I've Been Loving You

[BiteUrLip]

Music: Elton John

Lyrics: Bernie Taupin

I didn't mean to hurt you

You know it's just my way

Those things that I said yesterday

Were things I shouldn't say

Although you're blue

Just one thing I want you to do

Just forget all those things

That I said about you


chorus:


'Cause I've been loving you baby

Loving you baby for a long time

And if you go away

I just won't know what to do

Yes I've been loving you baby

Loving you baby for a long time

And you know in your heart

That I'll always worship you


I couldn't bear to see you go

Oh no no no no

So don't you feel sad

It's not the thing to do

Because I worry

If I know you're feeling blue

Please put your tears away

So nobody can see

'Cause the last thing I want

Is for you to cry over me


(repeat chorus)


(repeat chorus)

[BiteUrLip]

Excellent music but average lyrics. This could be a five star song if the lyrics were better. Were they written by Elton anyway, and he just wanted to give the credit for Bernie?

4½ stars.

[Commodore Orpington]

EJ did write them.

Ew, as they say. Sorry BUL! This was EJ writing to be commercial, before someone counseled them both to write what they wanted instead. This may be the one Elton called Englebert-Humperdinck-y...

I do like the B side, Here's To The Next Time, also totally by Elton.

[rocketman]

3.5 stars...Not a bad little song, it does have a hook to it, in the usual Elton John fashion even that early in his career, which was barely even a career at that point. Yes, this is an all_Elton composition and he did credit Bernie because he pretty much wanted him to garner equal credit for the song. It didn't go anywhere, of course, but there's a hint or two of what was to come.

[dougs]

"I've Been Loving You" - Single

Elton's first single was "I've Been Loving You."  It was released on March 1st, 1968 and was credited as an Elton John & Bernie Taupin song.  As has already been mentioned, Elton admitted later that he wrote the music & lyrics but wanted to get Bernie some attention and royalties - which probably didn't do more than buy him a lunch!  Bernie later stated "I didn't write it.  Elton wrote everything on that single."  The song is reported to have been recorded (by Caleb Quaye) in December of 1967.  These were the days when Elton was writing music, under pressure from Dick James Music, primarily for the charts and/or for other artists to record and release.  Bernie went on to say that "I've Been Loving You" was to be "more mainstream" than what they wanted to write and ended up being "...very corny, almost a sort of 'cabaret-ish' kind of ballad..."

"I've Been Loving You" was actually recorded and released by the Canadian band called Wednesday.  The song, retitled "Loving You Baby", was released by Wednesday in March of 1976 in Canada and went to #6 on the RPM Canadian Top 100 Singles chart.  Elton's original 1968 version never did chart.  The single had few pressings and remains rare, however, the song did appear on Elton's 1992-93 RARE MASTERS box release as the opening track.  "I've Been Loving You" also appeared on an extremely rare EP in Portugal and included "Angel Tree" (an actual EJ/BT song) which has appeared now on the recent 2020 JEWEL BOX release.  "I've Been Loving You" was also covered by an artist named Edwin Bee (Terry Hill) and was released in 1968 on Decca Records.  This makes "I've Been Loving You" the first Elton song to be covered by another artist.

The song would have been exciting for Elton upon release - his first-ever single!  It wasn't a song from the heart as much as it was a song for the radio.  The core of the song is fine and it did find its way to #6 in Canada in another version by another artist.

Rating: a fairly generous 3 to 3 1/2 stars

Doug

[nix]

2
cheese