The Wide-Eyed And Laughing

[BiteUrLip]

Music: Elton John, Caleb Quaye, James Newton-Howard and Davey Johnstone

Lyrics: Bernie Taupin

Vocals: Elton John

Sitars: Davey Johnstone

Acoustic guitars: Caleb Quaye

Bass: Kenny Passarelli

Drums: Roger Pope

Synthesizer: James Newton-Howard

Rototoms: Ray Cooper

Backing vocals: David Crosby, Graham Nash

Are you still in control of the boat that you row

Or do you still cling to me when its sinking

I never condemned you, I only consoled you

When candlelight made me a King


For the wide-eyed and laughing

Passed like a season

Erasing a passion to sin

For no one knew better than the tealeaves and the tarots

That the wide-eyed and laughing

Were just one step ahead of the wind


And the hearts that you played on the porch swing for me

Was a song that I'd heard in the past

For I had an audience somewhere inside you

That applauded whenever you laughed


Gone is a word that I now rarely use

Though sometime in the course of a day

I go racing back like a man possessed

By the wide-eyed and laughing daughters of some different age

[BiteUrLip]

Cacophony. I don't have much sympathy for this song. 1½ stars.

[dougs]

"The Wide-Eyed and Laughing" from BLUE MOVES:

A track that stands out as unique in EJ's long varied catalogue of songs.  A case of stepping outside the box and experimenting.  Davey's sitars, Ray's rototoms, and James' keyboards lead the way in this one of a kind song for EJ.

Seems to be a song that is love or hate in EJ's catalogue; one of my favourites from BLUE MOVES.

Rating:  4 stars

Doug

[rocketman]

3 stars...I give it props for being a highly experimental song, and a big departure from the norm for Elton, not only in melody but also in instrumentation. It kind of shows that Elton still had some interesting ideas despite the years of success and resultant burnout.

[newloneranger]

This song has grown on me. Its an interesting song. I think this is a higher rating than I gave it before.

4 1/2 stars

[Commodore Orpington]

It took me a couple years, but it's now a favorite from Blue Moves. 5 stars.