"Kiss the Bride" is a song by English musician Elton John, from his 17th studio album, Too Low for Zero, written by John and Bernie Taupin. Released as the album's third single, the upbeat song was a top 40 hit in many countries. It reached No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart,[1] No. 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 25 in Australia, No. 37 in Canada, No. 17 in Ireland, and No. 32 in New Zealand.[2] In Germany, the song peaked at No. 58.[3]
| "Kiss the Bride" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album Too Low for Zero | ||||
| B-side | "Dreamboat" (John/Tim Renwick/Gary Osborne) (UK) "Choc Ice Goes Mental" (Lord Choc Ice (John)) (US) | |||
| Released | 7 October 1983 | |||
| Recorded | September 1982 – January 1983 | |||
| Studio | AIR (Montserrat) and Sunset Sound Recorders (Hollywood, CA) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, new wave | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Rocket (UK), Geffen Records (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Thomas | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Kiss The Bride" on YouTube | ||||
John played this song on setlists from 1984 until the 1989 leg of his Sleeping with the Past Tour.[4] The music video of the song was directed by the rock duo Godley & Creme, formerly of the art rock group 10cc.
Song meaning
editThe song depicts a man being in love with a woman who is now about to marry someone else. They had a relationship before and they have parted, leaving on good enough terms for the narrator to attend her wedding to her new sweetheart.
He is still in love with her and wishes he could be getting back with her, but he accepts that she does not love him anymore as a romantic partner, but loved as a friend and she is happy with her husband-to-be. On the one hand, he is happy to see her happy, but secretly longs for her. He really wants to stop the ceremony, but he does not know if it will work to make her love him again for the second time.[5]
Charts
edit| Chart (1983–1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 25 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] | 37 |
| Germany (GfK)[8] | 58 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[9] | 17 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] | 32 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 20 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 25 |
Personnel
edit- Elton John – vocals, piano, synthesizers
- Davey Johnstone – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Dee Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
Sampling
edit- This song, along with other Elton John songs, "Rocket Man", "Sacrifice" and "Where's the Shoorah?", was sampled in the 2021 collaboration between John and Dua Lipa titled "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)". The mashup song was made by the Australian dance trio Pnau and became an instant hit worldwide,[13][14][15][16][17][18] creating a revival in interest in John's music.[19]
References
edit- ^ "Elton John | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. 23 January 1971. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Elton John New Zealand Singles". charts.nz. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ "Discographie Elton John". offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Kiss the Bride by Elton John song statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ SongMeanings (9 October 2011). "Elton John – Kiss The Bride Lyrics". SongMeanings. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. pp. 158–159. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4325." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Elton John – Kiss the Bride" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Kiss the Bride". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Elton John – Kiss the Bride". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Elton John Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Elton John & Dua Lipa's Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) climbs to Number 1". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Elton John sets new Official Chart record with Top 10s across six decades". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Elton John claims record-breaking ARIA #1 single". aria.com.au. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Trust, Gary (12 October 2021). "Elton John Extends Span of Top 40 Hot 100 Hits to 50 Years, Thanks to 'Cold Heart' With Dua Lipa". Billboard. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Trust, Gary (10 January 2022). "Adele Back Atop Hot 100, 'Bruno,' Elton John & Dua Lipa, Kodak Black Hit Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart – ultratop.be". ultratop.be. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Greene, Andy (11 January 2022). "Flashback: Hear the 1976 Elton John Obscurity Sampled in Current Hit 'Cold Heart'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
