Written In The Stars [With LeAnn Rimes]

[BiteUrLip]

Music: Elton John

Lyrics: Tim Rice


I am here to tell you we can never meet again

Simple really, isn't it, a word or two and then

A lifetime of not knowing where or how or why or when

You think of me or speak of me or wonder what befell

The someone you once loved so long ago so well


Never wonder what I'll feel as living shuffles by

You don't have to ask me and I need not reply

Every moment of my life from now until I die

I will think or dream of you and fail to understand

How a perfect love can be confounded out of hand


Is it written in the stars

Are we paying for some crime

Is that all that we are good for

Just a stretch of mortal time


Is this God's experiment

In which we have no say

In which we're given paradise

But only for a day


Nothing can be altered, there is nothing to decide

No escape, no change of heart, no anyplace to hide

You are all I'll ever want, but this I am denied

Sometimes in my darkest thoughts, I wish I'd never learned

What it is to be in love and have that love returned

[BiteUrLip]

Great song. Of course better than the demo, because this was intended to be a duet.

5 stars.

[dougs]

"Written in the Stars" from AIDA:

Elton and Tim Rice wrote a wide selection of tracks for AIDA.  The formal album (1999) tapped into some of the biggest music celebrities worldwide to vocally perform the songs.  "Written in the Stars" tapped into LeAnn Rimes, best known for her country music in the US.  The song is a middle of the road slow tempo ballad featuring both EJ and LeAnn.  It is a bit sweet in overall sound.  The executive producer was Phil Ramone. 

"Written in the Stars" charted at #10 in the UK but didn't do as well in the US #29 and Canada #35.  It did get a bit of cross-over pop & country to eventually get a Gold certification in the US. It received a lot of adult contemporary airplay in the US and Canada. Elton played the song live only in the first half of 1999 during his solo shows and apparently has not played it live on tour since.

Incidentally, many of the AIDA demos out there have superior performances by EJ than what actually found their way to the formal AIDA album with the star-studded line-up.  This version of "Written in the Stars" works better than the demo version.

Rating:  4 to 4 1/2 stars

Doug

[rocketman]

3 stars...This song never did much for me personally; it's included on the 1970-2002 Greatest Hits Double CD, which sold quite well, though as DougS mentioned, this particular song did not, at least in the US initially, and Canada.

[dougs]

rocketman:

Yeah, "Written in the Stars" would get a 2-star rating if I did these ratings only based on how much I like the songs.  I always try to be fair with my ratings.  Just because I don't personally like a song doesn't mean that it isn't a good one.  Like you, I was never a fan of "Written in the Stars."  When I saw EJ play it live in Hamilton (Canada) on his 1999 solo tour, the song did not get much of a reaction from the audience which was tremendous all night long.  It would, I am sure, be more enjoyable live being done as a duet with LeAnn.  Still, it is just a little too sweet and light for my personal tastes.  

Doug

[BiteUrLip]

I bet this song has the "it's not 100 % Elton" effect.

[newloneranger]

Its ok, prefer the demo.

4 stars