"Easier to Walk Away" is a song by the English musician Elton John, written by him along with Bernie Taupin and the second and final single released from the Rocket Records 2-CD retrospective The Very Best of Elton John, issued largely in overseas markets excluding the United States, where the more expansive box set To Be Continued... was issued. The song reached the Top 75 and Top 20 in some countries. A music video was made to promote the song composed of some Elton John music videos from 1978 to 1990 and some stock footage from various decades.
| "Easier to Walk Away" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album The Very Best of Elton John and To Be Continued... | ||||
| B-side | "I Swear I Heard The Night Talking" "Made for Me" | |||
| Released | November 1990 | |||
| Recorded | Los Angeles, July 1990 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Label | Rocket | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer(s) | Don Was[1] | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
This song tackles escaping an unfaithful relationship with his wife (in which the singer was involved) by finding another place to release his emotions about their relationship peacefully.
Release edit
The song peaked at No. 63 in the UK,[2] No. 57 in Australia,[3] No. 59 in Canada, No. 51 in Germany[4] and No. 71 in the Netherlands[5] but it had better success in Austria and France, peaking at No. 23 and No. 20 respectively.
Music video edit
The entire music video was shot in black and white. It shows John in various activities he was involved like attending Watford F.C. games and having fun backstage and various historical events in history.[6]
It is also comprised some Elton John music videos from 1978 to 1990 (from how the video started):
- "Healing Hands" (1989) (some clips repeated)
- "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" (1988)
- "You Gotta Love Someone" (1990) (some clips repeated)
- "Wrap Her Up" (1985) (some clips repeated)
- "Paris" (1986) (some clips repeated)
- "A Word in Spanish" (1988)
- "Sacrifice" (1989)
- "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (1983)
- "Ego" (1978)
Personnel edit
- Elton John – vocals and piano
- Randy Jackson – bass guitar
- Kenny Aronoff – drums
- Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar
- Michael Landau – guitar
- David Lasley, Harry Bowens, Donald Ray Michell, Sweet Pea Atkinson – backing vocals
- James Newton Howard – synthesizers and arrangements
- Michael Mason – Synclavier[7]
Chart performance edit
| Chart (1990–1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[3] | 57 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] | 23 |
| France (SNEP)[9] | 20 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[10] | 51 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] | 71 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 63 |
| Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[12] | 11 |
References edit
- ^ Elizabeth Rosenthal, His Song: The Musical History of Elton John.
- ^ "Elton John | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. 23 January 1971. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 146.
- ^ "Elton John". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Elton John – Easier to Walk Away" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "Elton John – Easier To Walk Away". YouTube. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "Elton John Lyrics: Easier To Walk Away". Eltonography. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "Elton John – Easier to Walk Away" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "Elton John – Easier to Walk Away" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "Elton John – Easier to Walk Away" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000