The Iconic Elton John Song That Was Written In Mere Minutes

Elton John is a titan of the music industry and his songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history. The pair wrote the lyrics and music for hundreds of songs, both for John himself and a myriad of other artists including Heart, Rod Stewart, and Alice Cooper. Even today, both are major influences in the music world with Elton John's mentorship and friendship with Ed Sheeran being one of the more famous modern relationships. John and Taupin's run during the 1970s is legendary and cemented Elton as an icon of the industry, but it all got started with a song that was written for a totally different band.

According to Business Insider, "Your Song" was originally written for and released by Three Dog Night in 1970 on their album "It Ain't Easy." Elton John was the opening act for the band at the time and an up-and-coming artist in his own right. Once the band decided not to use the song as a single for the album, they let John have it and he recorded it for his second, self-titled album.

While "Your Song" was released as the B-side track to "Take Me To The Pilot," it quickly gained popularity and replaced the latter as the A-side track. It went on to become Elton John's first international hit single, reaching the top ten in several different countries. It became the springboard for John's illustrious career and eventually earned a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

A widely touted rumor about the writing of the song took hold in later years. It was claimed by many that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to "Your Song" in only ten minutes while the two sat across from each other at the breakfast table. In more recent years, Taupin has put a bit of a squash on those claims.

The story goes that the pair were seated at breakfast in Elton's mother's home as she fixed them some food. Taupin scribbled down the lyrics of "Your Song" on a pad, complete with an egg stain on it. Elton took it and very quickly finished the composition for the song in the living room. Taupin confirmed this much of the story in an interview with Virgin Radio UK.

He later brought a bit of realism to the story in an interview with Good Morning Britain. According to Taupin, "When you talk about a song being written in 10 minutes or 15 minutes, there's a slight bit of urban legend to that. I'm not sure that I wrote Your Song in 10 minutes, it may have been 15 minutes or half an hour, all I can tell you is that it was a short time period." Regardless of the accuracy surrounding the true amount of time it took to pen the historic song, it was an impressive feat by two musical geniuses. And while Elton John's 2023 tour was his last, his impact and legacy will forever live on through his music.