Healing Hands (Elton John song)
| "Healing Hands" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album Sleeping with the Past | ||||
| A-side |
"Sacrifice" (second release) | |||
| B-side |
"Dancing in the End Zone" (first release) | |||
| Released |
July 5, 1989 (first release) 9/89(second release) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock[1] | |||
| Length | 4:21 | |||
| Label |
Rocket (UK) MCA (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
Elton John Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Thomas[2] | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Healing Hands" was the final Billboard Hot 100 hit single of the 1980s for Elton John, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and recorded on his million-selling 1989 album Sleeping with the Past. The single was released during the late-summer of 1989, and was a top-20 hit in the US. It was paired as a double A-side single with "Sacrifice", which became Elton's first solo number 1 single in the UK.[3] The song was inspired by the Four Tops song "Reach Out, I'll Be There".[4] Produced by Chris Thomas, it was the first of three singles released from the album, with the follow-ups being "Sacrifice" and "Club at the End of the Street".
"Healing Hands" did moderately well as a single in the United States, climbing to #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart on the week of 21 October 1989 (dislodging Madonna's "Cherish" from the #1 position). The song failed to make the UK Top 40 on its initial release, as did the follow-up, "Sacrifice". However, after Steve Wright of BBC Radio One added "Sacrifice" to his station's playlist, "Sacrifice" was re-released in the UK as a double A-side with "Healing Hands". The double A-side record topped the UK chart for five weeks starting 23 June 1990, becoming the first solo #1 UK hit of Elton John's career.
Technical details
Musically, the song is complex, with the intro and verses in the key of B flat, and the chorus in the key of D. An instrumental solo, in the related minor key of g (minor), serves as a bridge. Rob Stevens also sang the song on his debut album, Little Heart for Love.
Charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] | 46 |
Personnel
- Elton John: keyboards, lead and harmony vocals
- Guy Babylon: keyboards
- Davey Johnstone: guitar, backing vocals
- Fred Mandel: keyboards
- Romeo Williams: bass guitar
- Jonathan Moffett: drums
- Marlena Jeter: backing vocals
- Natalie Jackson: backing vocals
- Mortonette Jenkins: backing vocals
- Peter Iversen: Fairlight and Audiofile programming
References
- ↑ "Elton John – Sacrifice / Healing Hands". Discogs. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ↑ "Healing Hands". All Music. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ↑ McAleer, Dave (2001). The Book of Hit Singles: Top 20 Charts from 1954 to the Present Day. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 302.
- ↑ Cassata, Mary Anne (2002). The Elton John Scrapbook. Citadel Press. p. 38.
- ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. December 23, 1999. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- "Healing Hands", The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits by Wesley Hyatt, p. 352, Billboard Books (1999).
