"Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a threnody by English musician

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

and songwriter

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote th ...

, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song " Candle in the Wind". It was released on 13 September 1997 as a tribute single to

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

, with the global proceeds from the song going towards Diana's charities. In many countries, it was pressed as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

with "

Something About the Way You Look Tonight "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is a song by English musician Elton John, taken from his 25th studio album, ''The Big Picture (Elton John album), The Big Picture''. It was written by John and Bernie Taupin, and produced by Chris Tho ...

". It was produced by Sir

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

. After being released, "Candle in the Wind 1997" entered at number one on the UK singles chart after only one day of sales, giving John his fourth UK number-one single, and became the best-selling single in UK chart history. In October it became John's ninth (and final) US number-one single, where it topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 14 weeks (and John's final top-40 hit as a solo artist), and is the best-selling single in ''Billboard'' history; it was the first single certified Diamond in the US.Billboard 3 Apr 1999
''

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 advertis ...

'' Retrieved 24 February 2011 The song also topped the German Singles Chart for seven weeks, the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

for six weeks, and many other music charts around the world. According to the ''

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

'', "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the second highest-selling physical single of all time (behind

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

's " White Christmas" from 1942),Guinness Book of Records, 2007 Edition, page 187
See also: Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169 and is the highest-selling single since charts began in the 1950s.Elton John: Biography , Rolling Stone Music
''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' "Candle in the Wind 1997," easily became the all-time highest-certified single". The 1997 version won John the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1998. At the 1998 Brit Awards the song was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single. The lyrics of the earlier version of "Candle in the Wind", also written by Taupin, were a tribute to

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

. The opening lines of the 1973 version, "Goodbye Norma Jean / though I never knew you at all", were adapted to "Goodbye England's rose / May you ever grow in our hearts". Most of the lyrics were adapted to suit the circumstances of Diana's life and death.

Background

On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The news shocked John, as he and the Princess were very good friends. A month earlier, he had also lost another good friend, fashion designer

Gianni Versace Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up ...

. Pictures depicting Diana appearing to console a distraught John at Versace's funeral were featured prominently in news coverage throughout the world.Fred Bronson ''The Billboard book of number one hits'' p.860. '' Billboard Books'', 1997 To cope with the grief, John wanted to pay a tribute to Diana. In his autobiography, ''Me'', John says he had a phone call from

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and controlled 5 companies remaining of once more than 400. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneu ...

who said that many of those writing in the book of condolence at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...

were quoting the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind". Branson asked John if he would rewrite the lyrics and sing them at the funeral. John believed that Branson had been contacted by the Spencer family. John contacted his songwriting partner

, asking him to revise the lyrics of their 1973 song " Candle in the Wind" to honour her.

was contacted to help produce the song, and added a

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

( Peter Manning, Keith Pascoe, Levine Andrade, and Andrew Shulman), and woodwind (Pippa Davies,

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

and oboe) to help balance the recording.Barry Mile
Massive Music Moments
p.207. Anova Books, 2008 It was recorded at Townhouse Studios in West London, immediately following the funeral. John publicly performed "Candle in the Wind 1997" only once, at the

funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, started on Saturday 6 September 1997 at 9:08am in London, when the tenor bell of Westminster Abbey started tolling to signal the departure of the cortège from Kensington Palace. Diana's coffin was ...

, in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

on 6 September 1997. He continues to sing the original version of the song at his concerts but has repeatedly turned down requests to perform the revised version,Katherine Whit
Elton John
pp.11–12. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003 even for the memorial Concert for Diana in July 2007, having vowed never to perform it again unless asked by Diana's sons. The song has never been released (or re-released) on any of his other albums or compilations, not even his 1997 album '' The Big Picture'', nor the 1997 '' Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute'' album (an official 2-CD release sanctioned by Diana's family that included other artists such as

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

, and

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

). The song was included on ''Diana, Princess of Wales: The BBC Recording of the Funeral Service''. The soundtrack was released on 30 September 1997.

Chart performance

"Candle in the Wind 1997" became the fastest-selling single in the UK, selling 658,000 copies on its first day of release and over 1.5 million in its first week. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart the day after its release on 13 September 1997, staying at number one for five weeks and becoming the best-selling song in the UK, overtaking the 13-year-old record held by Band Aid's " Do They Know It's Christmas?" It has been certified as the best-selling single of all time in the UK,BBC – Press Office: Elton John tops million sellers chart
''

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

'' ''Official Charts Company'' and has sold 4.94 million copies in the UK as of September 2017. The chart success in the US was similar. (certified sales) Released on 23 September 1997, "Candle in the Wind 1997" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with first week sales at 3.5 million copies. The single stayed at the top for the Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks (until 17 January 1998), a record for a male solo artist. At first, ''Billboard'' listed "Candle in the Wind 1997" before "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" on its sales charts, but once airplay points for "Candle" had fallen below "Something" on 1 November 1997, the latter song took first position as per new chart rules regarding

releases that took effect in March 1997. The single has sold 8,839,000 physical copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the number-one song for 1997 despite being on the chart for only eight weeks in the chart year, and it was the only number-one debut to top the Year-End Hot 100 until

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

's "

Shape of You "Shape of You" is a song by English singer Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the lead single, double lead singles from his third studio album ''÷ (album), ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The Dancehall pop, ...

