"I'm Still Standing" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, from John's 1983 studio album Too Low for Zero.[2] It was the second single released from the album in the UK, and the first single released in the United States.[citation needed]
Helped by a video promoting the song on MTV, "I'm Still Standing" became a big hit for John on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at No. 1 in Canada[3] and Switzerland,[4] No. 4 in the UK[5] and No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[6]
Although "I'm Still Standing" is often seen as a statement of John's resilience, Taupin wrote the lyrics with a specific person in mind.
It's perhaps one more example of the original idea being interpreted by everyone into something quite different. I think people see it as an anthem based on Elton's strong sense of survival in the face of adversity. Which, believe me, is perfectly fine by me. In fact, it's probably infinitely more interesting, perhaps, than what it was initially written about. Which, if my memory serves me correctly, it was a sort of kiss off to an old girlfriend. You know the sort of thing, 'Don't you worry about me, I'll be perfectly fine.' Unlike George Jones' 'She Thinks I Still Care,' where, in fact, he really did, I really didn't."[7][8]
Music videoEdit
The music video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, was shot in Cannes and Nice on the Côte d'Azur in France. It also features the colours of the Flag of France. Arlene Phillips, who choreographed the video, said her work on the video is one of the proudest moments in her entire career (via the Channel 5 pop-documentary, Britain's Favourite 80s Songs, on 25 December 2021).
Initially, John was supposed to take part in the choreography for the music video, but that plan was later scrapped as he recalls in his autobiography:
Visibly stunned by my demonstration of the moves I’d honed on the dance floors of Crisco Disco and Studio 54, the choreographer Arlene Phillips went pale and suddenly scaled down my involvement in that side of things, until all I really had to do was click my fingers and walk along the seafront in time to the music.[9]
It was due to be shot over the course of two days, but a camera full of the first day's film was ruined, when Mulcahy accidentally fell into the sea with it. Therefore, it had to be filmed again on another day. During the shoot for the video, John came across Duran Duran. He complained he was exhausted at having been up since 4 o'clock in the morning. Simon Le Bon decided John should have a martini. "So I did," John later recalled, "I had six."[10]
In his book, Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran, Andy Taylor writes of the experience:
There were lots of celebrities around in Cannes and one day we discovered that Elton John was in town, filming the video for his song "I'm Still Standing". This was before Elton became teetotal, so he was still a steaming party animal. We went up to see him at his hotel and spent the afternoon getting blasted on martinis. We decided it would be a laugh to get him drunk and we were slinging the drinks down him. "Ooh, you are lovely boys," he screeched, loving every minute of it. We got him so drunk that eventually he went upstairs and threw a wobbler in his suite. It caused all sorts of chaos, but it was a great party.[11]
The next morning, John awoke with a hangover and wandered into his personal assistant's room – which was "leveled" – and asked him "What happened?" His assistant laughed: "You happened!"[10]
In 2019, the original 16mm film negatives were re-scanned and the computer graphics were recreated, forming a newer remastered version of the promotional video.[12] This version of the video serves as the ending to the 2019 biopic Rocketman, with Taron Egerton (portraying John) rotoscoped in to recreate memorable scenes from the original music video. It was also re-released standalone on John's YouTube channel.
Track listingEdit
US 7-inch single
"I'm Still Standing" – 3:00
"Love So Cold" – 5:08
UK 7-inch single
"I'm Still Standing" – 3:00
"Earn While You Learn" – 6:42
This single was also available as a picture disc shaped as a piano.
UK 12-inch single
"I'm Still Standing" (extended version) – 3:45
"Earn While You Learn" – 6:42
PersonnelEdit
Elton John – lead vocals, acoustic piano, synthesizers
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Other versionsEdit
Welsh actor Taron Egerton has recorded this song two times in separate occasions. The first time was for the 2016 animated feature Sing as teenage gorilla Johnny; the second was for the 2019 biopic Rocketman where he played the titular role of Elton John himself.[42]
ReferencesEdit
^"Behind the Song Lyrics: "I'm Still Standing," Elton John & Bernie Taupin". American Songwriter. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
^Cassata, Mary Anne (2002). The Elton John Scrapbook. Citadel Press. p. 108. ISBN978-0-8065-2322-4..
^. Collections Canada. 16 July 1983. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
^"Elton John – I'm Still Standing". Swiss Singles Chart (in German). Retrieved 23 June 2016.
