Candle in the Wind

This article is about the original tribute to Marilyn Monroe. For the later tribute to Princess Diana, see Candle in the Wind 1997. For other uses, see Candle in the Wind (disambiguation).

"Candle in the Wind"
Single by Elton John
from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
B-side"Bennie and the Jets"
Released22 February 1974 (1974-02-22)
RecordedMay 1973
GenrePop rock · soft rock
Length3:50
LabelMCA, DJM
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Bennie and the Jets"
(1974) 		"Candle in the Wind"
(1974) 		"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
(1974)
Audio
"Candle in the Wind" (1973) by Elton John on YouTube
"Candle in the Wind" (live at Hammersmith Odeon, 1973) by Elton John) on YouTube

"Candle in the Wind" is a threnody style ballad written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.[1]

In 1997, John performed a rewritten version of the song, "Candle in the Wind 1997", as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine listed the original version of the song at No. 347 of its 500 greatest songs of all time.[2]

  1. ^ Ben Brantley (11 October 2004). "Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Painted in Words". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  2. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 9 December 2004. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2019.