"Your Song" written by Elton John or Three Dog Night?

[Doc]

I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.

Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[Mark Rae]

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

I find this really impossible to believe! If you have the original Captain
Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album on vinyl, you'll see a picture of
Bernie Taupin's handwritten lyrics to this song.

However, that said, such deals happen a lot more regularly than people
imagine. A good friend of mine sold a song of his to a *very* famous band,
on the contractual agreement that he relinquish any and all claim to its
authorship, which they subsequently claimed...

People will doubtless be familiar with the Barclay James Harvest / Robert
John Godfrey / Mocking Bird story...

[DRJVH]

Post by Mark Rae
you'll see a picture of
Bernie Taupin's handwritten lyrics to this song.

Wasnt there an egg stain on the original
draft of Your Song?? Elton and Bernie
were still living with Sheila Dwight at
the time.

Phyllis

[Tim Norris Remax]

Post by DRJVH

Post by Mark Rae
you'll see a picture of
Bernie Taupin's handwritten lyrics to this song.

Wasnt there an egg stain on the original
draft of Your Song?? Elton and Bernie
were still living with Sheila Dwight at
the time.
Phyllis

That wasn't egg

[Arnold Gallagher]

Post by Mark Rae
I find this really impossible to believe! If you have the original
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album on vinyl, you'll see
a picture of Bernie Taupin's handwritten lyrics to this song.

Yes, and you'll see that Elton has been mis-singing the lyrics for 35
years. It was written, "For it's people like you that keep it turned on,"
and Elton routinely sings, "It's for people like you that keep it turned
on." He also sang "Your love protects my fears" in "I Need You to Turn
To" on the same album, where Bernie had written "Your love protests my
fears."

[Liz]

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.

This is absolutely untrue. Elton wrote the music to Bernie's lyrics--- in 10
minutes-- in October of 1969. Yes, Three Dog Night covered the song, because
they liked it. They also covered Elton & Bernie's "Lady Samantha."
Interestingly, a guitarist for Three Dog Night reported on how difficult the
chords (originally written for piano, of course) were for him to play, but he
managed.
Also, it's important to remember that Elton & Bernie had no problem writing
their own songs. The 1969-70 era was very prolific for them.
Liz Rosenthal
"His Song: The Musical Journey Of Elton John"
http://www.ejhissong.com

[NCF_1]

Certainly you wouldnt claim a song written by someone else as your own as
passionately as Elton has over the years; more likely you would be
embarassed that the song did so well and shelve it. I would never believe
anyone but EJ/Taupin wrote Your Song.

[Morph]

Bernie Taupin, Elton's lyricist, tells the story how he wrote the lyrics to
"Your Song" over breakfast one morning. He says you can still see egg
stains on the sheet of paper with the original lyrics. Elton composed the
music right after Bernie wrote the lyrics.

Three Dog Night simply did a cover of "Your Song."

[Ejfan1973]

Post by Morph
"Your Song" over breakfast one morning. He says you can still see egg
stains on the sheet of paper with the original lyrics.

I think Bernie's confused. On the original lyric of Your Song (photo) in the
Captain Fantastic liner notes you don't see any egg stains. However, on the
original lyric of Skyline Pigeon (photo in the Two Rooms book--page 70) there
are very evident egg stains.

[Morph]

Bernie must have done his best work over breakfast. LOL

[Per-Gunnar Eriksson]

LOL! Shows you the importance of eating a good breakfast!

Post by Morph
Bernie must have done his best work over breakfast. LOL

[Morph]

Yeah, I've always heard it's the most important meal of the day. That's
certainly true for Bernie!

[clovis]

Just going from memory here (OK, it may be shot), but I remember Three Dog
Night
mainly doing other people's songs. I liked some of 'em, but Your Song just
sounds very John/Taupin to me. But, hey, hide your heart, Eli's comin'
(thanx Ms. Nyro).

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[RMRose]

Three Dog Night were not into writign in a big way. They covered songs, From
Hair, by Paul Williams, Hoyt Axton and many others. Some of the album tracks
were written by the members and they are memorably unmemorable...

Post by clovis
Just going from memory here (OK, it may be shot), but I remember Three Dog
Night
mainly doing other people's songs. I liked some of 'em, but Your Song just
sounds very John/Taupin to me. But, hey, hide your heart, Eli's comin'
(thanx Ms. Nyro).

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[Endy9]

The answer is Elton John wrote the tune and Bernie Taupin the lyrics. Elton
had it out on his album two or three years before Three Dog Night covered
it.
--
Dennis/Endy

http://home.comcast.net/~endymion91/

~Dancing us from darkest night is the rhythm of love
Powered on by the beating of hearts~ -XTC
--

Post by clovis
Just going from memory here (OK, it may be shot), but I remember Three Dog
Night
mainly doing other people's songs. I liked some of 'em, but Your Song just
sounds very John/Taupin to me. But, hey, hide your heart, Eli's comin'
(thanx Ms. Nyro).

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[s***@gmail.com]

TDN released it in March 1970. EJ in April 1970.

[Irene Jackson]

Three Dog Night didn't write their own material.

IJ

Post by Doc
I was visiting with my friend who works at a piano bar and after she
sang "Your Song" some guy who was there swore up and down he knew for
a fact that it was actually written by Three Dog Night and Elton John
bought it off them.
Me and my friend were of the opinion the guy was full of it, anyone
ever heard this?

[NUMBER1EJFAN]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[CrazyWater]

Most, if not all of TDN hits were written by other songwriters, however they
did write songs just that appeared on their albums, which by the way were quite
good...excellent band.

The Crazy Water Site
http://crazywater.com
"...if we all believe in the things you believe you're seeing..." EJ/BT '76

[Gilly]

I saw a TV programme and it said that Elton John and Bernie wotsit
wrote the album, but the person who was meant to sing it never turned
up, so rather than waste the studio time, Elton John sang it......and
the rest is history!