37. Elton John – Candle in the Wind
“And I would have liked to have known you / But I was just a kid / Your candle burned out long before / Your legend ever did”
Elton John rewrote and re-recorded his original 1973 version of Candle in the Wind which was a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. He then rereleased the song as a tribute to the late Princess Diana. When she was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997, John entered into a deep depression.
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Elton John performed Candle in the Wind 1997 only once, at the funeral in Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. He still sings the original 1973 version of the song at his concerts, but repeatedly turns down requests to perform his 1997 version. Apparently, he vowed never to perform the song again unless Diana’s songs ask him to.
The next sad tune is a Leonard Cohen original.