Songs from the West Coast
Elton John's twenty-sixth studio album, released in 2001.
Songs from the West Coast, Elton John’s twenty-sixth studio album, came out worldwide on 1 October 2001. For this record, John teamed up again with his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin, while Patrick Leonard—who had produced the soundtrack for The Road to El Dorado the year before—handled production and played keyboards on several tracks. It was John’s first non-soundtrack studio album after the merger of PolyGram and Universal Music Group, which brought his entire catalogue under one distributor.
Drummer Nigel Olsson returned to the Elton John Band full-time, and Tata Vega, who would later join the band, sang backup vocals here for the first time. Stevie Wonder, a previous collaborator on “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” played harmonica and clavinet on “Dark Diamond.” Notably, three of John’s then-band members—Guy Babylon, Bob Birch, and John Mahon—did not appear on the album. Rufus Wainwright contributed backing vocals to “American Triangle,” a song about Matthew Shepard, the gay college student murdered in 1998. The album was dedicated to Shepard and to Davey Johnstone’s late son, Oliver Johnstone.
John has said that listening to Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker inspired many of the album’s songs. In a 2001 interview, he explained that the album was recorded on analogue tape because he felt “the voice and instruments sound warmer.” A special edition released in 2002 added a bonus disc of remixes, B-sides, and non-album singles from that period.
The first single, “I Want Love,” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. It reached No. 9 in the UK, No. 10 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under chart, and No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart, as well as No. 9 in Canada. “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore” and “Original Sin” also became hit singles, with “Original Sin” receiving a Grammy nomination in the same category the following year. None of the album’s songs entered the Billboard Hot 100, which ended John’s 31-year streak of having at least one song on that chart (30 of those years with a top-40 hit).
The music video for “I Want Love,” directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, featured actor Robert Downey Jr. lip-syncing alone in a single continuous shot through Greystone Mansion. For “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore,” Justin Timberlake portrayed a young Elton John.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Elton John
- Released
- 1 October 2001
- Recorded
- 18 September 2000 – 30 April 2001
- Genre
- Pop rock
- Length
- 54:06
- Label
- Rocket, Mercury
- Producer
- Patrick Leonard
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Songs from the West Coast was recorded using analogue tape, as John believed 'the voice and instruments sound warmer.' The album featured the return of drummer Nigel Olsson to the Elton John Band full-time, and included early appearances by backup vocalist Tata Vega, who later joined the band. Stevie Wonder contributed harmonica and clavinet on the track 'Dark Diamond,' having previously worked with John on 'I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues' and 'That's What Friends Are For.' Notably, three of John's band members at the time—Guy Babylon, Bob Birch, and John Mahon—did not appear on this album.
The album was dedicated to Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered in 1998, and to Oliver Johnstone, the late son of band member Davey Johnstone. Rufus Wainwright sang backing vocals on the track 'American Triangle,' which is about Shepard. John stated that the inspiration for many of the songs came from listening to Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams. The album cover, photographed by Sam Taylor-Wood, features Rae's Restaurant, a location used in many Los Angeles-based film shoots; John's partner David Furnish appears as a cowboy at the bar, and his Director of Operations Bob Halley as the man being handcuffed.
Reader's Guide
Songs from the West Coast was warmly received by critics, many of whom noted its resemblance to John's classic early 1970s work. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered it the best album John had made in years, while Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly felt it effectively sounded like John's early recordings. Barry Walters of Rolling Stone observed that back-to-the-roots albums rarely work, but John succeeded on this release. The album produced three hit singles: 'I Want Love,' 'This Train Don't Stop There Anymore,' and 'Original Sin.' 'I Want Love' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, and 'Original Sin' received a nomination in the same category at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards. None of the album's songs entered the Billboard Hot 100, which froze John's record of 31 consecutive years with at least one song on that chart. In 2002, the album was repackaged as a special edition with a bonus disc of remixes, B-sides, and non-album singles.
Track listing
Songs from the West Coast track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Emperor's New Clothes | 4:28 |
| 2 | Dark Diamond | 4:26 |
| 3 | Look Ma, No Hands | 4:22 |
| 4 | American Triangle | 4:49 |
| 5 | Original Sin | 4:49 |
| 6 | Birds | 3:51 |
| 7 | I Want Love | 4:35 |
| 8 | The Wasteland | 4:21 |
| 9 | Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes | 4:52 |
| 10 | Love Her Like Me | 3:58 |
| 11 | Mansfield | 4:56 |
| 12 | This Train Don't Stop There Anymore | 4:39 |
2002 reissue bonus disc track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Your Song (with Alessandro Safina) | 4:21 |
| 2 | Teardrops (with Lulu) | 4:45 |
| 3 | The North Star | 5:29 |
| 4 | Original Sin (Junior's Earth mix) | 3:52 |
| 5 | Your Song (with Alessandro Safina; Almighty mix) | 4:33 |
| 6 | I Want Love (video) | |
| 7 | This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (video) | |
| 8 | Your Song (video) |
Track listing from the source article.
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