Elton John - The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34) (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road)
Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
Available on the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Some punk with a shotgun killed young Danny Bailey
In cold blood, in the lobby of a downtown motel
Killed him in anger, a force he couldn't handle
Helped pull the trigger that cut short his life
And there's not many knew him the way that we did
Sure enough he was a wild one, but then aren't most hungry kids
Now it's all over Danny Bailey
And the harvest is in
Dillinger's dead
I guess the cops won again
Now it's all over Danny Bailey
And the harvest is in
We're running short of heroes back up here in the hills
Without Danny Bailey we're gonna have to break up our stills
So mark his grave well `cause Kentucky loved him
Born and raised a proper, I guess life just bugged him
And he found faith in danger, a lifestyle he lived by
A running gun youngster in a sad restless age
THE BALLAD OF DANNY BAILEY - ELTON JOHN & BERNIE TAUPIN (04:15)
Short Movie I Made To The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34), Which Has Always Been One Of My Favorite
Elton John - Bernie Taupin Compositions. Bernie Wrote Some Of His Best Lyrics Ever On This One!
Elton's Vocals, Piano, The Late Dee Murray's Bass Guitar, & Del Newman's Orchestration Are
Phenomenal. ------------------------------------------------- The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34)
Audio Source: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 1973 Video Sources: The Roaring Twenties, Public Enemy,
Lady Killer ...
Easily the best song on the album. I love the drums, especially at the line, "they'll pick, all night". That hesitating, cascading, catch up beat is great. The album before this one, Rock of the Westies was the last truly great album of Elton's classic years. This album showed signs of burn out, but can't blame Elton at all because he put out so many great songs prior to this album.
Autor: Jack1839
2
Best song on Blue Moves? No argument from my corner. It's weird how these catchy driving rock songs on the 70s albums seem to have found a dusty corner over the years. Grow Some Funk of Your Own is like that.
My interest in Elton John fell off without recovery after Blue Moves. I remember there was a long hiatus following this album until he released a rather odd and unremarkable single called "Ego" which I couldn't even try to like. The great Tumbleweed Connection seemed so distant by then.
Autor: MisterEvasion
3
Lyrical/musical talent is shown especially in the pictureseque bridge section of 'Ego' to match what you have described. Even the ascending key changes as Elton describes his faults, thus the lyrics 'selling' the music and vise versa. That is talent also!
Autor: candelise
4
my fav songs from him are one horse town and crazy water.
can any one recommend me songs like those?
Autor: In2Infinity
5
I put this one in a tie w/ "Idol" for best song on the album. In those days (jr. high/high school) I bought every EJ album the day it came out... took this one over to my BF's house after school in the fall of '76. He had a brand new stereo w/woofers the size of dinner plates. We were nerds -- no hanky panky or making out or anything -- but since the 'rents weren't home yet we cranked this one way past *11." We loved this song! "Crazy Water" too.
Autor: LWOPP
6
I love this song from the lyrics to the galloping beat and Elton's vocals! This would sound phenomenal in surround...
Autor: windnchgo
7
I haven't heard this in years (on the Radio) Glad I discovered the video. Great!