Why did Elton John write Philadelphia Freedom for Billie Jean King?
The song was written by John and Taupin as a favour to John's friend, tennis star Billie Jean King, who was part of the Philadelphia Freedoms professional tennis team. The song features an orchestral arrangement by Gene Page that includes flutes, horns and strings.
John dedicated his smash hit single, released in 1975, “with Love to B.J.K. and the sound of Philadelphia.” It is a tribute to King, their friendship and the city's people — and it came out fittingly a year before the American bicentennial celebration to come.
John penned the song in homage to his friend Billie Jean King. The singer followed King's career, including her time in 1974 with the Philadelphia Freedoms in the World TeamTennis league. John was such a fan that he would dress in the team's uniform and sit on the bench.
Allyson McCabe is a music journalist based in New York. An earlier version of this article referred imprecisely to the song “Philadelphia Freedom.” Elton John wrote it with Bernie Taupin.
In February 1975, Elton released 'Philadelphia Freedom' – a song that was not available on any album and would not be until its inclusion on 'Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume 2' in 1977.
When the two first met in 1967, they recorded the first John/Taupin song, "Scarecrow". Six months later, John began going by the name Elton John in homage to two members of Bluesology: saxophonist Elton Dean and vocalist Long John Baldry. He legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John on 7 January 1972.
Five-time Grammy winner Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, are the proud parents of two boys.
The song tells of "Bennie and the Jets", a fictional band of whom the song's narrator is a fan. In a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, Taupin said "I saw Bennie and the Jets as a sort of proto-sci-fi punk band, fronted by an androgynous woman, who looks like something out of a Helmut Newton photograph."
One of the greatest tennis players of all time and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient for her advocacy for women in sports and LGBTQ rights, Billie Jean King won 39 Grand Slam titles in her tennis career and led the fight for equal pay in tennis.
| Billie Jean King | |
|---|---|
| Tennis career | |
| Country (sports) | United States |
| Turned pro | 1968 |
| Retired | 1990 |
Is Elton John age?
If we're talking about the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, it's estimated that Elton John makes £2.18million per show or about £16,000 a minute. After all, with his final tour making $930 million plus, Elton can be expected to make at least half or more of that final income.
A tennis legend in the United States, Billie Jean was also instrumental in the passage of Title IX and has used her platform to advocate for equality for female athletes. In 2009, she was the first female athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Other original cosponsors include Reps.
Who is the background singer on Elton John's 'Philadelphia Freedom'? The background singer on Elton John's “Philadelphia Freedom” is… Elton John. His voiced is over-dubbed beginning with the second verse and the succeeding choruses, and the “high voice” toward the end is Elton John singing falsetto.
While Elton John and his husband don't have any biological children together, they do have sons via a surrogate. It's unclear if either Elton or David is the biological dad, but they used the same surrogate mother for both kids.
John cited spending time with his children as the reason for his retirement. Tickets went on sale on 24 February and within hours tickets for the first 60 shows were sold out.
After 22 years of releasing singles, which had brought his celebrated duet bestseller “Don't Go Breaking My Heart” with Kiki Dee, and a near miss when “Rocket Man” hit No. 2 in 1972, he finally had his first solo British chart-topper. The single was the double-sided “Sacrifice” and “Healing Hands.”
Is Elton John's son biologically his or his partner's or did he adopt him? Elton and his husband, David, used a mixing technique and a surrogate to conceive their two sons, Zachary and Elijah.
How much older is Elton John than his husband?
David Furnish, who is 15 years younger than Elton John, was born in Toronto, Canada in 1962.
John has been married twice. He was married to studio engineer Renate Blauel for several years in the '80s. The couple's 1984 wedding was a lavish affair that took place in Sydney, Australia.
“Square” often refers to someone who fits well into the system (a “grid,” if you will). The speaker in this song has decided that it is hip to be square. He used to try and fight the system, but now he has realized that it's good to fit in and be square.
