Love Songs (Elton John album)

Love Songs
Compilation album by
Elton John
Released6 November 1995 (1995-11-06) (UK)
Recorded1970–1996
GenreRock, pop
Length70:50
LabelRocket
ProducerGus Dudgeon, Chris Thomas
Elton John chronology
Made in England
(1995) 		Love Songs
(1995) 		The Big Picture
(1997)
Singles from Love Songs [US version]
  1. "You Can Make History (Young Again)"
    Released: October 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Billboard(favorable)[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Music Week[4]

Love Songs is a compilation album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 6 November 1995 by John's own label The Rocket Record Company, in conjunction with Mercury Records,[5] and in North America by MCA Records on 24 September 1996. In the US, it was certified gold in December 1996, platinum in March 1997, double platinum in December 1998 and triple platinum in August 2000 by the RIAA.

It was a major success on its release, topping the album charts in three countries and certified platinum in eleven countries and multi-platinum in seven. It spawned a music video compilation, which was originally released on LaserDisc, VHS and VCD.

Background

Elton John had originally released an album called Love Songs in 1982 through his own label, The Rocket Record Company.[6] It focused mostly on the period of 1976–1982, when John and Bernie Taupin took a break in their collaboration and John was mostly writing with other lyricists such as Gary Osborne and Tim Rice. "Blue Eyes" and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" are the only two songs from that album are featured in this new collection.

On the US version, ten of the fifteen tracks had been released in the period since the now-deleted Greatest Hits Volume 3 collection, including John's second tenure on MCA Records and two songs from the then-recent Made in England. (Two of these tracks, however, were live versions of old songs, namely "Candle in the Wind" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"). "You Can Make History (Young Again)" and "No Valentines" were the two new songs made specifically for this release.

The UK version saw an alternate track order with the inclusion of such songs as "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues", "Nikita", "True Love" (a duet with Kiki Dee), "Please", "Song for Guy", and the original version of "Candle in the Wind". In addition, "Blessed" is represented as the single edit on both versions. "You Can Make History (Young Again)" and "No Valentines" did not appear on this version since they were recorded after its release.

Track listing

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.

European version
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
1."Sacrifice" Sleeping with the Past (1989)5:07
2."Candle in the Wind" Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)3:48
3."I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"John, Taupin, Davey JohnstoneToo Low for Zero (1983)4:42
4."Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (live duet with George Michael) Duets (1993)5:47
5."Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" Blue Moves (1976)3:48
6."Blue Eyes"John, Gary OsborneJump Up! (1982)3:26
7."Daniel" Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)3:53
8."Nikita" (single edit) Ice on Fire (1985)4:52
9."Your Song" Elton John (1970)4:01
10."The One" The One (1992)5:52
11."Someone Saved My Life Tonight" Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)6:45
12."True Love" (duet with Kiki Dee)Cole PorterDuets (1993)3:32
13."Can You Feel the Love Tonight"John, Tim RiceThe Lion King (1994)4:00
14."Circle of Life"John, RiceThe Lion King (1994)4:49
15."Blessed" (single edit) Made in England (1995)4:06
16."Please" Made in England (1995)3:52
17."Song for Guy" (single edit)JohnA Single Man (1978)5:04
Total length:77:24
North American version
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
1."Can You Feel the Love Tonight"John, RiceThe Lion King (1994)4:03
2."The One" The One (1992)5:55
3."Sacrifice" Sleeping with the Past (1989)5:10
4."Daniel" Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)3:55
5."Someone Saved My Life Tonight" Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)6:47
6."Your Song" Elton John (1970)4:03
7."Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (live duet with George Michael) Duets (1993)5:50
8."Believe" Made in England (1995)4:44
9."Blue Eyes"John, OsborneJump Up! (1982)3:30
10."Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" Blue Moves (1976)3:50
11."Blessed" Made in England (1995)4:06
12."Candle in the Wind" (live) Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (1987)4:02
13."You Can Make History (Young Again)" previously unreleased4:57
14."No Valentines" previously unreleased4:11
15."Circle of Life"John, RiceThe Lion King (1994)4:50
Total length:70:51

Notes

  • Due to a production error, the US CD booklet and cassette lyric sheet provide the lyrics for "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" directly after "Candle in the Wind".
  • The phonographic copyright of the compilation is owned by William A. Bong Ltd. and is exclusively licensed to Mercury Records Ltd.

Music video compilation

  1. "Sacrifice"
  2. "Candle in the Wind (Live in Australia, 1984)"
  3. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
  4. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Live duet with George Michael)
  5. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (Live in Barcelona, 1992)"
  6. "Blue Eyes"
  7. "Daniel (Live in Australia, 1984)"
  8. "Nikita"
  9. "Your Song (Live at Wembley Stadium, 1984)"
  10. "The One"
  11. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight (Live in Edinburgh, 1976)"
  12. "True Love" (Duet with Kiki Dee)
  13. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
  14. "Circle of Life"
  15. "Blessed"
  16. "Please"
  17. "Song for Guy (Live in Australia, 1984)"
  18. "Believe"

Charts

Certifications

Sales certifications for Love Songs
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[45] 2× Platinum 120,000^
Australia (ARIA)[46] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[47] Platinum 50,000*
Belgium (BEA)[48] Platinum 50,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[49] Platinum 250,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[50] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Chile[51] Platinum 25,000[51]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[52] Platinum 63,250[52]
France (SNEP)[53] 2× Platinum 600,000*
Germany (BVMI)[54] Platinum 500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[55] 3× Platinum 60,000*
Hungary (MAHASZ)[57] Gold 10,000[56]
Indonesia[58] 2× Gold 50,000[58]
Japan (RIAJ)[59] Gold 140,000[21]
Mexico (AMPROFON)[60] Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[61] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[63] 2× Platinum 100,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[64] Gold 50,000*
Portugal (AFP)[65] Platinum 40,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[66] Platinum 100,000^
South Africa (RISA)[67] Platinum 50,000*
Sweden (GLF)[68] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[69] 2× Platinum 100,000^
Taiwan (RIT)[70] 2× Platinum 100,000[71]
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[73] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[74] 5× Platinum 5,000,000*

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

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue
Europe 6 November 1995 Rocket/Mercury Records CD 528,788-2
North America 24 September 1996 MCA Records Cassette MCAC-11481
CD MCAD-11481
United States 2001 Island Records CD 314,548,841-2

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