Restless (Elton John song)

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1984 song by Elton John

"Restless"

Song by Elton John
from the album  Breaking Hearts
Released| June 1984
Recorded| December 1983 – January 1984
Genre| Blues rock
Length| 5:17
Label| Geffen Records (US and Canada)
The Rocket Record Company (rest of the world)
Songwriter(s)| Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Producer(s)| Chris Thomas

"Restless" is a song by Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was the opening track off his 1984 album, Breaking Hearts.

In 1985, the song was nominated in Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. It lost to Bruce Springsteen's “Dancing in the Dark”.[1]

## Musical structure

[edit]

The song is basically a rock and roll song. A steady 4/4 beat drives the song, accompanied by guitar solo and bass that follows the piano pattern. The studio version features a heavy load of synthesizers, giving the song a more 'updated' feel than the original demo, which was more piano-driven. The song is more than five minutes long, which got panned by critics as it is very similar throughout the whole song.

## Lyrical meaning

[edit]

The song is almost political. At the time of its release, it was the height of the Cold War, and the lyrics describe that the people are "Searching for something that just ain't there". There are also mentions of that the "Walls have ears" and "Big Brother's watching". This links to the novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which both lines actually exist, curiously in the same year as the song was released. It could also be a pun on the German Democratic Republic, which at the time had surveillance similar to that of the novel. Taupin also writes that they're "Breaking down doors in foreign countries", which was the fall of communism. It had begun to take place shortly after the song's release.

## Performances

[edit]

The song was performed for the first time in the spring of 1984. It was a live staple up and until 1986.[2] On stage, John would often introduce the song as a "rock and roll number", and the live versions are much faster and piano-based than the studio version. One of the live versions (recorded at Wembley Arena in 30 June 1984) were eventually released as the B-side to "Wrap Her Up", and now appears as one of the bonus tracks on his next album, 1985's Ice on Fire.

The song appeared in the episode "To Hull and Back" of Only Fools and Horses in a scene set in the Nag's Head at the beginning. The song starts playing while Uncle Albert is talking to his female friend and can still be heard when Boycie and Dell are in the back room.

## Charts

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Chart (1984)  | Peak
position

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US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[3] | 16

## Personnel

[edit]

* Elton John – vocals, acoustic piano, synthesizers
* Davey Johnstone – guitars, backing vocals
* Dee Murray – bass, backing vocals
* Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Here's a list of the main contenders". The Gazette. Canwest. 12 January 1985. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
2. ^ "Restless by Elton John song statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
3. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Elton John songs

* Discography

1960s|

* "I've Been Loving You" (1968)
* "Skyline Pigeon" (1968)
* "Lady Samantha" (1969)
* "It's Me That You Need" (1969)

1970s|

* "Border Song" (1970)
* "Rock and Roll Madonna" (1970)
* "From Denver to L.A." (1970)
* "Take Me to the Pilot" (1970)
* "Your Song" (1970)
* "Come Down in Time" (1970)
* "Friends" (1971)
* "Levon" (1971)
* "Madman Across the Water" (1971)
* "Indian Sunset" (1971)
* "Tiny Dancer" (1972)
* "Rocket Man" (1972)
* "Honky Cat" (1972)
* "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" (1972)
* "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" (1972)
* "Crocodile Rock" (1972)
* "Elderberry Wine" (1972)
* "Daniel" (1972)
* "Have Mercy on the Criminal" (1972)
* "Teacher I Need You" (1973)
* "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (1973)
* "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (1973)
* "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (1973)
* "Step into Christmas" (1973)
* "Candle in the Wind" (1974)
* "Bennie and the Jets" (1974)
* "Harmony" (1974)
* "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (1974)
* "The Bitch Is Back" (1974)
* "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (1974)
* "Philadelphia Freedom" (1975)
* "I Saw Her Standing There" (1975)
* "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (1975)
* "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" (1975)
* "Island Girl" (1975)
* "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" (1976)
* "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" (1976)
* "Pinball Wizard" (1976)
* "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (1976)
* "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (1976)
* "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" (1977)
* "Crazy Water" (1977)
* "The Goaldiggers Song" (1977)
* "Ego" (1978)
* "Part-Time Love" (1978)
* "Song for Guy" (1978)
* "Are You Ready for Love" (1979)
* "Mama Can't Buy You Love" (1979)
* "Johnny B. Goode" (1979)

1980s|

* "Little Jeannie" (1980)
* "Sartorial Eloquence (Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More?)" (1980)
* "Dear God" (1980)
* "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" (1981)
* "Nobody Wins" (1981)
* "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" (1981)
* "Blue Eyes" (1982)
* "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" (1982)
* "Ball and Chain" (1982)
* "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1982)
* "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (1983)
* "I'm Still Standing" (1983)
* "Kiss the Bride" (1983)
* "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (1984)
* "Passengers" (1984)
* "Who Wears These Shoes? (1984)
* "Nikita" (1985)
* "That's What Friends Are For" (1985)
* "Wrap Her Up" (1985)
* "Heartache All Over the World" (1986)
* "Slow Rivers" (1986)
* "Take Me to the Pilot" (1988)
* "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" (1988)
* "Town of Plenty" (1988)
* "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)" (1988)
* "Through the Storm" (1989)
* "Healing Hands" (1989)
* "Sacrifice" (1989)

1990s|

* "Club at the End of the Street" (1990)
* "You Gotta Love Someone" (1990)
* "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (1991)
* "The One" (1992)
* "Runaway Train" (1992)
* "The Last Song" (1992)
* "Simple Life" (1993)
* "True Love" (1993)
* "Shakey Ground" (1994)
* "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (1994)
* "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (1994)
* "Circle of Life" (1994)
* "Believe" (1995)
* "Made in England" (1995)
* "When the Money's Gone" (1995)
* "You Can Make History (Young Again)" (1996)
* "Live Like Horses" (1996)
* "The Madness of King Scar" (1997)
* "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (1997)
* "Candle in the Wind 1997" (1997)
* "Written in the Stars" (1999)

2000s|

* "Someday Out of the Blue" (2000)
* "I Want Love" (2001)
* "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" (2002)
* "Original Sin" (2002)
* "Are You Ready for Love" (2003)
* "Ghetto Gospel" (2005)
* "Electricity" (2005)
* "The Bridge" (2006)
* "Joseph, Better You than Me" (2008)
* "Tiny Dancer (Hold Me Closer)" (2009)

2010s|

* "All of the Lights" (2010)
* "Good Morning to the Night" (2012)
* "Sad" (2012)
* "Home Again" (2013)
* "Looking Up" (2015)
* "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" (2019)

2020s|

* "Ordinary Man" (2020)
* "Sine from Above" (2020)
* "The Pink Phantom" (2020)
* "It's a Sin" (2021)
* "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" (2021)
* "Merry Christmas" (2021)
* "Sausage Rolls for Everyone" (2021)
* "Hold Me Closer" (2022)
* "Never Too Late" (2024)

Related|

* Albums discography
* Videography

* Category:Elton John

Authority control databases |

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