Candle in the Wind

Steyn On-line ^ | September 3, 2017 | Mark Steyn

[Twotone]

This last week marked two decades since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. As a footnote to my thoughts on the anniversary, it seemed appropriate to recall the event's omnipresent musical accompaniment - and worldwide smash hit:

Goodbye, Norma Jean Though I never knew you at all... No, wait a minute. Make that: Goodbye, England's rose May you ever grow in our hearts...

Way back when for our Song of the Week #5, "Bette Davis Eyes", we considered the question of songs about real people. But this week's song has the unique distinction of being about not one flesh-and- blood person but two, written in 1973 as a retrospective elegy for Marilyn Monroe and then hastily pressed into service 24 years on to serve as a tribute to the Princess of Wales. We've heard it a lot in this 20th anniversary week, although not from Elton John himself, not since the funeral, notwithstanding requests by Wills and Harry to reprise it for the official tenth-anniversary Diana memorial gala. And, given that the alternative custom-written material is by the likes of David Hasselhoff, you can understand why the princes would prefer to light up the "Candle" one mo' time, even if Sir Elton has pledged that he'll never ever sing it again. You get the vague feeling he's a little embarrassed by it. After all, there's something a little weird about a bio-ballad being so portable it can simply be rewritten from one celebrity death to the next:

Goodbye [Your Name Here] Though I never knew you at all You need a funeral singalong And so I got the call...

[BenLurkin]

Bette Davis Eyes?

I thought it was Daryl Dawkins Thighs.

[dfwgator]

“His writing is limited to songs about dead blondes.” - Keith Richards (on Elton John)

[dfwgator]

Bette Davis Eyes?

Worst song, ever.

[BenLurkin]

Princess Di seems to have had a hug following among homosexual men for some reason.

[Hildy]

This was one of the finest things written about Diana. I never understood the attraction. Mark said everything I have felt about this petulant little girl who really had no business being in the royal family. Her finest contribution were the sons. But who knows how they would have turned out had she lived. She died while dating a man because her life became embarrassing the royal family. Once again Mark Stein shows he is the best writer of our times.9

[yarddog]

The more I learned about Charles and Di, the less I thought of both of them but I guess Charles was the worse of the two.

[goodtomato]

Made me think of “Funeral for a friend”, or is it Daniels song. Ax the vocals and the score is beautiful. Timeless!

[GnuThere]

The Ina Garten of the royal world.

[Conserv]

I’ll always love Princess Diana.

She was too good for the “royal” family.

[Dilbert San Diego]

She was active in efforts to fight AIDS, so that could be why she has a following among homosexuals.

[freedumb2003]

>>Bette Davis Eyes?
Worst song, ever.<<

I liked the remake “Marty Feldman Eyes.”

[jmacusa]

When Dianna made plain her desire to marry a Muslim the Crown was put into the position of one day having to deal with one of her children being a Muslim convert or a child she may have born while being married to a Muslim being in line or perhaps sitting on the throne of England. Since Henry the Eighth ruled only a member of the Church Of England could sit on the throne she set her fate in motion. I'm firmly convinced her mother-in-law had her killed. It certainly wouldn't be the first time in the long torturous and bloody history of the English Monarchy that a princess had been killed.

[Enchante]

Weird memory, 1997, it was the middle of the night (Rocky Mtn time) and I woke up in a motel room to this playing loudly from the TV..... I was with a group of friends about to take off on a river rafting trip early the next morning, and for some reason the friend I was sharing a room with had to turn this on very loudly at what was 3 am or so (I think) our time...... so I got to "experience" it in a dreamy stupor and then hit the water a few hours later, with Diana's funeral permanently associated with river rafting for me!

Elton John - Candle in the Wind/Goodbye England's Rose - Princess Diana's Funeral 1997

[Enchante]

I don’t know of any reason to believe anyone “had her killed” — a drunken security guy was driving far too fast trying to get away from paparazzi, and she was foolishly not wearing a seatbelt.

[Campion]

How’s that? No child she had by another man while divorced from the Prince of Wales would possibly be in line for the throne under any circumstances.

[yarddog]

Yeah, I was wondering about that too.

[BenLurkin]

Maybe, but I suspect she was already a fag hag before becoming concerned about the gay plague.

[ex91B10]

And Keiths repertoire is limited to three chords; maybe sometimes a 7th

[jmacusa]

The two children she had by Charles are in line to the throne after Charles is. That was her main job. To provide heirs to the throne. She planned to marry Dodi Faheed , a Muslim. At the time before her death this caused a bit of a stir in the UK.