Don't Go Breaking My Heart

For other songs of this name and all other uses, see Don't Go Breaking My Heart (disambiguation).

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
Single by Elton John and Kiki Dee
B-side"Snow Queen"
Released25 June 1976 (1976-06-25)
Recorded
  • 27 March 1976 (musicians and Elton John's vocals)[1]
  • May 1976 (backing vocals)[1]
Studio
  • Eastern Sound, Toronto, Canada (musicians and Elton John's vocals)[1]
  • Marquee Studios, London, England (Kiki Dee's vocals and backing vocals)[2]
Genre
Length4:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Pinball Wizard"
(1976) 		"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
(1976) 		"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
(1976)
Kiki Dee singles chronology
"Once a Fool"
(1975) 		"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
(1976) 		"First Thing in the Morning"
(1977)
Music video
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" on YouTube

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee, released by The Rocket Record Company on 25 June 1976.[2][5] It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers such as Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. John and Taupin originally intended to record the song with Dusty Springfield, but ultimately withdrew the offer; Springfield's partner Sue Cameron later said this was because she was too ill at the time.[6][7]

Unlike many of John's singles from the 1970s, it was never included on an original album (although it was recorded during the Blue Moves sessions). In the same year, John and Taupin received the 1976 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.[8]

In 1994, John released the song as a duet with American drag queen RuPaul. It was produced by Giorgio Moroder and reached number three on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart[9] and number one in Iceland.[10]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference personnel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Elton with Kiki". Sounds. 19 June 1976. p. 2.
  3. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (17 July 2000). "Take the Money and Run: Pop". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
  4. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (10 September 2019). "The Number Ones: Elton John & Kiki Dee's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"". Stereogum. Retrieved 30 June 2023. It's a pretty good deeply cheesy Broadway-disco shout-along, though...But it's a perfectly likable piece of amiable mid-'70s pop hackery.
  5. ^ "Recording News". NME. 19 June 1976. p. 2.
  6. ^ Bartlett, Karen. Dusty – An Intimate Portrait of a Musical Legend.
  7. ^ Lifton, Dave (19 May 2019). "The Story of Elton John's 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  8. ^ Lister, David (28 May 1994). "Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion". The Independent. London, England: Newspaper Publishing.
  9. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 27 February 1994 – 5 March 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (10.–16.3. '94)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 10 March 1994. p. 20. Retrieved 9 October 2019.


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