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Don't Go Breaking My Heart

For other songs of this name and all other uses, see Don't Go Breaking My Heart (disambiguation).

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee, released by The Rocket Record Company on 25 June 1976.[2][5] It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers such as Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. John and Taupin originally intended to record the song with Dusty Springfield, but ultimately withdrew the offer; Springfield's partner Sue Cameron later said this was because she was too ill at the time.[6][7]

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
Single by Elton John and Kiki Dee
B-side"Snow Queen"
Released25 June 1976 (1976-06-25)
Recorded
  • 27 March 1976 (musicians and Elton John's vocals)[1]
  • May 1976 (backing vocals)[1]
Studio
  • Eastern Sound, Toronto, Canada (musicians and Elton John's vocals)[1]
  • Marquee Studios, London, England (Kiki Dee's vocals and backing vocals)[2]
Genre
Length4:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Pinball Wizard"
(1976) 		"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
(1976) 		"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
(1976)
Kiki Dee singles chronology
"Once a Fool"
(1975) 		"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
(1976) 		"First Thing in the Morning"
(1977)
Music video
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" on YouTube

Unlike many of John's singles from the 1970s, it was never included on an original album (although it was recorded during the Blue Moves sessions). In the same year, John and Taupin received the 1976 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.[8]

In 1994, John released the song as a duet with American drag queen RuPaul. It was produced by Giorgio Moroder and reached number three on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart[9] and number one in Iceland.[10]

Reception

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Critical reception to the song in the UK was mixed. In NME, Phil McNeill stated that "they're both quite good singers, but it's a pity that Orson and Blanche didn't write a more memorable song than this, which jogs along harmlessly".[11] Jonh Ingham of Sounds commented that the record was "not exactly Marvin and Diana". He said that the song had "a well executed arrangement" but that ultimately "all is pale compared to previous work".[12] In Record Mirror, Rosalind Russell wrote that it was "not the stunner I'd expected from two ace singers", but that "the arrangements (strings and things) were good and the two voices go well together".[13]

In the US, Cash Box said that "there are some great harmonies in the chorus" and that John and Dee "seem perfectly wedded in this tune."[14] Record World called it "a duet of rare simplicity and charm with James Newton-Howard's strings practically dancing out of the grooves."[15]

Chart performance

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"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was the first No. 1 single in the UK for both John and Kiki Dee, topping the chart for six weeks in mid 1976. John would not enjoy a solo British chart-topper until "Sacrifice" in 1990. It also became his sixth No. 1 single in the US, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and spent one week on the Easy Listening chart.[16] Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1976, giving him his second consecutive appearance in the Billboard Year-end Top 3.[17] In the U.S., it has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[18] After this duet with Dee, John failed to have another US solo number one single until "Candle in the Wind 1997". This 21-year period included two intervening number one hits in America with musical partners: "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne & Friends in 1986, and a 1992 re-make of John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with George Michael credited as a duet.

The B-side, "Snow Queen", was supposedly inspired by Cher, with John quoting past Sonny & Cher hits "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On", as well as the solo Cher song "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" during the fadeout of the song.

In 1977, John guest-starred on The Muppet Show and performed the track with Miss Piggy. In 1985, John and Dee performed the track to the crowd at Wembley Stadium during John's set at Live Aid (where Dee sang backup). In 1988, John appeared with Minnie Mouse on the NBC special Totally Minnie miming to the track. He performed the track with Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) at the 2001 British Comedy awards. He also performed it with the Spice Girls on his ITV tribute programme An Audience with ... Elton John.[citation needed]

In June 2013, 37 years after its original release, the single reached one million sales in the UK.[19][20]

The B-side, "Snow Queen", remained unavailable on CD outside Australia until April 2019 when it was included as a bonus track on the reissue of Kiki Dee's Cage the Songbird album, included in the 5-CD box set The Rocket Years.[21] In May 2019 it was also included on the 3-CD box set Gold, a retrospective of Dee's career spanning various labels.[citation needed] In 2020, it was also included on Elton John's 8-CD box set Jewel Box.

Personnel

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Based on information on the Elton John official website.[1]

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52][53] Gold 50,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[54] Platinum 100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[55] Platinum 150,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[56] Platinum 90,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[57] Gold 50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] 2× Platinum 1,029,242[58]
United States (RIAA)[60] Platinum 1,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Elton John and RuPaul version

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"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
 
Single by Elton John and RuPaul
from the album Duets
B-side
  • "Donner Pour Donner"
  • "A Woman's Needs"
Released14 February 1994 (1994-02-14)[61]
Genre
Length4:59
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Giorgio Moroder
Elton John singles chronology
"True Love"
(1993) 		"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
(1994) 		"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"
(1994)
RuPaul singles chronology
"House of Love"
(1993) 		"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
(1994) 		"Snapshot"
(1996)
Music video
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" on YouTube

In 1994, Elton John and American drag queen RuPaul released the song as a duet. It was produced by Giorgio Moroder and released on 14 February 1994 by Rocket and MCA as the third single from John's first collaboration album, Duets (1993).

