Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song)

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
Single by Elton John
from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
B-side	"Screw You (Young Man's Blues)"
Released	7 September 1973 (UK); 15 October 1973 (US)
Recorded	10 May 1973
Studio	Château d'Hérouville, France
Genre	Pop; soft rock; glam rock;
Length	3:14;
Label	MCA; DJM;
Songwriter(s)	Elton John; Bernie Taupin;
Producer(s)	Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a ballad written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It is the title track on John's album of the same name. The titular road is a reference to L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz film and book series.

The song has been widely praised by critics; some consider it a strong contender for John's finest song ever.^[2] Rolling Stone listed the song at No. 390 of its 500 greatest songs of all time in 2010.^[4] In the US, it was certified gold on 4 January 1974 and platinum on 13 September 1995 and 2× platinum on 2 March 2020 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[5]

^ Pitchfork Staff (22 August 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 October 2022. Taupin's words of ambivalence, when paired with an ascendant pop melody worthy of Broadway...
^ ^a ^b Mason, Stewart. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
^ Block, Fang (22 November 2019). "Handwritten Lyrics to Iconic Elton John Songs to be Auctioned by Bonhams". Barron's. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ranked 390th greatest song". Rolling Stone. 11 December 2003. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
^ "Gold & Platinum – RIAA". Record Industry Association of America. Retrieved 18 August 2018.