Border Song

"Border Song"
side-A label
One of side-A labels of the US reissue (Uni Records)
Single by Elton John
from the album Elton John
B-side"Bad Side of the Moon"
Released20 March 1970 (UK)[1]
RecordedJanuary 1970
StudioTrident Studios (London, England)
Length3:22
LabelUni (US)
DJM Records (UK)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"It's Me That You Need"
(1969) 		"Border Song"
(1970) 		"Rock and Roll Madonna"
(1970)

"Border Song" is a song by Elton John with music by John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin.[2] The song initially appeared on the 1970 album Elton John, and was released in the spring of 1970 as the LP's first single. After failing to chart in the UK, it was released in North America a few months later. It met with more success there, especially in Canada, where it peaked at No. 34.[3] The appearance of "Border Song" on the Canadian charts was John's first chart appearance in any country.

"Border Song" was also John's first song to chart in the United States, peaking at No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 69 in the Cash Box Top 100[4] in October 1970. A cover by soul icon Aretha Franklin (with "Holy Moses" following the title in parentheses to reflect the repeated phrase in the song) fared better reaching No. 37 in the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 23 in the Cash Box Top 100 in December 1970.[5] It was included as the closing track of Aretha's 1972 Young, Gifted and Black album as well.

In the Netherlands it peaked at No. 29 in the Dutch Top 40[6] in January 1971.

Music and lyrics

The song's melody is similar to that of a spiritual.[7] A choir sings during an instrumental break led by John's piano.

John determined the song was too short and added the final verse himself.[8] According to Taupin, "The sentiments in that song, in fact, didn't mean anything. The great thing about Elton's last verse was he tried to put it all into perspective. That song is probably two totally separate songs."[9]

Reception

Record World said that "it is nothing short of fantastic."[10] Record World also praised the "fantastic piano."[11] Cash Box said that "The surface simplicity and material depth of a Randy Newman are reflected in this tremendous top forty/underground shot from Elton John. The artist's power should give him his first taste of American recognition through this scintillating masterwork."[12] Billboard said that it was "more potent message material with a driving and equally potent vocal workout."[13]

Format and track list

  • 1970 US/Canadian 7" single
  1. "Border Song" 3:22
  2. "Bad Side of the Moon" 3:15

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1970) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14] 34
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 25
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 92
US Cash Box Top 100[17] 69

Cover versions

US vinyl release of Aretha Franklin's recording
  • Aretha Franklin's 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black concludes with her solo cover of this song. Cashbox said of this version that Franklin "brings the song to a boil in an almost-spiritual arrangement of the Elton John hit."[18]
  • Elton John and Aretha Franklin performed the song together on Franklin's 1993 Duets special.[19]
  • Willie Nelson covered the song on the 2018 John-Taupin tribute album Restoration.
  • Italian singer Mia Martini recorded in 1972 this song in Italian, with the title as "Io straniera".

B-side

The song's B-side, "Bad Side of the Moon", was subsequently covered by Canadian rock band April Wine, whose version is on the 1972 album On Record and was released as their second single from that album. "Bad Side of the Moon" was also covered by Toe Fat, whose version appears on their self-titled debut album and was also released as a single. April Wine's cover became a hit in Canada, reaching No. 16 in the country.[20]

References

  1. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Elton John - Border Song". hitparade.ch.
  2. ^ "50 Years on: Remembering the 'Elton John' Album, Part 2".
  3. ^ "RMP 100 Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2016 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  4. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 10/03/70". tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 12/19/70". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Elton John – Border Song". Top40.nl. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Elton John's 50 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. 13 September 2018.
  8. ^ Herbst, Peter (15 September 1989). The Rolling Stone Interviews Talking with the Legends of Rock & Roll: 1967-1980. Macmillan. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-312-03486-3.
  9. ^ 50 Years On: Remvembering the 'Elton John' Album, Part 2
  10. ^ "Sleeper Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 18 July 1970. p. 1. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. 9 May 1970. p. 8. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  12. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 9 May 1970. p. 1. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 16 May 1970. p. 1. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4700." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Elton John – Border Song" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  17. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 3, 1970". tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  18. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 7 November 1970. p. 22. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  19. ^ ""Border Song" Aretha Franklin and Elton John duet LIVE". 21 December 2008. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2016 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 18, No. 1 Aug 19, 1972". RPM. Retrieved 8 January 2024.