" in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. It was on the chart for 35 more weeks, making it the number-eight song of 1998 and one of only five songs in the history of the chart to be ranked on the top ten of two separate Hot 100-year-end charts, along with

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song " The Twis ...

's " The Twist",

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and o ...

' "

How Do I Live "How Do I Live" is a song written by Diane Warren. It was originally performed by American singer and actress LeAnn Rimes and was the first single from her second studio album, '' You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs'' (1997). It also app ...

The Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The electronic dance music, EDM-Pop music, pop duo achieved a breakth ...

’ “ Closer” and

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

’s “ Blinding Lights”. The best-selling single in ''Billboard'' history, and the only single ever certified Diamond in the United States at the time, the single shipped over 11 million copies in the US. The solo number-one single broke Elton John's "Kiki jinx". After five number-one solo hits in America in the 1970s, John hit number one in a duet with Kiki Dee with 1976's "

Don't Go Breaking My Heart "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee, released by The Rocket Record Company on 25 June 1976. It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte B ...

". From then until "Candle in the Wind 1997", John did not record a number-one single by himself and only had two chart toppers altogether, collaborating with other artists. "Candle in the Wind 1997" was also the only number-one song in the year-end to be number one the year after. (1997 year-end, and it was number one for the first two weeks of 1998.) On the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian music charts are a collection of record charts reflecting the music consumption of people in Canada. '' RPM'' and '' Billboard'' are the biggest publications to have published Canada's official charts for decades. However, the first ...

, "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" spent three years in the top 20, with 45 non-consecutive weeks at the top spot. However, the song's unusual chart performance in Canada has also been explained as a structural factor, due to the relative lack of CD singles available for sale in Canadian stores. On Canada's ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Top Singles chart, neither song made it to the top spot, with "Candle" reaching number 14 and "Something" peaking at number 13 and spending a much longer amount of time in the top 20. In Germany, the song is the 8th best selling pop hymn ever. Having spent six weeks at number one on the ARIA Charts, "Candle in the Wind 1997" is one of the all-time best-selling singles in Australia, being certified 14 times platinum with 56 weeks in the Top 100. According to Musiikkituottajat, the Finnish music industry federation, "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling single of all time in Finland, with quintuple-platinum sales of over 54,000 copies to date. "Candle in the Wind 1997" had 150,000 preorders in Netherlands, 2 million in Germany and 250,000 in France. In Australia it had 400,000 preorders and in Germany it had 2 million preorders ahead of its September 13 issue. In France the single was released September 11, and following day it reached a platinum status with 500,000 sales. It is estimated that at the peak of sales, almost six copies of the single were sold per second. In the UK, the single grabbed the number one slot on the first day of its release, with more than 650,000 copies sold in 24 hours, becoming the fastest-selling record of all time in the UK charts.Entertainment BBC , Entertainment: Elton's candle burns in Canada
''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

'' "In the UK the song, which Sir Elton performed at the Diana's funeral on 6 September 1997, became the fastest-selling record of all time" All artist and composer

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...

and record company profits were donated to Diana's charities via the

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was an independent grant-giving foundation established in September 1997 after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, to continue her humanitarian work in the United Kingdom and overseas. It was a reg ...

All time sales ranking

The song has sold over 33 million copies worldwide. Some have pointed out, the sales (of over 30 million) were "shipped"; achieved in about 37 days. "Candle in the Wind 1997" is either the best-selling or the second best-selling single worldwide of all time. See also: Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169 The confusion and debate on whether John's record is or is not the best-selling single in the world is due to a lack of information on sales for the record's main contender for the number-one spot,

's recording of " White Christmas," because Crosby's recording was released before the advent of the modern-day US and UK singles charts. However, after careful research,

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

in 2007 concluded that, worldwide, Crosby's recording of "White Christmas" has, in their estimation, sold at least 50 million copies, and that John's recording of "Candle in the Wind" has sold 33 million, making Crosby's recording the best-selling single of all time.Guinness Book of Records, 2007 Edition, page 187
/ref> However, an update in the 2009 edition of the book decided to further help settle the controversy amicably by naming both John's and Crosby's songs to be "winners" by stating that John's recording is the "best-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s," while maintaining that "the best-selling single of all time was released before the first pop charts," and that this distinction belongs to "White Christmas," which it says "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and – remarkably – still retains the title more than 50 years later."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Cover versions

In 1997 La Bouche covered "Candle in the Wind 1997" as a bonus track on their album ''A Moment of Love''.La Bouche A Moment of Love
/ref>

References