Made in England is the twenty-fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1995. It was produced by John and Greg Penny, his first album since Leather Jackets without producer Chris Thomas. The album was dedicated to John's boyfriend and future husband David Furnish. It was also dedicated to the memory of Denis Gauthier and Peter Williams. It was the last album to feature regular percussionist Ray Cooper until 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night.Bob Birch became John's full-time recording and touring bass player until his death in 2012.
While promoting his work for The Lion King soundtrack in September 1994, Elton debuted "Believe" (five months before its release as a single) during the opening night of a concert tour with Ray Cooper in Phoenix, AZ. "Believe" reached No. 15 in the UK and No. 13 in the US, and was the only American hit from the album to reach the top 20. During November, John toured Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Switzerland, Poland, France, Italy, the UK, Japan, and other countries two months later. Several songs from the album made it to the tour's playlist, including "Believe," "Made in England," "House," "Blessed," "Lies," and "Pain".[citation needed]
On "Belfast," the song originally ended simply with John singing the last line, "Belfast." In an interview with fan magazine East End Lights some time later, arranger Paul Buckmaster (in his first project with John since 1978's A Single Man) said he thought the song needed a more uplifting end, and added the outro, making it sound as if it were being played in an Irish pub somewhere up the road. John reportedly was initially wary of the idea, but Buckmaster said he changed his mind upon hearing it and approved the new coda for the final version. George Martin, who owned AIR Studios London where the album was recorded, wrote the horn and string arrangement on "Latitude." John and Guy Babylon are credited as arrangers on "Man," which also includes organ by Squeeze and Mike + The Mechanics frontman Paul Carrack.[citation needed]
There are many outtakes from Made in England. These songs include "Building a Bird," "Leaves," "Hell," "Skin," "Tick-Tock," "Undone," "Red", "Live Like Horses," an alternate version of "Belfast," and an alternate version of "Believe." "Red" was later released on the French compilation Sol En Si and a version of "Live Like Horses" was later released on The Big Picture. "Building a Bird" was recorded by Nigel Olsson for his 2001 Move the Universe CD, released only in Japan. "Hell" and the original cut of "Live Like Horses" have circulated on YouTube. The remaining outtakes have yet to circulate.[12]
Personnel
Elton John – lead and backing vocals, acoustic piano (1-7, 9-11), harmonium (7), keyboards (2, 8), string arrangements (9)
^"Hits of the World". Billboard. 22 April 1995. p. 67.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Made in England" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^ a b"Hits of the world". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 15 April 1995. p. 41.
^Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
^"Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – J". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Elton John from the menu, then press OK.
^"Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – Made in England" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^"Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1995. 20. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^"Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 12 March 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Elton John".
^"Highest position and charting weeks of The One by Elton John". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
^"Charts.nz – Elton John – Made in England". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^"Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Made in England". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN84-8048-639-2.
^"Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – Made in England". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^"Swisscharts.com – Elton John – Made in England". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^"Elton John | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^"Elton John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^"Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1995" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
^"Jaaroverzichten 1995" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"Rapports annuels 1995" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"Japanese certifications – エルトン・ジョン – メイド・イン・イングランド" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 21 July 2022. Select 1995年5月 on the drop-down menu
^"New Zealand album certifications – Elton John – Made in England". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
^Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1991–1995. Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano. 2005. ISBN8480486392.
^"Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Made in England')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
^Jeffrey, Don (5 August 1995). "Pop Hits Fuel Gains; Stock Reaches All-Time High". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 31. p. 3. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2021.