Made in England
Encyclopedia
Made in England is the twenty-fifth studio album
by English singer/songwriter Elton John
, released in 1995 and Produced by Elton John and Greg Penny, the first time since Leather Jackets without Chris Thomas
. It was dedicated to John's boyfriend and future civil partner David Furnish
. It was also dedicated to the memory of Denis Gauthier and Peter Williams. This is the last album to date to feature regular percussionist Ray Cooper. Bob Birch
became John's full-time recording and touring bass player.
While still promoting his work for The Lion King
soundtrack, in September 1994, five months before its release as a single, John debuted "Believe" during a concert with Ray Cooper at the Greek Theatre
in Los Angeles. "Believe" reached #15 in the UK and #13 in the U.S., and was the only American hit from the album to reach the Top 20. During November, Elton John toured Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Switzerland, Poland, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and Japan and other countries two months later. Several songs from the album made it to the tour's playlist, including "Believe", "Made in England", "Blessed" and "Pain".
An interesting peculiarity is that, much unlike his previous works, and with the exception of the title track, all of the album's songs have one-word titles. A few special notes about some of the songs: on "Belfast", the song originally ended simply with John singing the last line, "Belfast." In an interview with fan magazine East End Lights some time later, arranger Paul Buckmaster (in his first project with Elton John since 1978's A Single Man) said he thought the song needed a more uplifting end, and added the outro, making it sound as if it were being played in an Irish pub somewhere up the road. John reportedly was initially wary of the idea, but Buckmaster said he changed his mind upon hearing it and approved the new coda for the final version; George Martin, who owns AIR Studios London where the album was recorded, wrote the horn and string arrangement on "Latitude"; and John and Guy Babylon are credited as arrangers on "Man", which also includes organ by Squeeze and Mike + The Mechanics frontman Paul Carrack.
/Bernie Taupin
.
Side one
Side two
s from Made in England. These songs include "Building a Bird", "Leaves", "Hell", "Skin", "Tick-Tock", "Red", "Live Like Horses", an alternate version of "Belfast", and an alternate version of "Believe". "Red" was later released on the French compilation Sol En Si, and a version of "Live Like Horses" was later released on The Big Picture
. "Building a Bird" was recorded by Nigel Olsson for his 2001 Move the Universe CD, released only in Japan. The remaining outtakes have yet to see official release.
|1996 || "Believe" || Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male
||
|-
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by English singer/songwriter Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, released in 1995 and Produced by Elton John and Greg Penny, the first time since Leather Jackets without Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas may refer to:* Chris Thomas , former wide receiver in the NFL* Chris Thomas , former men's basketball player for the University of Notre Dame...
. It was dedicated to John's boyfriend and future civil partner David Furnish
David Furnish
David James Furnish is a Canadian/British filmmaker, former advertising executive, and now a film director and producer most known for his documentary Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras...
. It was also dedicated to the memory of Denis Gauthier and Peter Williams. This is the last album to date to feature regular percussionist Ray Cooper. Bob Birch
Bob Birch
Bob Birch is an American musician. Primarily a session musician and sideman to a variety of notable artists. Bob Birch was born Robert Wayne Birch. At an early age, Bob was inspired to pursue music by his father Chet, an upright bassist. Bob began his musical journey with the alto saxophone,...
became John's full-time recording and touring bass player.
While still promoting his work for The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
soundtrack, in September 1994, five months before its release as a single, John debuted "Believe" during a concert with Ray Cooper at the Greek Theatre
Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)
The Greek Theatre is a 5,700-seat amphitheater, located at Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1929, opening on September 29 of that year...
in Los Angeles. "Believe" reached #15 in the UK and #13 in the U.S., and was the only American hit from the album to reach the Top 20. During November, Elton John toured Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Switzerland, Poland, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and Japan and other countries two months later. Several songs from the album made it to the tour's playlist, including "Believe", "Made in England", "Blessed" and "Pain".
An interesting peculiarity is that, much unlike his previous works, and with the exception of the title track, all of the album's songs have one-word titles. A few special notes about some of the songs: on "Belfast", the song originally ended simply with John singing the last line, "Belfast." In an interview with fan magazine East End Lights some time later, arranger Paul Buckmaster (in his first project with Elton John since 1978's A Single Man) said he thought the song needed a more uplifting end, and added the outro, making it sound as if it were being played in an Irish pub somewhere up the road. John reportedly was initially wary of the idea, but Buckmaster said he changed his mind upon hearing it and approved the new coda for the final version; George Martin, who owns AIR Studios London where the album was recorded, wrote the horn and string arrangement on "Latitude"; and John and Guy Babylon are credited as arrangers on "Man", which also includes organ by Squeeze and Mike + The Mechanics frontman Paul Carrack.
Singles
| UK release date | Single | Notes | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 February 1995 | "Believe Believe (Elton John song) "Believe" is a 1994 song recorded by Elton John. It was the first single from his album Made in England and was released on February 20, 1995. It reached #1 in Canada. In the US, "Believe" was Elton John's fifteenth number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and also went to number thirteen on the... " |
Worldwide release | #15 UK, #13 US, #1 CAN |
| 8 May 1995 | "Made in England Made in England (song) "Made in England" is the title track from English pop-rock performer Elton John's 1995 album, Made in England. It is an autobiographical telling of his growing up, parts of his life, and what it is like in England.... " |
Worldwide release | #18 UK, #52 US |
| 18 December 1995 | "Blessed" | Not released in the UK | #34 US, #3 CAN |
| 22 January 1996 | "Please" | Released in the UK | #33 UK |
Track listing
All songs written by Elton JohnElton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
/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...
