On This Day in 1997, Elton John Topped the Charts With One of the Best-Selling Singles Ever—a Re-Write of His 1974 Hit About Marilyn Monroe

Releasing his debut album Empty Sky in 1969, Elton John has enjoyed immense success throughout his nearly six-decade career. Selling more than 300 million records worldwide, the EGOT winner recently managed to draw a crowd of 70,000 despite retiring from touring. While collecting nine No. 1 singles throughout his career, perhaps his biggest came in 1997 with “Candle in the Wind 1997.” John re-worked the lyrics to his 1973 song “Candle in the Wind” to pay tribute to his longtime friend, Diana, Princess of Wales, after her death in a 1997 car wreck. On this day in 1997, “Candle in the Wind” kicked off a No. 1 run on the U.S. singles chart.

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Elton John Re-Wrote This Song for Princess Diana

Alongside longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, Elton John originally wrote “Candle in the Wind” as a tribute to iconic starlet Marilyn Monroe. On Aug. 31, 1997, the “Your Song” crooner learned that his good friend, Princess Diana, had died in a car crash in Paris alongside her partner and driver. She was just 36 years old.

Wanting to honor Diana, John contacted Taupin, and the two began revising the lyrics to his 1973 hit. “Candle in the Wind 1997” became the fastest-selling single in the UK. It sold 658,000 copies on its first day of release and more than 1.5 million in its first week

Across the pond, “Candle in the Wind 1997” spent 14 weeks atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, setting a record for a male solo artist. Nearly three decades later, it remains the United Kingdom’s best-selling single of all time.

[RELATED: Elton John’s Favorite (And Least Favorite) Songs He Ever Wrote Probably Aren’t the Ones You Think]

Bernie Taupin Talks Updating Lyrics

In a 2023 interview with Andy Cohen, Elton John’s cohort, Bernie Taupin, admitted to being “staggered” by the song’s success.

“It’s interesting because I very much did that remake literally in about five or ten minutes—no time at all,” recalled the legendary lyricist, now 75. “And if you asked me to this day to recite the lyrics, I wouldn’t be able to remember a word of it. I did it very much as a favor to Elton because he was very close with Diana… I paid very little interest to her day-to-day life, like so many other people did. But again, I’m glad I did it because the record… financially did a great deal of good in a charitable sense.”

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