A Single Man, released in 1978, is the twelfth official album release for Elton John. It is the first album where Gary Osborne replaced Bernie Taupin as lyricist.
Production
A Single Man is the first of John's albums to not feature long-time collaborators Bernie Taupin (lyricist) and Gus Dudgeon (producer). The only returning members of his band are percussionist Ray Cooper and guitarist Davey Johnstone; the latter only played on one song on the album. Paul Buckmaster would not appear on another Elton John album until Made in England. Unlike previous compositions in which lyrics came first, John began writing melodies at a piano and an album unintentionally became of it. This was John's first in which he started singing in a lower register. "Song for Guy" was written as a tribute to Guy Burchett, a young Rocket messenger who was killed in a motorcycle accident.
The album was recorded in Autumn 1977, and then from January to September 1978, at The Mill, Cookham, Berks.
The photo for the front cover was taken in the Long Walk, which is part of Windsor Great Park in Berkshire. The inside cover shows John in a Jaguar XK140 FHC.
A Single Man is a 2009 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. It is directed by Tom Ford in his directorial debut and stars Colin Firth, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of George Falconer, a depressed gay British university professor living in Southern California in 1962.
The film premiered on September 11, 2009 at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, and went on the film festival circuit. After it screened at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival, The Weinstein Company picked it up for distribution in the United States and Germany. An initial limited run in the United States commenced on December 11, 2009, to qualify it for the 82nd Academy Awards with a wider release in early 2010.
Plot
Taking place over the course of a single day, November 30, 1962, a month after the Cuban missile crisis, A Single Man is the story of George Falconer (Colin Firth), a middle-aged English college professor living in Los Angeles. George dreams that he encounters the body of his longtime partner, Jim (Matthew Goode), at the scene of the car accident that took Jim's life eight months earlier. After awakening, George delivers a voiceover discussing the pain and depression he has endured since Jim's death and his intention to commit suicide that evening.
A Single Man is a 2009 film directed by Tom Ford based on the novel. A Single Man may also refer to:
A Single Man is a lost 1929 MGM silent comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Lew Cody. It is based on a 1911 Broadway stage play by Hubert Henry Davies, A Single Man.