"Your Song" written by Elton John or Three Dog Night?

[Doc]

I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.

Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[Mark Rae]

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

I find this really impossible to believe! If you have the original Captain
Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album on vinyl, you'll see a picture of
Bernie Taupin's handwritten lyrics to this song.

However, that said, such deals happen a lot more regularly than people
imagine. A good friend of mine sold a song of his to a *very* famous band,
on the contractual agreement that he relinquish any and all claim to its
authorship, which they subsequently claimed...

People will doubtless be familiar with the Barclay James Harvest / Robert
John Godfrey / Mocking Bird story...

[Arnold Gallagher]

Post by Mark Rae
I find this really impossible to believe! If you have the original
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album on vinyl, you'll see
a picture of Bernie Taupin's handwritten lyrics to this song.

Yes, and you'll see that Elton has been mis-singing the lyrics for 35
years. It was written, "For it's people like you that keep it turned on,"
and Elton routinely sings, "It's for people like you that keep it turned
on." He also sang "Your love protects my fears" in "I Need You to Turn
To" on the same album, where Bernie had written "Your love protests my
fears."

[Lynn]

Post by Arnold Gallagher

Post by Mark Rae
I find this really impossible to believe! If you have the original
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album on vinyl, you'll see
a picture of Bernie Taupin's handwritten lyrics to this song.

Yes, and you'll see that Elton has been mis-singing the lyrics for 35
years. It was written, "For it's people like you that keep it turned on,"
and Elton routinely sings, "It's for people like you that keep it turned
on." He also sang "Your love protects my fears" in "I Need You to Turn
To" on the same album, where Bernie had written "Your love protests my
fears."

I know the feeling! :o( ... My collaborator is always singing the words
slightly differently to the one's I wrote. It annoys me most when its a
rhyming word that he changes (into one that doesn't rhyme!). Sometimes I get
my own back when I do the mix. It was easy when he sang "Kingdom" instead of
"King". I just chopped the end off the word!

[Michael]

Otis Redding had a hard time remembering the exact words. So a lot of
his recorded work was actually semi-improvised.

On our home page, there is an item where the singer of Manic Street
Preachers admits to not always understanding the lyrics (he doesn't
write them, I hasten to add). Not sure how erious he is.

M
http://www.a-lyric.com

Post by Lynn

Post by Arnold Gallagher

Post by Mark Rae
I find this really impossible to believe! If you have the original
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album on vinyl, you'll see
a picture of Bernie Taupin's handwritten lyrics to this song.

Yes, and you'll see that Elton has been mis-singing the lyrics for 35
years. It was written, "For it's people like you that keep it turned on,"
and Elton routinely sings, "It's for people like you that keep it turned
on." He also sang "Your love protects my fears" in "I Need You to Turn
To" on the same album, where Bernie had written "Your love protests my
fears."

I know the feeling! :o( ... My collaborator is always singing the words
slightly differently to the one's I wrote. It annoys me most when its a
rhyming word that he changes (into one that doesn't rhyme!). Sometimes I get
my own back when I do the mix. It was easy when he sang "Kingdom" instead of
"King". I just chopped the end off the word!

[Morph]

Bernie Taupin, Elton's lyricist, tells the story how he wrote the lyrics to
"Your Song" over breakfast one morning. He says you can still see egg
stains on the sheet of paper with the original lyrics. Elton composed the
music right after Bernie wrote the lyrics.

Three Dog Night simply did a cover of "Your Song."

[clovis]

Just going from memory here (OK, it may be shot), but I remember Three Dog
Night
mainly doing other people's songs. I liked some of 'em, but Your Song just
sounds very John/Taupin to me. But, hey, hide your heart, Eli's comin'
(thanx Ms. Nyro).

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[RMRose]

Three Dog Night were not into writign in a big way. They covered songs, From
Hair, by Paul Williams, Hoyt Axton and many others. Some of the album tracks
were written by the members and they are memorably unmemorable...

Post by clovis
Just going from memory here (OK, it may be shot), but I remember Three Dog
Night
mainly doing other people's songs. I liked some of 'em, but Your Song just
sounds very John/Taupin to me. But, hey, hide your heart, Eli's comin'
(thanx Ms. Nyro).

