I did many things together, spending a hot summer day in Central Park in 1980 was probably not on the list of things my mother would have approved of). Watching the video of the performance, I am absolutely amazed at the physicality of Elton and how he really fed from and fed into the crowd's delight. But then, watching the 1974 live performance (the first video), it's part of a well-established act.
I also adore The Who's version, which is much harder (naturally) - I remember reading that they recorded it as part of Elton's deal to star as the Pinball Wizard in Tommy.
And of course, there's Taron Egerton's version for Rocketman, which has - for the moment - become the one I most prefer. It feels so authentically honky-tonk.
( If you want to play along, here are the thirty days of song )