^"Official Singles Chart Top 100 – 21 August 1983 – 27 August 1983". UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
^"Elton John – Chart History". Billboard Hot 100. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
^"Danish single certifications – Elton John – I'm Still Standing". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Elton John; 'I'm Still Standing')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
^"Italian single certifications – Elton John – I'm Still Standing" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 15 November 2022. Select "2022" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "I'm Still Standing" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^"British single certifications – Elton John – I'm Still Standing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
^"British single certifications – Elton John – I'm Still Standing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
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For the 2012 book see I m Still Standing book I m Still Standing is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin from John s 1983 studio album Too Low for Zero 2 It was the second single released from the album in the UK and the first single released in the United States citation needed I m Still Standing Single by Elton Johnfrom the album Too Low for ZeroB side Love So Cold US Earn While You Learn UK Released3 July 1983RecordedSeptember December 1982GenreSynth pop 1 Length3 02LabelGeffen US Rocket UK Songwriter s Elton John Bernie TaupinProducer s Chris ThomasElton John singles chronology I Guess That s Why They Call It the Blues 1983 I m Still Standing 1983 Kiss the Bride 1983 Music video I m Still Standing on YouTubeHelped by a video promoting the song on MTV I m Still Standing became a big hit for John on both sides of the Atlantic peaking at No 1 in Canada 3 and Switzerland 4 No 4 in the UK 5 and No 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 6 Contents 1 Background 2 Music video 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 5 Chart performance 5 1 Weekly charts 5 2 Year end charts 6 Certifications 7 Other versions 8 References 9 External linksBackground EditAlthough I m Still Standing is often seen as a statement of John s resilience Taupin wrote the lyrics with a specific person in mind It s perhaps one more example of the original idea being interpreted by everyone into something quite different I think people see it as an anthem based on Elton s strong sense of survival in the face of adversity Which believe me is perfectly fine by me In fact it s probably infinitely more interesting perhaps than what it was initially written about Which if my memory serves me correctly it was a sort of kiss off to an old girlfriend You know the sort of thing Don t you worry about me I ll be perfectly fine Unlike George Jones She Thinks I Still Care where in fact he really did I really didn t 7 8 Music video EditThe music video directed by Russell Mulcahy was shot in Cannes and Nice on the Cote d Azur in France It also features the colours of the Flag of France Arlene Phillips who choreographed the video said her work on the video is one of the proudest moments in her entire career via the Channel 5 pop documentary Britain s Favourite 80s Songs on 25 December 2021 Bruno Tonioli later a judge on hit shows Strictly Come Dancing for BBC UK and Dancing with the Stars for ABC US appears as one of the dancers in the video Initially John was supposed to take part in the choreography for the music video but that plan was later scrapped as he recalls in his autobiography Visibly stunned by my demonstration of the moves I d honed on the dance floors of Crisco Disco and Studio 54 the choreographer Arlene Phillips went pale and suddenly scaled down my involvement in that side of things until all I really had to do was click my fingers and walk along the seafront in time to the music 9 It was due to be shot over the course of two days but a camera full of the first day s film was ruined when Mulcahy accidentally fell into the sea with it Therefore it had to be filmed again on another day During the shoot for the video John came across Duran Duran He complained he was exhausted at having been up since 4 o clock in the morning Simon Le Bon decided John should have a martini So I did John later recalled I had six 10 In his book Wild Boy My Life in Duran Duran Andy Taylor writes of the experience There were lots of celebrities around in Cannes and one day we discovered that Elton John was in town filming the video for his song I m Still Standing This was before Elton became teetotal so he was still a steaming party animal We went up to see him at his hotel and spent the afternoon getting blasted on martinis We decided it would be a laugh to get him drunk and we were slinging the drinks down him Ooh you are lovely boys he screeched loving every minute of it We got him so drunk that eventually he went upstairs and threw a wobbler in his suite It caused all sorts of chaos but it was a great party 11 The next morning John awoke with a hangover and wandered into his personal assistant s room which was leveled and asked him What happened His assistant laughed You happened 10 In 2019 the original 16mm film negatives were re scanned and the computer graphics were recreated forming a newer remastered version of the promotional video 12 This version of the video serves as the ending to the 2019 biopic Rocketman with Taron Egerton portraying John rotoscoped in to recreate memorable scenes from the original music video It was also re released standalone on John s YouTube channel Track listing EditUS 7 inch single I m Still Standing 3 00 Love So Cold 5 08UK 7 inch single I m Still Standing 3 00 Earn While You Learn 6 42This single was also available as a picture disc shaped as a piano UK 12 inch single I m Still Standing extended version 3 45 Earn While You Learn 6 42Personnel EditElton John lead vocals acoustic piano synthesizers Davey Johnstone electric guitars backing vocals Dee Murray bass backing vocals Nigel Olsson drums backing vocalsChart performance EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1983 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 13 3Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 14 11Canada Top Singles RPM 15 1Germany