The song reached number three on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. In Europe, it peaked at number-one in Iceland and within the top 10 in Portugal and the UK, the top 20 in Denmark, Ireland and Italy, and the top 30 in Austria, France and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" peaked at number 18 in March 1994. Outside Europe, the song reached number 39 in New Zealand, number 45 in Australia, and number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Critical reception

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AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as a "kitschy number".[62] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that John recreates his classic Kiki Dee duet with "the world's favorite drag queen. Revamped quasi-rave/hi-NRG version of the track is way stronger than the less-than-pleasing mix on John's current collection, rendering it a formidable contender for action on both dancefloors and radio. Oodles of good fun."[63] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented, "Thanks to producer Giorgio Moroder, there's a few more beats per minute, as well as a hilarious video, and a super performance of a great tune."[64]

Alan Jones from Music Week gave it four out of five, calling it "somewhat soulessly produced" and a "smash-bound but tacky remake".[65] John Kilgo from The Network Forty stated that this remake of the previous number-one smash "is for real..."[66] Sam Wood from Philadelphia Inquirer viewed it as "a campy techno remake" of John's 1977 hit.[67] Tom Doyle from Smash Hits gave it one out of five, saying that the music "sounds like it was done with the help of a Gameboy running low on batteries".[68] Charles Aaron from Spin wrote, "If I'd known he was gearing up for world domination, I never would've given Ru so much guff for his café au lait complexion, blond ambition, and cosmetic tinkering. Keep those techno bon mots coming. Star booty forever."[69]

Music video

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A music video was produced to promote the single, featuring Elton John and RuPaul, directed by Randy Barbota.[70] The video was later published on John's official YouTube channel in 2016, and had generated more than three million views as of January 2023.[71]

Track listing

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CD single, Europe (1994)
No.TitleLength
1."Don't Go Breaking My Heart"4:59
2."Donner Pour Donner"4:25
CD single, UK (1994)
No.TitleLength
1."Don't Go Breaking My Heart"4:59
2."Donner Pour Donner"4:24
3."A Woman's Needs"5:16
CD maxi, US (1994)
No.TitleLength
1."Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (Remix)6:56
2."Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (MK Mix)7:19
3."Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (Serious Rope 12")6:39
4."Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (Roger's Dub Mix)7:06

Charts

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Other versions

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The musical comedy troupe the Capitol Steps recorded a parody of the song, in which then-President George W. Bush is told by his wife Laura, "Don't go faking you're smart".[91]

John's 2022 song "Hold Me Closer" (featuring Britney Spears) interpolates elements of the song.[92][93]

Notes

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  1. ^ John and Taupin were credited under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "10 Fun Facts about 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'". 7 August 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Elton with Kiki". Sounds. 19 June 1976. p. 2.
  3. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (17 July 2000). "Take the Money and Run: Pop". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
  4. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (10 September 2019). "The Number Ones: Elton John & Kiki Dee's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"". Stereogum. Retrieved 30 June 2023. It's a pretty good deeply cheesy Broadway-disco shout-along, though...But it's a perfectly likable piece of amiable mid-'70s pop hackery.
  5. ^ "Recording News". NME. 19 June 1976. p. 2.
  6. ^ Bartlett, Karen. Dusty – An Intimate Portrait of a Musical Legend.
  7. ^ Lifton, Dave (19 May 2019). "The Story of Elton John's 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  8. ^ Lister, David (28 May 1994). "Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion". The Independent. London, England: Newspaper Publishing.
  9. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 27 February 1994 – 5 March 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (10.–16.3. '94)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 10 March 1994. p. 20. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  11. ^ McNeill, Phil (26 June 1976). "Platters". NME. p. 17.
  12. ^ Ingham, Jonh (26 June 1976). "Singles". Sounds. p. 14.
  13. ^ Russell, Rosalind (26 June 1976). "Pair of Aces". Record Mirror. p. 11.
  14. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 3 July 1976. p. 24 (304). Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 3 July 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  16. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 128.
  17. ^ a b "Singles". Billboard. 25 December 1976. p. 43.
  18. ^ "American certifications – Go Breaking My Heart". Recording Industry Association of America.
  19. ^ Pakinkis, Tom (28 June 2013). "Elton, Sheeran and Andre join million-sellers club in the UK". Music Week. London, England: Intent Media. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
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