"I've Been Loving You" is the 1968 debut single 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 ...

with lyrics credited to

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 ...

(although John later admitted that he wrote the song by himself, giving Taupin credit as an effort to earn Taupin his first publishing royalties). The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

is "Here's to the Next Time", an Elton John composition. "I've Been Loving You" was not originally included on any album and the single was withdrawn shortly after its release. Neither side appeared on any official album release until the 1992 ''

Rare Masters ''Rare Masters'' is a compilation album by Elton John that was released in 1992. It includes all A-side and B-sides released by John between 1968 and 1975 that were not included on original studio albums or on '' Elton John's Greatest Hits Volu ...

box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

(which featured previously unreleased stereo mixes of both). The single is extremely rare. An even rarer 4-song EP, released only in Portugal, contained two additional songs: "Thank You for All Your Loving" (written by John and then bandmate

Caleb Quaye Caleb Quaye (born 9 October 1948) is an English rock guitarist and studio musician best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Hall & Oates and Ralph McTell, and also toured w ...

) and "Angel Tree" (the first true release of a John/Taupin composition). According to John's YouTube channel, the single's B-side, "Here's to the Next Time", was recorded at DJM studios in late 1967.

Wednesday cover version

In 1976, Canadian band

Wednesday Wednesday is the day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday. According to international standard ISO 8601, it is the third day of the week. In English, the name is derived from Old English and Middle English , 'day of Woden', reflecting ...

covered the song under the title "Loving You Baby". It was a substantial hit in their native country, peaking at No. 6 for two weeks on the Canadian singles chart. It is ranked as the 78th biggest Canadian hit of 1976.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

* On 24 May 1968 (shortly after John's release), Edwin Bee released it as a single, marking the first cover version of an Elton John composition. * Jack Bedient & the Chessmen, a popular party band based in and around California, Nevada, and the Pacific northwest in the 1960s, released a version of the song in 1969. Bedient & the Chessmen recorded and released numerous singles and albums during that time, and disbanded in the early '70s.

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1968 songs 1968 debut singles 1968 debut EPs 1976 singles Elton John songs Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin Songs with music by Elton John Philips Records singles Wednesday (Canadian band) songs