Made in England is the twenty-fifth studio album by English singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1995 and produced by him 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 and continued that role until his death in 2012.
Contents[]
[hide] *1 Background
- 2 Singles
- 3 Track listing
- 4 B-sides
- 5 Outtakes
- 6 Accolades
- 7 Certifications and sales
- 8 Charts
- 9 Credits and personnel
- 10 References
Background[edit][]
While still promoting his work for The Lion King soundtrack, in September 1994, five months before its release as a single, Elton John debuted "Believe" during a concert with Ray Cooper at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. "Believe" reached No. 15 in the UK and No. 13 in the US, and was the only American hit from the album to reach the top 20. During November, John toured Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Switzerland, Poland, France, Italy, the UK, 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".
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 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 ownsAIR 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[edit][]
| UK release date | Single | Notes | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 February 1995 | "Believe" | Worldwide release | #1 CAN, #15 UK, #13 US |
| 8 May 1995 | "Made in England" | Worldwide release | #5 CAN, #18 UK, #52 US |
| 18 December 1995 | "Blessed" | Not released in the UK | #3 CAN, #34 US |
| 22 January 1996 | "Please" | Released in the UK | #33 UK |
Track listing[edit][]
All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Side one[edit][]
- "Believe" – 4:55
- "Made in England" – 5:09
- "House" – 4:27
- "Cold" – 5:37
- "Pain" – 3:49
Side two[edit][]
- "Belfast" – 6:29
- "Latitude" – 3:34
- "Please" – 3:52
- "Man" – 5:16
- "Lies" – 4:25
- "Blessed" – 5:01
B-sides[edit][]
| 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[edit][]
There are many outtakes 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.[7]
Accolades[edit][]
Grammy Awards[edit][]
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Believe" | Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[8] | Nominated |
American Music Awards[edit][]
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Elton John (performer) | Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist[9] | Nominated |
Certifications and sales[edit][]
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[10] | Platinum | 50,000x |
| Canada (Music Canada)[11] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[12] | 2× Gold | 286,400[13] |
| Germany (BVMI)[14] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Italy (FIMI)[15] | 3× Platinum | 300,000
|
| Japan (RIAJ)[16] | Gold | 101,130[17] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[19] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[20] | Platinum | 50,000x |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[21] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[22] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[23] | Platinum | 1,000,000
|
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Charts[edit][]
Peak positions[edit][]
|
Year-end charts[edit][]
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Credits and personnel[edit][]
- Elton John: vocals, piano, keyboards, harmonium, backing vocals
- Guy Babylon: keyboards, programming, backing vocals
- Bob Birch: bass guitar, backing vocals
- Teddy Borowiecki: accordion
- Paul Brennan: pipes, flute
- Paul Buckmaster: orchestra, arrangements
- Paul Carrack: Hammond organ
- Ray Cooper: percussion
- Dermont Crehan: violin
- Davey Johnstone: guitar, mandolin, banjo, backing vocals
- Charlie Morgan: drums