When The Beach Boys provided backing vocals for Elton John
The Beach Boys and Elton John share an extensive history which dates back over half a century. The two behemoths of contemporary culture famously came together for a monumental show at Wembley Stadium in 1975, and the year prior, two members of the Californian group secretly provided backing vocals for Elton’s track, ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’.
The concert at Wembley remains a seismic moment in the history of both acts for a multitude of reasons. For many, the Beach Boys stole the show when they performed before Elton on the bill and produced an almost impossible set to follow. At the time, the American group were arguably past the peak of their powers, but they proved that nostalgia is a powerful drug and put in an all-time great performance. Meanwhile, the show was the largest of Elton’s career and confirmed his graduation to superstardom.
The event began at 11:30am with Stackridge, a band signed to Elton’s Rocket Records. Over 100,000 people were in attendance for the momentous day, which also included performances from The Eagles and Rufus with Chaka Khan. However, it would be the two headline acts performing that day who would steal the show.
Elton had first crossed paths with the Beach Boys during the 1970s when he visited Brian Wilson’s house, and he soon began to entangle himself further into their universe. Just a few years before their collaboration, Elton would spend countless hours listening to their records in his bedroom and fantasising about the version of America that Wilson and his bandmates illustrated within their material.
As their relationship developed, when Elton needed star-studded backing vocalists for his track ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’, he reached out to the Beach Boys, and thankfully, two members agreed. Carl Wilson is particularly audible on the track and adds tremendous value to the creation. Mike Love also performs on the song, as does Toni Tennille from Captain & Tennille.
The collaborative track was a significant hit for Elton and charted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, although ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ was less commercially successful in the UK. It was also nominated for ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male’ at the Grammys.
Years later, in 1988, Elton was given the privilege of inducting The Beach Boys into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and repaid the favour from ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’. In his speech, he said: “In England, we all had our own bands, and all the American R&B music, but The Beach Boys were the first band, or white band I could ever remember being in England summing up America. If you lived in England, all you ever wanted to do was go to America, and everything you ever dreamed of was America”.
John added: “This band not only wrote great songs, initially writing surf music, but they did more than that. As a musician, you graduate from listening to pop songs to bands who make new sounds on records. This band were geniuses, and still are, but they made me love America so much more because they existed.”
While these two acts came from opposite parts of the world, their love of music brought them together, and they shared an unlikely bond which cultivated a pop classic, ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’.
Listen to the track below.
