"Ball & Chain" is a song by English musician

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

with lyrics by

Gary Osborne Gary Osborne (born 1949 in London) is an English singer and songwriter. He chaired The Songwriters Executive of the British Academy Of Songwriters Composers and Authors for 12 years during which time he was also chairman of The Ivor Novello Awar ...

. It is the third track on his 1982 album '' Jump Up!'' and was released as a single in the United States in September that year. It features

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

on acoustic guitar. Osborne added some French words into the song.

Musical structure

The song opens with Townshend's percussive guitar playing, and subtle piano from Elton. The song then builds to a climactic finish, placing the final verse one octave higher.

Release

It was released in the US in September 1982 without charting and was performed by John during the 1982 leg of his

Jump Up Tour The Jump Up! Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 16th studio album '' Jump Up!''. The tour included five legs (Australia, Europe, North America, UK and South Africa) and a total of 1 ...

. In 1985, Country music artist

Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that re ...

covered the song on her second album ''

From My Heart ''From My Heart'' is the second studio album by American country music singer Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1985 on Mercury Records. Singles from the album include "It's Your Reputation Talkin'", "He Won't Give In" and "Heart of the Country". L ...

''. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' called it "plain good fun, with a buoyant

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

and crisp production."

Music video

A promotional video was made for this song featuring John singing the song without playing piano with his classic band performing in a white background.

Personnel

– vocals, acoustic piano *

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

– synthesizers *

– acoustic guitar *

Richie Zito Richie Zito (born August 21, 1952) is an American songwriter, composer and record producer from Los Angeles. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Zito has experienced success as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of ...

– electric guitar *

Dee Murray Dee Murray (born David Murray Oates; 3 April 1946 – 15 January 1992) was an English bass guitarist. He was best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band. Biography Murray was born in Gillingham ...

– bass *

Jeff Porcaro Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro (; April 1, 1954 – August 5, 1992) was an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work with the rock band Toto but is one of the most recorded session musicians in history, working on ...

– drums * Steve Holly – tambourine

References

{{authority control Elton John songs 1982 songs 1982 singles Songs with music by Elton John Songs with lyrics by Gary Osborne Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Geffen Records singles