A Single Man (album)

Did You Know?

• In the U.S., A Single Man was certified gold in October 1978 and platinum in November of the same year by the RIAA.
• The 1998 reissue includes five bonus tracks: "Ego", "Flinstone Boy", "I Cry at Night", "Lovesick", and "Strangers".
• The album received generally mixed reviews from critics, as with many of John's releases of the late 1970s and the 1980s.

Production

A Single Man marks two firsts for Elton John: it is his first album without lyricist Bernie Taupin, and his first since 1969’s Empty Sky to not feature producer Gus Dudgeon. Only two members of the Elton John Band returned—percussionist Ray Cooper and guitarist Davey Johnstone, though Johnstone appears on just one track. Cellist Paul Buckmaster would not work with John again until 1995’s Made in England. For this album, John reversed his usual process, starting with piano melodies rather than lyrics, and sang in a lower register than before. The track “Song for Guy” honors Guy Burchett, a young messenger for John’s label Rocket Records who died in a motorcycle crash. Watford Football Club’s staff and players—John was the club’s chairman at the time—provided backing vocals on “Big Dipper” and “Georgia,” alongside female Rocket Records employees credited as the South Audley Street Girls’ Choir. Notably, “Big Dipper” includes a lyric suggesting homosexuality. The front cover photo was shot along the Long Walk in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, while the inside cover shows John seated in a Jaguar XK140 FHC. The image reflects a period in the late 1970s when John had stopped wearing his signature glasses in public.

Release

Released on 27 October 1978, A Single Man came out through MCA Records in the US and Rocket in the UK. Three singles followed: "Part-Time Love" in October 1978, "Song for Guy" in December 1978, and "Return to Paradise" in February 1979. "Song for Guy" became a major hit worldwide except in the US and Canada, where MCA initially held it back before releasing it in March 1979. This album marked John's first official release in the Soviet Union, arriving after his 1979 Moscow and Leningrad concerts. The Soviet version was renamed Poyot Elton John and omitted "Big Dipper" and "Part-Time Love" due to their content, even though John had performed "Part-Time Love" during those shows.

Promotion and live performances

To promote the album, John appeared on several TV programmes. He performed "Part-Time Love" on Bruce Forsyth's Big Night, mimed "Georgia" and "Madness" on Countdown, played "Shooting Star" and "Song for Guy" on The Old Grey Whistle Test, sang "Shine on Through" on The Morecambe & Wise Show, performed "Song for Guy" on Parkinson, mimed "Return to Paradise" and "Part-Time Love" on Rockpop, and both mimed "Part-Time Love" and performed "Song for Guy" on Top of the Pops. Two solo sets were given: one for MCA staff at the Century Plaza Hotel on 14 October 1978, and another at an RTL studio on 20 October 1978. A tour supporting the album followed in 1979. In later years, only "Song for Guy" from the album has been performed.