Maps of Music

A Single Man (1978)

Where the lyrics of A Single Man take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first officially released in the former Soviet Union under a new title, Poyot Elton John, and two songs were removed from that release.

Key places

Recorded at The Mill, Cookham (1978)

Recording site The Mill — The album's recording location is listed as The Mill in Cookham, Berkshire. The map point is set at the town centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Front cover photo in the Long Walk (1978)

Album cover Long Walk — The front cover photo was taken in the Long Walk, which is part of Windsor Great Park in Berkshire. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by Elton John
• Released 27 October 1978 by MCA Records in the United States and by Rocket in the United Kingdom
• First Elton John album on which Gary Osborne replaced Bernie Taupin as main lyricist
• One of two John albums with no tracks co-written by Taupin on the original cut, the other being Victim of Love
• Singles: "Part-Time Love" (October 1978), "Song for Guy" (December 1978), "Return to Paradise" (February 1979)

Background

• First Elton John album without lyricist Bernie Taupin
• First album since the 1969 debut Empty Sky without producer Gus Dudgeon
• Returning Elton John Band members: Ray Cooper (percussion) and Davey Johnstone (guitar)
• Johnstone played on only one song on the album
• Paul Buckmaster did not appear on another Elton John album until Made in England (1995)
• Unlike earlier work, John started the compositions by writing melodies at a piano
• John sings in a lower register than on earlier recordings
• John stopped wearing his trademark glasses in public for a period in the late 1970s
• First official release in the former Soviet Union, after the success of the 1979 A Single Man in Concert shows in Moscow and Leningrad
• The Soviet release was re-titled Poyot Elton John, and "Big Dipper" and "Part-Time Love" were removed

Recording

• Staff and players of Watford Football Club, which John chaired at the time, provided backing vocals on "Big Dipper" and "Georgia"
• Female staff of Rocket Records sang on the same tracks, credited as 'The South Audley Street Girls' Choir'
• The Mill in Cookham, Berkshire is listed as the recording studio
• Ian Cooper mastered the album at Utopia Studios, London

Cover

• The front cover photo was taken in the Long Walk, part of Windsor Great Park in Berkshire
• The inside cover shows John in a Jaguar XK140 FHC
• The photo reflects John's period of not wearing glasses in public
• Terry O'Neill credited for photography, David Costa for sleeve design

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, on 25 March 1947.
• Won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11.
• Formed the blues band Bluesology in 1962; took the name Elton John in 1967.
• Joined DJM Records as a staff songwriter with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1968.

Members

• Partnered with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967; Taupin writes lyrics and John composes the music.
• Backing band over the years included Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray and Ray Cooper.

Career

• Debut album Empty Sky (1969); Honky Château (1972) became his first US number-one album.
• Seven consecutive US number-one albums between 1972 and 1975.
• Composed The Lion King and Aida with Tim Rice; won Academy Awards and a Tony Award.
• Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour (2018–2023) was the highest-grossing tour at the time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• As with many of John's releases of the late 1970s and the 1980s, the album received generally mixed reviews from critics
• "Song for Guy" was a near-global success, charting high everywhere except the U.S. and Canada
• In the U.S., MCA initially refused to release "Song for Guy", and did so only in March 1979
• John performed some songs from the album on television, including Top of the Pops, Parkinson and The Old Grey Whistle Test
• He performed a solo set for MCA personnel at the Century Plaza Hotel on 14 October 1978
• He also toured in support of the album in 1979

Records

• In the U.S., the album was certified gold by the RIAA in October 1978
• The album was certified platinum by the RIAA in November 1978
• "Song for Guy" charted high in most countries outside the U.S. and Canada

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Song for Guy" was written as a tribute to Guy Burchett, a young messenger at Rocket Records who was killed in a motorcycle accident.
• Watford Football Club's staff and players sang backing vocals on "Big Dipper" and "Georgia", while John was chairman of the club.
• The inside cover shows John in a Jaguar XK140 FHC.
• In later years, only "Song for Guy" from the album is known to have been performed live.
• The 1998 reissue added five bonus tracks, including the 1978 single "Ego" and its B-side "Flinstone Boy".

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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