Lady Samantha
Encyclopedia
"Lady Samantha" is a song by Elton John
with lyrics by Bernie Taupin
. It was released on January 17, 1969, six months before his first album, Empty Sky
came out. It appeared on its 1995 reissue as a bonus track.
," it was performed on several radio broadcasts (including John's first BBC radio airing) in 1969, but forgotten afterward. John has apparently never played it in concert.
."
"Lady Samantha" also surfaced in other reissue configurations, including as a double b-side (with "It's Me That You Need") to a DJM single issue of "Rocket Man" in 1972, and again as part of a DJM album compilation called "Lady Samantha, released in the US in 1980 and earlier in the UK in 1974 in cassette/8 track tape-only format with different cover art. This collection featured rarities and B-sides from the earliest days of John's career. It later also appeared on the MCA Records "To Be Continued ..." 4-CD boxed set, and on Mercury's 2-CD "Rare Masters" set in the early 1990s, prior to its inclusion as a bonus track on the CD reissue of "Empty Sky" in 1995.
Bernie Taupin remembers in "His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John" by Elizabeth Rosenthal that the song it was the first song to represent the songwriting team's new direction, courtesy of advice from producer Steve Brown, who suggested the two should write what they like and please themselves, not the marketplace.
covered it in 1969 as well. It appeared as the second track on their second album, "Suitable for Framing
," and was also included on the band's retrospective compilation, "Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story."
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
with lyrics by Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
. It was released on January 17, 1969, six months before his first album, Empty Sky
Empty Sky
Empty Sky is the debut album of British singer/songwriter Elton John, released on June 3, 1969. It was finally released in the United States in January 1975, with a different cover photograph, well after John's fame had been established internationally...
came out. It appeared on its 1995 reissue as a bonus track.
Performances
Recorded in December 1968 along with its b-side, "All Across the HavensAll Across the Havens
All Across the Havens is a song by Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally the b-side of his second single "Lady Samantha" and appeared as a bonus-track of the 1995 reissue of his first album "Empty Sky".-Musical structure:...
," it was performed on several radio broadcasts (including John's first BBC radio airing) in 1969, but forgotten afterward. John has apparently never played it in concert.
Chart performance and releases
John's first single, "I've Been Loving You," did not fare well on the British charts. This song went the same way. It was as mentioned praised by critics, and yielded what producer Gus Dudgeon, who became a fan of the song upon hearing it on the radio, later called "a turntable hit." The song garnered a fair amount of airplay, but sold few copies and failed to chart. It was John's final single on the Philips label. This was also John's first American single, released on the DJM-label in the United States, but it failed to chart there as well. It was re-released a year later, this time on the Congress label, but again failed to chart. Its b-side was his third British single, "It's Me That You NeedIt's Me That You Need
"It's Me That You Need" is a song by Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was his third single, released five months after "Lady Samantha". As with his two previous singles, it failed to chart in the U.S. and the UK. However, the song became hit in Japan two years later, peaking at the #13...
."
"Lady Samantha" also surfaced in other reissue configurations, including as a double b-side (with "It's Me That You Need") to a DJM single issue of "Rocket Man" in 1972, and again as part of a DJM album compilation called "Lady Samantha, released in the US in 1980 and earlier in the UK in 1974 in cassette/8 track tape-only format with different cover art. This collection featured rarities and B-sides from the earliest days of John's career. It later also appeared on the MCA Records "To Be Continued ..." 4-CD boxed set, and on Mercury's 2-CD "Rare Masters" set in the early 1990s, prior to its inclusion as a bonus track on the CD reissue of "Empty Sky" in 1995.
Bernie Taupin remembers in "His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John" by Elizabeth Rosenthal that the song it was the first song to represent the songwriting team's new direction, courtesy of advice from producer Steve Brown, who suggested the two should write what they like and please themselves, not the marketplace.
Covers
American rock group Three Dog NightThree Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
covered it in 1969 as well. It appeared as the second track on their second album, "Suitable for Framing
Suitable for Framing
Suitable for Framing is the second studio album by American rock band Three Dog Night. The album was released on the Dunhill record label on June 11, 1969 and was the first of two albums released by the band that year ....
," and was also included on the band's retrospective compilation, "Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story."
Personnel
- Elton John - electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, vocals - Caleb QuayeCaleb QuayeCaleb Quaye , is an English Afro-European rock guitarist and studio musician best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney and Hall & Oates...
- guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Tony Murray - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Roger Pope - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....