Official German Charts 16 10Ireland IRMA 17 2Netherlands Single Top 100 18 16Netherlands Dutch Top 40 19 8New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 20 30South Africa Springbok Radio 21 9Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 22 1UK Singles OCC 23 4US Billboard Hot 100 24 12US Adult Contemporary Billboard 25 28US Mainstream Rock Billboard 26 34US Cash Box Top 100 27 18Chart 2019 PeakpositionPoland Polish Airplay Top 100 28 50 Year end charts Edit Chart 1983 RankAustralia Kent Music Report 29 30 19Canada Top Singles RPM 31 45Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 32 12UK Singles Official Single Charts 33 49US Billboard Hot 100 34 74Certifications EditRegion Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 35 2 Platinum 140 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 36 Platinum 90 000 Germany BVMI 37 Gold 250 000 Italy FIMI 38 sales since 2009 Gold 50 000 United Kingdom BPI 39 Physical Silver 250 000 United Kingdom BPI 40 Digital 2 Platinum 1 200 000 United States RIAA 41 Gold 500 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Other versions EditWelsh actor Taron Egerton has recorded this song two times in separate occasions The first time was for the 2016 animated feature Sing as teenage gorilla Johnny the second was for the 2019 biopic Rocketman where he played the titular role of Elton John himself 42 References Edit Behind the Song Lyrics I m Still Standing Elton John amp Bernie Taupin American Songwriter 10 November 2021 Retrieved 13 July 2022 Cassata Mary Anne 2002 The Elton John Scrapbook Citadel Press p 108 ISBN 978 0 8065 2322 4 Top Singles Volume 38 No 20 July 16 1983 Collections Canada 16 July 1983 Archived from the original on 13 June 2016 Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John I m Still Standing Swiss Singles Chart in German Retrieved 23 June 2016 Official Singles Chart Top 100 21 August 1983 27 August 1983 UK Singles Chart Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John Chart History Billboard Hot 100 Retrieved 23 June 2016 I m Still Standing by Elton John Songfacts The Story of I m Still Standing by Elton John Smooth John Elton 15 October 2019 Me Elton John Official Autobiography Henry Holt and Company ISBN 978 1 250 14761 5 a b Anecdotage Com Thousands of true funny stories about famous people Anecdotes from Gates to Yeats Archived from the original on 28 November 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link Taylor Andy 30 December 2010 Wild Boy My Life with Duran Duran ISBN 9781409111160 I m Still Standing music video unveiled in digitally restored 4K Forum ARIA Charts Special Occasion Charts CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 Australian charts com Hung Medien Archived from the original on 20 October 2013 Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John I m Still Standing in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved 23 June 2016 Top RPM Singles Issue 6261 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John I m Still Standing in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved 23 June 2016 The Irish Charts Search Results I m Still Standing Irish Singles Chart Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John I m Still Standing in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved 23 June 2016 Nederlandse Top 40 week 30 1983 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John I m Still Standing Top 40 Singles Retrieved 23 June 2016 South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1965 1989 Acts J The South African Rock Encyclopedia Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John I m Still Standing Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved 23 June 2016 Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved 23 June 2016 Billboard July 16 1983 PDF Billboard New York NY USA 16 July 1983 p 27 Retrieved 23 June 2016 Elton John Chart History Mainstream Rock Billboard Retrieved 23 June 2016 CASH BOX Top 100 Singles Week ending JULY 2 1983 Archived from the original on 11 September 2012 Retrieved 24 April 2017 Cash Box magazine Listy bestsellerow wyroznienia Zwiazek Producentow Audio Video Polish Airplay Top 100 Retrieved 23 April 2019 Kent Music Report National Top 100 Singles for 1983 Kent Music Report Retrieved 22 January 2023 via Imgur com Forum ARIA Charts Special Occasion Charts Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts 1980s Australian charts com Hung Medien Archived from the original on 28 August 2014 Retrieved 23 June 2016 Top RPM Singles Issue 6699 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 23 June 2016 Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1983 Swiss Singles Chart in German Archived from the original on 5 August 2016 Retrieved 23 June 2016 Scapin Peter ed 1984 Top 100 singles 1983 BPI Year Book 1984 British Phonographic Industry pp 42 43 ISBN 0 906154 04 9 Top 100 Hits for 1983 Billboard Hot 100 Retrieved 23 June 2016 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2020 Singles PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved 23 April 2021 Danish single certifications Elton John I m Still Standing IFPI Danmark Retrieved 15 December 2021 Gold Platin Datenbank Elton John I m Still Standing in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Retrieved 7 April 2023 Italian single certifications Elton John I m Still Standing in Italian Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana Retrieved 15 November 2022 Select 2022 in the Anno drop down menu Select I m Still Standing in the Filtra field Select Singoli under Sezione British single certifications Elton John I m Still Standing British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 7 August 2020 British single certifications Elton John I m Still Standing British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 23 September 2022 American single certifications Elton John I m Still Standing Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 13 September 2019 How Taron Egerton s Rocketman role of a lifetime became a lifelong gig Entertainment Weekly 5 November 2019 Retrieved 31 October 2021 External links EditElton John I m Still Standing on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title I 27m Still Standing amp oldid 1177885589, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
