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Songs from the West Coast

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Songs from the West Coast is the twenty-sixth studio album by English musician Elton John, released worldwide on 1 October 2001.

Songs from the West Coast
Studio album by
Elton John
Released1 October 2001
Recorded18 September 2000 – 30 April 2001
Studio
GenrePop rock
Length54:06
Label
ProducerPatrick Leonard
Elton John chronology
Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits
(2000) 		Songs from the West Coast
(2001) 		Greatest Hits 1970–2002
(2002)
Singles from Songs from the West Coast
  1. "I Want Love"
    Released: 2001
  2. "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore"
    Released: 2002
  3. "Original Sin"
    Released: 1 April 2002

Background

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For this album, Elton John once again collaborated with long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin, marking the first time the pair had written together in person. Patrick Leonard produced the album and played keyboards on several songs, as was the case for The Road to El Dorado soundtrack, released the year before.

Drummer Nigel Olsson returned to the Elton John Band full-time and Tata Vega makes an early appearance as a backup vocalist, joining the band later. Stevie Wonder, who previously worked with John on the songs "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" and "That's What Friends Are For", played harmonica and clavinet on "Dark Diamond". Guy Babylon, Bob Birch and John Mahon, three of John's band members at the time, do not appear on this album.

It was the first non-soundtrack studio album from John to be released after PolyGram and Universal Music Group merged, consolidating distribution rights to his entire catalogue.

Rufus Wainwright sings backing vocals on the track "American Triangle", which is about Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who was brutally murdered in 1998.[1] The album was dedicated to Shepard and Oliver Johnstone, band member Davey Johnstone's late son.

John has said that the inspiration for many of the songs on this album came from when he listened to Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams.

In an interview with Jon Wiederhorn in 2001, John revealed that the album was recorded using analogue tape, as he believes "the voice and instruments sound warmer".

In 2002, the album was repackaged as a special edition containing a bonus disc with remixes, B-sides and non-album singles from the time of its release.

Singles

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"I Want Love" was the first single to be released from the album, later going on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. It reached No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart, No. 10 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under chart and No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It reached No. 9 in Canada. "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" and "Original Sin" also became hit singles. "Original Sin" also received a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards. None of the songs from this album hit the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, which froze John's record of 31 years with at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100 (30 with at least one in the top 40).

Music videos

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The music video for the song "I Want Love" was directed by Sam Taylor-Wood and features actor Robert Downey Jr. lip-synching to the song.[2] He is the only person to appear in the video. The entire video is one long shot where the camera follows Downey from room to room of a large empty house (Greystone Mansion).

The music video for the song "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" features Justin Timberlake portraying a young John.

The music video for the song "Original Sin" features Elizabeth Taylor and Mandy Moore. It also features John playing the father of Moore's character and the husband of Taylor's character. Moore was the centre of the video, who plays a huge Elton John fan from the 1970s who is transported by a dream (à la The Wizard of Oz) to one of his concerts, where she socialises with various celebrities of the period (Bette Midler, Sonny & Cher, Barbra Streisand, etc.) played by look-alikes. Then at the end she wakes up and John's character asks, "Who is this Elton John, anyway?" It also has more of an upbeat dance mix to the music.

Album cover

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Photographed by Sam Taylor-Wood, the restaurant shown on the album's cover is Rae's Restaurant, which is frequently used as a location for many Los Angeles-based film shoots, including 1993's True Romance and 2005's Lords of Dogtown. John's partner David Furnish and his Director of Operations Bob Halley appear on the album cover: Furnish as a cowboy at the bar and Halley as the man getting handcuffed.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Advocatefavourable[3]
AllMusic     [4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [5]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[6]
The Guardian     [7]
Jam!favourable[8]
Los Angeles Timespositive[9]
Peoplefavourable[10]
Rolling Stone     [11]
BBCfavourable[12]

For the most part, Songs from the West Coast was warmly received by music critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine was glad that John made a record that sounds like his classic albums from the early 1970s, even though he still included some adult contemporary material. Erlewine went on to say that the record does not have all the "warmth" of his classic albums, but that it is still the best album he has made in years.[4] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly stated that the album effectively sounds like John's early recordings. He felt that Taupin's lyrics, such as "American Triangle", devalue the song, but at other times make John "liberated".[6] Jane Stevenson, writing for Jam! CANOE, felt glad that John returned to his roots, even if he does not quite make it there.[8] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone wrote that back-to-the-roots albums by artists rarely work, but John was able to make it work on Songs from the West Coast even if some songs, such as "American Triangle" and "The Emperor's New Clothes", miss the mark. Others, like "I Want Love", effectively manage to sound like his earlier work.[11]

