Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.
The theme for Song Lyric Sunday this week is “Songs that includes somebody famous in it”
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Originally written in 1973 by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Candle in the Wind was a tribute to actress Marilyn Monroe who’d died eleven years earlier.
It’s opening line, “Goodbye, Norma Jean”, refers to Monroe’s real name… Norma Jeane Baker.
Taupin said the song is about “the idea of fame or youth or somebody being cut short in the prime of their life. The song could have been about James Dean, it could have been about Montgomery Clift, it could have been about Jim Morrison … how we glamorize death, how we immortalize people.”
John would rewrite the song twenty-four years later as Candle in the Wind 1997 for a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales after her death. He never says Diana’s name, but refers to her as England’s Rose.
FUN FACTS:
- The single release of the original song reached No. 11 in the UK charts in 1974. At the time, it was not released as a single in the United States (Bennie and the Jets was chosen instead).
- During a concert on 7 April 1990 at Farm Aid IV, John dedicated Candle in the Wind to young Ryan White, who had been suffering from AIDS. White died from AIDS complications the next day.
- According to the Guinness Book of Records, Candle in the Wind 1997 is the second highest selling single of all time (behind Bing Crosby’s White Christmas from 1942), and is the highest-selling single since charts began in the 1950s.
- The 1997 version won Elton John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1998.
I’ve posted both versions of the song’s lyrics with videos. The first video is from Elton’s Madison Square Garden concert, and the second is from the memorial service for Princess Diana. (With a one minute lead-in in Italian! Performance begins at 1:07)
Enjoy!
See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for Nesie’s Place!
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Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.
Candle in the Wind
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
Goodbye Norma Jean
From the young man in the twenty second row
Who sees you as something more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.
Candle in the Wind 1997
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
You called out to our country
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to heaven
And the stars spell out your name
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candle’s burned out long before
Your legend ever will
These empty days without your smile
This torch we’ll always carry
For our nation’s golden child
And even though we try
The truth brings us to tears
All our words cannot express
The joy you brought us through the years
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candle’s burned our long before
Your legend ever will
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
Goodbye England’s rose
From a country lost without your soul
Who’ll miss the wings of your compassion
More than you’ll ever know
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candle’s burned out long before
Your legend ever will
Felicia Denise, Author 
Beautiful song choice – well played Felicia :O) x
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Great song Felicia, this fits perfectly with the prompt. I never knew about the Princess Diana version and I always thought she was a special lady. I worked on a project that was started due to her being upset that children were dying from unexploded cluster bombs that they found on the ground and thought were toys. My company made a tiny battery that was placed in this self destruct fuse that ensured the bombs would explode on impact and prevent children from getting injured.
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There’s that tiny thread, running through life again, connecting us all in some way. 👍
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I remember when this song came out and it tore me up. The fact that Elton sang it for two well-known women the world destroyed makes it a big song.
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Very true. It escapes me why anyone would “want” fame. Any icon built up is always torn down. 😦
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a search for significance maybe…
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😀 We really do have great minds, Fle, this is proof! LOL
I knew about the Princess Diana version and probably caught it when her funeral was originally televised, but I’d never listened to the lyrics before today, I’m glad you posted it. Growing up in Diana’s time, it gets you right in the feels, doesn’t it? I can imagine that’s how the original was for those who actually grew up in Marilyn’s time.
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I was only two when Marilyn died, but Elton’s words just seem to transport you straight to the angst and pain of her life.
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Exactly, that’s exactly it, you nailed it! 😀
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Love this song, and I’d heard both before. So sad, but a wonderful tribute to those who passed too soon. ❤
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