"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" 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 music by John and

Davey Johnstone David William Logan Johnstone (born 6 May 1951) is a British rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band. Career Johnstone's first work was with Noel Murphy in 1 ...

and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It is the first single from John's 17th studio album ''

Too Low for Zero ''Too Low for Zero'' (stylised as ''2 ▼ 4 0'') is the seventeenth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1983, the album marked a comeback for John, whose previous four albums had failed to yield many enduring international ...

''. In the United States, it became one of John's biggest hits of the 1980s, holding at No. 2 for four weeks on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart, and reaching No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also reached the top ten in five countries including the UK, peaking at number five. It was the first single since 1975 to feature the classic lineup of the

Elton John Band The Elton John Band is the band that backs singer, composer and pianist Elton John on both studio and live recordings. The various lineups of the band have consisted of both English and American musicians. The band is often not recognised as a fo ...

. It features

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

on harmonica. The song received largely favourable reviews, with

Bill Janovitz Bill Janovitz (born June 3, 1966) is an American musician and writer. He is the singer, guitarist, and songwriter of alternative rock band Buffalo Tom, and has also released three solo albums. Janovitz has written extensively for Allmusic, author ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

declaring the song "likely to stand the test of time as a

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

." The song was also featured on the film soundtrack to ''

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'' in 1992.

Performances

John has performed the song, a fan favourite, live numerous times, occasionally playing it as part of a medley with his hit "

Blue Eyes Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic character determined by two distinct factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris. In humans, the p ...

" (from the 1982 album '' Jump Up!''). The song was later performed live by

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

and Elton John, and this version of the song was part of the '' Mary J. Blige & Friends'' EP. A live version of the song with Mary J. Blige also appeared on John's '' One Night Only – The Greatest Hits'' live compilation, recorded in Madison Square Garden in October 2000. Another live version, this one featuring just Elton John and basic rhythm section, was recorded live in Verona in 1996 during John's appearance with Luciano Pavarotti as part of the master tenor's Pavarotti and Friends for War Child benefit concerts.

Music video

The original music video, one of twenty directed for John by Australian

Russell Mulcahy Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian film director. Mulcahy's work is recognisable by the use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights, neo-noir lighting, windblown drapery, and fans. He directed music videos i ...

, tells the story of two 1950s-era young lovers who are separated when the man is forced to leave for

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

, depicting the trials and tribulations he experiences there, and then are finally reunited at the end of the song. It was filmed in the

Rivoli Ballroom The Rivoli Ballroom is the only intact 1950s ballroom remaining in London, England. It is famed for its original decor and interior fittings, including red velvet, flock wallpaper, chandeliers, glitter balls and oversized Chinese lanterns. The v ...

in London and at

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Barracks, Essex.

Track listings

US 7-inch single # "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" # "The Retreat" UK 7-inch single # "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" # "Choc Ice Goes Mental"

Personnel

– vocals, acoustic piano, keyboards *

– electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals *

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, backing vocals *

Nigel Olsson Nigel Olsson (born 10 February 1949) is an English rock drummer and singer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton J ...

– drums, backing vocals *

– harmonica

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Covers

*The song was covered by

James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After l ...

and released in the UK on the compilation album ''BBC Radio 2: Sounds of the 80s'' on 7 November 2014. *Canadian singer

Alessia Cara Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara (), is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, to Italian Canadian parents, she began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploadi ...

covered the song for the 2018 tribute album '' Revamp & Restoration''.

References

External links

*
Lyrics for "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" at Bernietaupin.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues Songs about blues 1983 singles Elton John songs Geffen Records singles Music videos directed by Russell Mulcahy Songs with music by Elton John Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) 1983 songs The Rocket Record Company singles