.
Side one
- "BelieveBelieve (Elton John song)"Believe" is a 1994 song recorded by Elton John. It was the first single from his album Made in England and was released on February 20, 1995. It reached #1 in Canada. In the US, "Believe" was Elton John's fifteenth number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and also went to number thirteen on the...
" – 4:55 - "Made in EnglandMade in England (song)"Made in England" is the title track from English pop-rock performer Elton John's 1995 album, Made in England. It is an autobiographical telling of his growing up, parts of his life, and what it is like in England....
" – 5:09 - "House" – 4:27
- "Cold" – 5:37
- "Pain" – 3:49
Side two
- "BelfastBelfast (song)"Belfast" is a song on English pop-rock performer Elton John's 1995 album, Made in England. He talks about the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland and how he loves it. It features traditional Irish music in the background....
" – 6:29 - "Latitude" – 3:34
- "Please" – 3:52
- "Man" – 5:16
- "Lies" – 4:25
- "Blessed" – 5:01
B-sides
| Song | Format |
|---|---|
| "The One" (Live) | "Believe" 7"/CD (US/UK) |
| "The Last Song" (Live) | "Believe" CD (US/UK) |
| "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" (Live) | "Believe" CD (US/UK) |
| "Believe (Live)" | "Believe" CD (US/UK) |
| "Believe" (Urban Turban Version) | "Believe" CD (US) |
| "Believe" (Hardkiss Mix) | "Made in England" 12"/CD (US) |
| "Made in England" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix) | "Made in England" 12" (US/UK), CD (US) / "Blessed" CD (UK) |
| "Made in England" (Junior's Factory Dub) | "Made in England" 12" (US/UK), CD (US) |
| "Made in England" (Junior's Joyous Mix) | "Made in England" 12" (US/UK), CD (US) / "Blessed" CD (UK) |
| "Made in England" (Junior's Big House Mix) | "Made in England" 12" (US) |
| "Made in England" (Junior's Jungle Mix) | "Made in England" 12" (US) |
| "Made in England" (Junior's Big House Dub) | "Made in England" 12" (US) |
| "Made in England" (Junior's Massive House Dub) | "Made in England" 12" (US) |
| "Made in England" (Junior's Jungle Dub) | "Made in England" 12" (US) |
| "Your Song" (Live) | "Made in England" CD (UK) |
| "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Live) | "Made in England" CD (UK) |
Outtakes
There are many outtakeOuttake
An outtake is a portion of a work that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DVD reissues of many albums and films as bonus tracks or features, in film often, but not...
s from Made in England. These songs include "Building a Bird", "Leaves", "Hell", "Skin", "Tick-Tock", "Red", "Live Like Horses", an alternate version of "Belfast", and an alternate version of "Believe". "Red" was later released on the French compilation Sol En Si, and a version of "Live Like Horses" was later released on The Big Picture
The Big Picture (Elton John album)
-Outtakes:The original single version of "Live Like Horses" was a duet with Luciano Pavarotti in 1996, but was performed solo for this album. "Past Imperfect" and an alternate version of "Recover Your Soul" were completed by Elton John for inclusion on The Big Picture...
. "Building a Bird" was recorded by Nigel Olsson for his 2001 Move the Universe CD, released only in Japan. The remaining outtakes have yet to see official release.
Grammy Awards
|-|1996 || "Believe" || Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
||
|-
Chart positions
| Chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
6 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 8 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
5 |
| Dutch Mega Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
11 |
| French SNEP Albums Chart | 2 |
| German Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... Media Control Albums Chart |
4 |
| Japanese Oricon Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
13 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 10 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
3 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
8 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
3 |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
13 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 9 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 89 |
Certifications and sales
Personnel
- Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
: vocals, piano, keyboards, harmoniumHarmoniumA harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, backing vocals - Guy BabylonGuy BabylonGuy Babylon was a keyboardist/composer, most noted for his work with Elton John.Babylon was born in New Windsor, Maryland. Growing up listening to the likes of Led Zeppelin, Yes and Gentle Giant, he attended Francis Scott Key High School and then moved on to the University of South Florida,...
: keyboards, programming, backing vocals - Bob BirchBob BirchBob Birch is an American musician. Primarily a session musician and sideman to a variety of notable artists. Bob Birch was born Robert Wayne Birch. At an early age, Bob was inspired to pursue music by his father Chet, an upright bassist. Bob began his musical journey with the alto saxophone,...
: bass, backing vocals - Teddy Borowiecki: accordion
- Paul Brennan: pipes, flute
- Paul BuckmasterPaul BuckmasterPaul John Buckmaster is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger and composer.He began learning the cello at the age of 4 and graduated from the Royal College of Music at age 16....
: orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, arrangements - Paul CarrackPaul CarrackPaul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
: Hammond organ - Ray CooperRay CooperRay Cooper is an English musician. He is a session and road-tour percussionist, and occasional actor, who has worked with several musically diverse bands and artists including George Harrison, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. Cooper is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow...
: percussion - Dermont Crehan: violin
- Davey JohnstoneDavey JohnstoneDavey Johnstone , is a Scottish rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with Elton John.-Career:...
: guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, backing vocals - Charlie MorganCharlie MorganCharlie Morgan is an English drummer and percussionist.In 1985 his drumming work with Nik Kershaw attracted the attention of Elton John, who booked him to play on his Ice on Fire album. Later that year John invited him to play with his band at Live Aid...
: drums