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[Endy9]

The answer is Elton John wrote the tune and Bernie Taupin the lyrics. Elton
had it out on his album two or three years before Three Dog Night covered
it.
--
Dennis/Endy

http://home.comcast.net/~endymion91/

~Dancing us from darkest night is the rhythm of love
Powered on by the beating of hearts~ -XTC
--

Post by clovis
Just going from memory here (OK, it may be shot), but I remember Three Dog
Night
mainly doing other people's songs. I liked some of 'em, but Your Song just
sounds very John/Taupin to me. But, hey, hide your heart, Eli's comin'
(thanx Ms. Nyro).

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[Irene Jackson]

Three Dog Night didn't write their own material.

IJ

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[Marc Wielage]

Post by Irene Jackson
Three Dog Night didn't write their own material.
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------<

There are rarely any absolutes in rock & roll.

Lead singer Chuck Negron and Danny Hutton did write "Celebrate," which was a
#15 hit for Three Dog Night in 1970. But that's the one exception, as far as
their hits go.

--MFW

[Irene Jackson]

Post by Marc Wielage

Post by Irene Jackson
Three Dog Night didn't write their own material.
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------<

There are rarely any absolutes in rock & roll.
Lead singer Chuck Negron and Danny Hutton did write "Celebrate," which was a
#15 hit for Three Dog Night in 1970. But that's the one exception, as far as
their hits go.

Ah...and that was a big one for them. Thanks for the info :-)

IJ

[j***@hvc.rr.com]

Post by Marc Wielage

Post by Irene Jackson
Three Dog Night didn't write their own material.
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------<

There are rarely any absolutes in rock & roll.
Lead singer Chuck Negron and Danny Hutton did write "Celebrate," which was a
#15 hit for Three Dog Night in 1970. But that's the one exception, as far as
their hits go.

Interesting post. Clark Besch recently posted this to the Spectropop

Post by Marc Wielage
The talk of the Feminine Complex got me thinking about some of the
obscure female group sounds of 68/9. Posted to Musica was one that
would just fit with the limited space, "Have You Tried Love" by
Celebration. It was released on United Artists 50467 and for
December, 1968, seemed to incorporate much of the pop sounds of the
day. I hear the Happenings, Cowsills, Love Generation and the theme
to Tv shows of the era, as well as other pop influences of the day.
It was written and produced by Tony Michaels and Vinny Gormann for
Mirage City Productions. I assume Tony and Vinny were group members
of an obviously male/female configuration. I actually like the B
side better, "Never Mind the Rain", if anyone would want to hear it
too. Alan Gordon may well know about this group, as one of their
followups would be his "Celebrity Ball" (aka "Celebrate") on UA 50626
released in February, 1970. The timing was not good, as Three Dog
Night's retitled version was released on 45 and buried "Celebration's
Celebrity". Three Dog's version was itself a case of bad timing
too. Being the third single from a 6 month old album that had
already spawned two top 10 45's ("Easy to be Hard"/"Eli's Coming") ,
had seen the group release a "live" album since then, it would seem
it amazing that all the airplay for "Celebrate" was able to get it up
to #15 on the Hot 100 eventually. Certainly the most played of the
three hits, one wonders if it'd been released first if it had been
the group's first #1 record. Even in 20/20 hindsight, Alan had a
real feather in his cap there.

So who wrote the song really, Alan Gordon or Hutton and Negron?

Joe

[Gilly]

I saw a TV programme and it said that Elton John and Bernie wotsit
wrote the album, but the person who was meant to sing it never turned
up, so rather than waste the studio time, Elton John sang it......and
the rest is history!

[Trevor Frew]

Post by Gilly
I saw a TV programme and it said that Elton John and Bernie wotsit
wrote the album, but the person who was meant to sing it never turned
up, so rather than waste the studio time, Elton John sang it......and
the rest is history!

Possibly Elton John and Bonnie Tyler.

Trevor
---

I'd like to be rich but it's too expensive.

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

Elton and Bernie wrote it. Elton "lent" it to Three Dog Night to possibly use on the "It Ain't Easy" album. They recorded it FIRST, and released their album on March 31, 1970. Elton's version was released on his self titled album (Elton John) on April 10, 1970. SOOOOOO, Elton and Bernie wrote it, but Three Dog Night recorded and released it first. That's right. When they recorded it, they didn't even know Elto was going to record it himself.