Summer 2020 rekindled my love for the legendary Sir Elton John, prompting the musical equivalent of bingeing an entire show in a week.
This summer I found myself listening to a lot of music by the infamous Elton John. The obsession began when I heard my parents blasting ‘Your Song’ on the speakers and I found myself feeling followed by a sudden urge to start listening to his music again. I promptly downloaded a couple of his albums and had his songs on repeat, however, I found myself gravitating towards one song specifically, this was none other than ‘Candle in the Wind’ (the rendition for the late Princess Diana). Perhaps this was due to a nostalgic element, as this was the first Elton John song I had ever listened to. Furthermore, the meaning and significance of the piece always seems to evoke some sort of emotional response. From the start of the song, the intention is clear as Elton John sings ‘Goodbye England’s rose’, referring to the passing of Princess Diana. As I learnt more about Princess Diana and her legacy, I started to connect with this song on a deeper level, which is the main reason it is so successful in evoking an emotional response.
Elton John uses a relatively simple chord progression, however, adds a lot of ornamentation and passing notes to make it much more musically interesting. His masterful ability to play the piano allows him to turn these seemingly simple chords into interesting musical motifs and ideas that are repeated throughout the song. The fact that the piece is a ballad contributes greatly to the emotion the song ultimately achieves. During these uncertain and challenging times, for some reason, I managed to find comfort in this song which is why I spent a majority of my summer listening to it on repeat.