"Take Me to the Pilot" 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. It was originally released on John's eponymous second album in 1970. It was recorded at Trident Studios in London in January 1970 and released in the United States in October 1970 as the A-side of a single, with "

Your Song "Your Song" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was John's first international Top 10 chart single. "Your Song" was first released by American rock band Three Dog Night in M ...

" as the B-side. Both songs received airplay, but "Your Song" was preferred by disc jockeys, becoming the singer's first hit (on both sides of the Atlantic) and rendering "Take Me To The Pilot" as the B-side. The country duo

Brothers Osborne Brothers Osborne is an American country music duo consisting of brothers T.J. Osborne (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and John Osborne (lead guitar, background vocals). Born in Deale, Maryland, the duo signed a recording contract with EMI Records ...

recorded a remake of the song for the 2018 tribute album '' Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin''.

Composition and inspiration

Many—including Elton John himself—find the song's lyrics cryptic and incomprehensible. John once quoted, in

The Red Piano Tour The Red Piano was a concert residency by English singer-songwriter Sir Elton John. The residency took place at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The idea for the show originated in 2004 by Elton John and David LaChapelle. Show ''T ...

in 2005, that "in the early days, there were a lot of inquiries about 'What does this song mean? What does that song mean?' and in the case of 'Take me to the pilot/Lead me through the chamber/Take me to the pilot/I am but a stranger', I have no idea! You're on your own, I tell you." Lyricist Bernie Taupin has admitted to not knowing what the song's lyrics represent, comparing his writing style in "Pilot" to poets like "

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fro ...

and

Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

...(who) just threw things together and went 'Wow! That sounds good'".

Legacy

The song become a staple of John's live shows and can be heard on many of his concert recordings – such as a performance with his early 1970s backup musicians, bassist

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 ...

and drummer

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 ...

on '' 17–11–70'' (1970) to ''

Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra ''Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra'', released in 1987, is the twenty-eighth official album release for English musician Elton John. It is a live album recorded at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 14 December 1986 with ...

'' (1987) with a full scale orchestral reworking the original Paul Buckmaster score. John also performs the song in a solo version on the album ''Live in Moscow'' recorded in 1979. There have also been numerous notable cover versions from the likes of

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...

, folk/blues guitarist

Buzzy Linhart William Charles "Buzzy" Linhart (March 3, 1943 – February 13, 2020) was an American rock performer, composer, multi-instrumentalist musician and actor. Early life Linhart was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Cleveland, Ohio ...

, British Group Orange Bicycle, R&B vocalist

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...

, blues icon

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, pianist Nate Hopkins, a duet between singers

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R ...

and

Gloria Loring Gloria Loring-Lagler (born Gloria Jean Goff; December 10, 1946) is an American singer and actress. She is known for playing Liz Chandler on ''Days of Our Lives'' for six years (1980–86). She and singer-actor Carl Anderson performed the duet " ...

, and third-season contestant George Huff on ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

''.

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 ...

segue into it from "

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (sometimes written "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)") is a song originally recorded by English musician Elton John. John composed it with his long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. It was r ...

" on the

tribute album, '' Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin''. British keyboardist

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born and raised ...

covered the song (and "Your Song") on his first solo album, ''

Piano Vibrations ''Piano Vibrations'' is a studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in 1971 by Polydor Records. Recorded when Wakeman was a session musician and a member of the folk rock group The Strawbs, it features covers of pop, jazz, and fo ...

'', which was released in 1971. In 1983,

Kikki Danielsson Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson (born 10 May 1952) is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She has gained notice for yodeling in some songs. Danielsson gained he ...

covered the song on her '' Singles Bar'' album. ''American Idol'' season 3 winner

Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series ''American Idol'' in ...

and Season 11 Top 3 finalist

Joshua Ledet Joshua Ledet (born April 9, 1992) is an American singer from Westlake, Louisiana. In 2012 he placed third in the eleventh season of ''American Idol''. He is known for his "soaring, church-bred brand of old school soul music." In 2017, he relea ...

performed this song on the ''

'' season 11 finale. The song was also featured in the soundtrack of the 2018 Showtime limited series ''

Escape at Dannemora ''Escape at Dannemora'' is an American crime drama television limited series that premiered on Showtime on November 18, 2018. It is based on the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape. The seven-episode series was created and written by Bret ...

''.Episode 3. ''

''. Showtime

Format and track list

*1970 US 7" single # "Your Song" 3:57 # "Take Me to the Pilot" 3:43 *1988 US 7" single # "Take Me to the Pilot (live)" 3:58 # "Tonight (live)" 7:26 *1992 US 7" single # "Nikita" # "Take Me to the Pilot" *1995 US CD single # "Blessed" 4:19 # "Honky Cat (live)" 7:05 # "Take Me to the Pilot (live)" 5:55 # "The Bitch is Back (live)" 4:26

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Take Me To The Pilot 1970 singles Kikki Danielsson songs Elton John songs Songs with music by Elton John Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin Song recordings produced by Gus Dudgeon 1970 songs Art rock songs DJM Records singles Uni Records singles