Track listing

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All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Songs from the West Coast track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Emperor's New Clothes"4:28
2."Dark Diamond"4:26
3."Look Ma, No Hands"4:22
4."American Triangle"4:49
5."Original Sin"4:49
6."Birds"3:51
7."I Want Love"4:35
8."The Wasteland"4:21
9."Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes"4:52
10."Love Her Like Me"3:58
11."Mansfield"4:56
12."This Train Don't Stop There Anymore"4:39
2002 reissue bonus disc track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Your Song" (with Alessandro Safina)4:21
2."Teardrops" (with Lulu)4:45
3."The North Star"5:29
4."Original Sin" (Junior's Earth mix)3:52
5."Your Song" (with Alessandro Safina; Almighty mix)4:33
6."I Want Love" (video) 
7."This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" (video) 
8."Your Song" (video) 

Personnel

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Musicians

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Production

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  • Patrick Leonard – producer
  • Bill Bottrell – mixing
  • Alan Sanderson – mix assistant
  • Joe Chiccarelli – recording, vocal recording, horn and string recording
  • David Channing – recording, vocal recording (Rufus Wainwright, 4)
  • Brian Scheuble – recording
  • Ralph Sutton – recording (Stevie Wonder, 2)
  • Jennifer Hilliard – recording assistant
  • Katrina Leigh – recording assistant, production coordinator
  • Jonathan Merritt – recording assistant
  • Todd Shoemaker – recording assistant
  • Alan Sanderson – horn and string recording assistant
  • Andy Green – vocal recording assistant
  • Tom Stanley – vocal recording assistant
  • Steve Jones – recording assistant (Stevie Wonder, 2)
  • Darrell Thorp – recording assistant (Rufus Wainwright, 4)
  • Stewart Whitmore – mastering
  • Adrian Collee – production coordinator
  • Suzanne Ybarra – production coordinator
  • Peacock – design
  • Sam Taylor-Wood – photography
  • Mixed at Cello Studios (Hollywood, California)
  • Mastered at Marcussen Mastering (Hollywood, California)

Accolades

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
Grammy Award nominations for Songs from the West Coast
2002
[13]		 "I Want Love" Best Pop Vocal Album Nominated
2003
[14]		 "Original Sin" Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male Nominated

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Songs from the West Coast
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[38] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[40] Platinum 50,000^
Italy (FIMI)[41] Platinum 100,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[42] Gold 25,000*
Sweden (GLF)[43] Gold 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[47] Gold 500,000[46]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[48] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Conner, Elysia (14 October 2018). "Art Through Tragedy". Casper Star-Tribune. pp. A1. Retrieved 30 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Continued on page A5.
  2. ^ Rankin, Rebecca (2007). "Elton John: California Love". mtv.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  3. ^ "The Advocate". Here. 4 December 2001.
  4. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: Songs from the West Coast by Elton John". AllMusic. United States. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  6. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (1 October 2001). "Review: Songs from the West Coast by Elton John". Entertainment Weekly. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Pop CD releases". The Guardian. 28 September 2001. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b Stevenson, Jane (30 September 2001). "Album Review: Songs from the West Coast by Elton John". Jam! Music. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ Hilburn, Robert (28 October 2001). "Strong Selections From Worthy Voices". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Songs from the West Coast". people.com. 15 October 2001. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b Walters, Barry (17 September 2001). "Review: Songs from the West Coast by Elton John". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  12. ^ Quantick, David (2010). "BBC Review". BBC. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  13. ^ "THE GRAMMY NOMINATIONS List of Nominees". Los Angeles Times. 5 January 2002. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  14. ^ "The Grammy Nominations The complete list of nominees". Los Angeles Times. 8 January 2003. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Elton John: Songs from the West Coast" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Lescharts.com – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2001. 44. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Elton John". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  26. ^ "エルトン・ジョン-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of Songs from the West Coast by Elton John] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  27. ^ "Charts.nz – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  29. ^ "OLiS: sales for the period 15.10.2001 – 21.10.2001". OLiS.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  31. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  33. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  34. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  35. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  36. ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on 6 November 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  37. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart – Year-End – 2001" (PDF). Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  38. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  39. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Music Canada.
  40. ^ "Forårets guld- og platincertificeringer" (in Danish). IFPI Danmark. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  41. ^ "Italian album certifications – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Songs from the West Coast" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  42. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  43. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
  44. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Songs from the West Coast')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  45. ^ "British album certifications – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". British Phonographic Industry.
  46. ^ "Elton John Strolls Down 'Peachtree Road'". billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  47. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – Songs from the West Coast". Recording Industry Association of America.
  48. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2001". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
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