“I Guess That’s Why They Called It the Blues” delivered a major critical and commercial hit for Elton John at a time when his career needed it. It came after a stretch when many wondered if John would ever be able to recapture the magic of his run of early ’70s smashes.
What is the song about? How did it represent a return to form by John? And what fellow legend helped out with a knockout harmonica solo to add the icing on the cake? Let’s take a look back at “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and see what made it tick.
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Getting the Gang Back Together
The second half of the ’70s wasn’t very kind to Elton John’s career. He had a little bit of success dipping into the prevalent disco and R&B sounds of the day, but sounded at sea when he tried to rock. Perhaps it was no coincidence that this period also saw him working with a myriad rotating co-writers, musicians, and producers in an effort to find something that would stick.
By the early ’80s, he had begun to reach out again to old collaborators, most notably lyricist Bernie Taupin, who returned on a part-time basis on the 1980 album 21 at 33. John and Taupin teamed up for a big hit with their touching John Lennon tribute “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)” in 1982. But the early ’80s albums were largely hit-and-miss affairs, at least until John fully embraced a return to the old days.
For Too Low For Zero in 1983, John played with guitarist Davey Johnstone, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson—the classic lineup that graced albums like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road—for the first time in eight years. Taupin wrote all the lyrics, the first time he’d done that on a John record in seven years.
That familiarity certainly helped, but Too Low for Zero also benefited from an outstanding batch of songs. John credited the album’s success with his decision to write on a synthesizer, which helped him to come up with the rocking feel of songs like “I’m Still Standing” and “Kiss the Bride.” Still, no classic Elton John album could be considered complete without a killer ballad. Johnstone, who co-wrote the music for “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” remembered to Rolling Stone magazine how it came together:
“[John] showed me the [Taupin] lyric and I went, ‘Oh, what a beautiful lyric.’ We wrote the song right there in about 20 minutes. He said, ‘That’s it. Let’s record it.’ The next day, I think, we invited the whole band in the room. We played them the song and we proceeded to record it and that was it. I mean, when you start with a lyric like that, you’re already halfway there.”
But it wasn’t fully there until the finishing touch was added. That came when John asked Stevie Wonder to contribute a harmonica solo. Wonder’s soulful touch proved the ideal embellishment on this amazing song.
The Meaning of “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”
“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” delivers a message from one lover to another at a time when the pair is apart. The title is a shoulder shrug of sorts, the narrator’s way of saying the feelings of sadness should be expected. But he also wants the other person to take everything in perspective. There will be a reunion, after all: Don’t look at it like it’s forever.
He advises his significant other to keep busy in the interim (Dust out the demons inside) and know that it all be worth it when they get back together: And it won’t be long before you and me run / To the place in our hearts where we hide. If it takes a cliché to illuminate the depth of his feelings, so be it: But more than ever, I simply love you / More than I love life itself.
In the chorus, he admits his frustration at their absence, especially when he considers what they could be doing if they were together: Laughin’ like children, livin’ like lovers / Rollin’ like thunder under the covers. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” added to the list of classic Elton John slow ones after a bit of a slump. In fact, it’s so great we’d understand if you put it at the top of that list.
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Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
