Candle in the wind
Candle in the Wind (English for. " Candle in the Wind ") is a popular ballad from the year 1973 by Elton John (music) and Bernie Taupin (text), resulting in a 1997 vice texteten version of world's best selling Millionenseller developed.
background
Emergence
The track originally contained in Elton John's album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released as a single in February 1974 and deals in this original version with the life of Marilyn Monroe , whose real name is also referred to by the initial words " Goodbye Norma Jean ". The text condemns the commercial exploitation of the star by those around him by using the metaphor of a prematurely extinguished candle. The LP was released with the piece in November 1973, the single from the original song was released in February 1974 and reached number 11 in the British charts, a live recording from December 1986 even number 5 in 1988.
On September 6, 1997, Elton John sang Candle in the Wind as a necrology at the funeral of his girlfriend Diana, Princess of Wales , at Westminster Abbey using a new text written by Taupin especially for the occasion. He started with the words " Goodbye England's Rose " and drew parallels between Diana's life and that of Marilyn Monroe.
successes
Exactly one week later, on September 13, 1997, this version went on sale in the UK as the B-side of the single Something About The Way You Look Tonight , subtitled In loving memory of Diana, Princess of Wales , sold on alone 658,000 times on the first day, 1.5 million times in the first week, 2 and 3 million times within the first eight and 15 days respectively, and remained number one in the charts for five weeks . Overall, the single in England sold 4.865 million copies, in Germany it has been the best-selling single of all time with 4.5 million copies since 1997 .
The song was number 1 in many other countries as well, for example in Switzerland and Germany , in the USA for 14 weeks and in Austria for 18 weeks. In Canada, where otherwise few singles are sold, the song was number 1 for 45 weeks and in the top 20 of the charts for three years.
With almost 37 million copies sold worldwide (including 11 million in the USA and 4.5 million in Germany ), it is the world's most successful single of all time and received an entry in the Guinness Book of Records . All royalties and proceeds were donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund .
Cover photo
The cover photo of the 1997 version is by German photographer Guido Karp and shows a white rose against a blue background.
Later development
Elton John has never performed the 1997 version of Candle in the Wind again. According to his own admission, he would not be able to cope with the emotions that evolve in him during this piece. He declined the express request of Diana's sons to play the song at the Concert for Diana memorial concert . At concerts he always plays the original version from 1973.
Chart placements
| Charts | Top ranking | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Chart placements | ||
 Germany (GfK)
|
1 (22 weeks) | 22nd |
 Austria (Ö3)
|
1 (25 weeks) | 25th |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
|
1 (28 weeks) | 28 |
 United Kingdom (OCC)
|
1 (24 weeks) | 24 |
 United States (Billboard)
|
1 (41 weeks) | 41 |
Awards for music sales
Candle in the Wind '97 was awarded 2 × gold and 108 × platinum worldwide. According to the awards, the single sold over 27.3 million times (including premium streaming).
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
||
 Australia (ARIA)
|
 14 × platinum
|
980,000 |
 Belgium (BEA)
|
7 × platinum
|
350,000 |
 Brazil (PMB)
|
platinum
|
250,000 |
|
Germany (BVMI)
|
9 × platinum
|
4,500,000 |
 Finland (IFPI)
|
platinum
|
45.225 |
 France (SNEP)
|
 diamond
|
1,000,000 |
 Japan (RIAJ)
|
4 × platinum
|
200,000 |
 Canada (MC)
|
19 × platinum
|
1,900,000 |
 New Zealand (RMNZ)
|
platinum
|
10,000 |
 Netherlands (NVPI)
|
6 × platinum
|
450,000 |
 Norway (IFPI)
|
9 × platinum
|
90,000 |
|
Austria (IFPI)
|
6 × platinum
|
300,000 |
 Poland (ZPAV)
|
platinum
|
100,000 |
 Sweden (IFPI)
|
7 × platinum
|
210,000 |
|
Switzerland (IFPI)
|
9 × platinum
|
450,000 |
 Spain (Promusicae)
|
4 × platinum
|
200,000 |
|
United States (RIAA)
|
11 × platinum
|
11,000,000 |
|
United Kingdom (BPI)
|
9 × platinum
|
5,400,000 |
| All in all |
108 × platinum, 2 × diamond |
27,334,000 |
Main article: Elton John / Music Sales Awards
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Guinness Book of Records 2000. ISBN 3-89681-003-0 .
- ↑ Elton John - Candle in the Wind '97 chart placement in Germany. GfK Entertainment , accessed June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Elton John - Candle in the Wind '97 Chart placement Austria. In: Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien, accessed June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Elton John - Candle in the Wind '97 chart placement in Switzerland. In: Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien, accessed June 14, 2018 .
- ^ Elton John - Candle in the Wind '97 Charthistory United Kingdom. Official Charts Company , accessed June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Elton John - Candle in the Wind '97 chart placement in the United States. Billboard , accessed June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ ARIA single charts. ariacharts.com.au, accessed June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ GOUD EN PLATINA - SINGLES 1997. ultratop.be, accessed on June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Gold / platinum database. musikindustrie.de, accessed on June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Elton John - Candle in the Wind '97. ifpi.dk, accessed on June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Gold & Platinum. ifpi.at, accessed on June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ precious metal. hitparade.ch, accessed on June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Gold & Platinum. riaa.com, accessed June 14, 2018 .
- ↑ BPI Awards. bpi.co.uk, accessed June 14, 2018 .