Made in England (Elton John album)

Background

In September 1994, Elton John was promoting his work on The Lion King soundtrack when he first performed "Believe" live at the opening night of a tour with Ray Cooper in Phoenix, Arizona. This was five months before the song came out as a single. "Believe" peaked at number 15 on the UK singles chart and number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the only track from the album to crack the American top 20. That November, John toured through Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Switzerland, Poland, France, Italy, the UK, Japan, and other nations, with a second leg two months later. The Made in England Tour later featured several album tracks: "Believe," "Made in England," "House," "Blessed," "Lies," and "Pain."

For the song "Belfast," the original version simply ended with John singing the final word, "Belfast." Arranger Paul Buckmaster, collaborating with John for the first time since 1978's A Single Man, felt the track needed a more uplifting conclusion. He added an outro that made it sound like it was being played in an Irish pub down the road. John was initially hesitant about the idea, but Buckmaster said he changed his mind after hearing it and gave the new coda the green light for the final recording. George Martin, who owned AIR Studios London where the album was made, wrote the horn and string arrangement for "Latitude." On "Man," John and Guy Babylon are listed as arrangers, and Paul Carrack contributed organ.

Outtakes

There are many outtakes from Made in England, including "Building a Bird," "Leaves," "Hell," "Skin," "Tick-Tock," "Undone," "Red," "Live Like Horses," an alternate version of "Belfast," and an alternate version of "Believe." "Red" was later released on the French compilation Sol En Si, and a version of "Live Like Horses" was later released on The Big Picture. "Building a Bird" was recorded by Nigel Olsson for his 2001 Move the Universe album, released only in Japan. "Hell" and the original cut of "Live Like Horses" have circulated on YouTube; the remaining outtakes have yet to circulate.