"I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" is a song written 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 ...

and songwriter

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Tau ...

, and performed by John. The song was released on the 1972 album '' Honky Château,'' and is a tongue-in-cheek parody of a moody teenager's thoughts about suicide.

Composition

The song maintains the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

atmosphere from "

Honky Cat "Honky Cat" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was used as the opening track for John's fifth studio album, ''Honky Château'', released in 1972. "Honky Cat" was also relea ...

", the opening track of '' Honky Chateau'', with a style that Elizabeth Rosenthal describes as "New Orleans-style

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

". Rosenthal calls the song "an amusing ditty". Author Philip Norman describes it as "a cheerful little thing", but

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 ...

critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

calls it "surprisingly cynical and nasty". Mary Anne Cassata calls it "a jumpy pop tune", like "Honky Cat", and an "ode to teenage lust". The book ''Songwriting for Dummies'' described the song as "a deceptively happy ditty" and an example where the lyrical content contrasts with the music. It opens with an upbeat piano, with accompanying bass licks and fast-paced drumming, stirring up a situation image. The chorus continues this, before briefly turning into a slow-paced

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

choir, accompanied by a smooth acoustic guitar, singing the word "blues". After that, it returns to its main tempo. Later, a honky-tonk piano solo accompanied by tap dancing is present, with the song switching in and out of the slow-paced "blues" before fading out.

"Legs" Larry Smith Larry Smith, often known as "Legs" Larry Smith (born 18 January 1944) is an English drummer of the comedy satirical jazz group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. He was originally invited to join the group by Vivian Stanshall as a tuba player and ta ...

performed the tap dancing routine on the track.

Performances

It was premiered in 1972, both with and without "Legs" Larry Smith, who also did the tap dancing on the album. Smith performed the tap dance on stage during the American leg of the 1972 tour, which began on 26 September, with Smith sometimes wearing a

wedding dress A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures and Anglo-Sa ...

. Smith also performed on the song at the London Palladium for the Royal Command Performance Variety Show on 30 October. After that tour, it was not played until returning as a solo piece in 1976, and on the 1979 tour with

Ray Cooper Raymond Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician who has worked as a session and road-tour percussionist. During his career, Cooper has worked and toured with numerous musically diverse bands and artists including Elton John (as ...

. The second tour with Ray Cooper (1993–95) also featured this song, and it was also featured in his 2009–12 tour with Cooper. It has not been played solo since 1976. During these performances, the honky-tonk solo is transformed into a

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

-solo played by Cooper, adding to the already tragi-comical melody.

Personnel

– vocals, piano * Dee Murray – bass, backing vocals * Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals * Davey Johnstone – guitar, backing vocals *

– tap dancing

References

{{authority control Elton John songs 1972 songs Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin Songs with music by Elton John Songs about suicide Song recordings produced by Gus Dudgeon