Part-Time Love

"Part-Time Love"
Single by Elton John
from the album A Single Man
B-side "I Cry at Night"
Released 4 October 1978 (UK)
11 November 1978 (U.S.)
Recorded January-September 1978
Genre Pop rock, Dance rock
Length 3:16
Label MCA (U.S.)
Rocket (UK)
Songwriter(s) Elton John, Gary Osborne
Producer(s) Elton John, Clive Franks
Elton John singles chronology
"Ego"
(1978)		 "Part-Time Love"
(1978)		 "Song for Guy"
(1978)

"Ego"
(1978)		 "Part-Time Love"
(1978)		 "Song for Guy"
(1978)
Alternative cover
International single sleeve

"Part-Time Love" is a song written by Elton John with lyrics by Gary Osborne. It is the sixth track off his 1978 album, A Single Man. It is also the opening track of side two. It proved to be one of the most popular singles the pair wrote, along with 1982's "Blue Eyes" and the 1980 US million seller "Little Jeannie". It was banned in the Soviet release of the album along with another song, "Big Dipper". The single reached #15 in the UK and peaked just outside the Top 20 in the U.S. at #21.

Musical structure

The song opens with a jaunty piano, and then goes into the main riff, an uptempo disco-flavored party song. The lead guitar played here is by John's long-time bandmate Davey Johnstone. The song features strings in such a way that it could easily be referred to as a disco anthem. Ray Cooper also appears on percussion that flows together with the drums and bass. The bridge in the song is very messy, fitting in with the lyric. The song has a generally common chord progression, but is written in the key of Db major. This is a very mechanically comfortable key for a pianist, similar to the key of Eb major, however is very difficult a key to play on an uncapoed guitar.

Lyrical meaning

In the 29 September 1979 edition of the Ann Landers advice column, one writer going by the title "Want A Better Environment For Our Youth" alleged that these lyrics of this song dealt with adultery: "You've been seen running around...Don't tell me what to do when you've been doing it too."[1]

The song appeared on his compilation The Very Best of Elton John in 1990. While the A-side was written by Gary Osborne, the B-side, "I Cry at Night" was written by Bernie Taupin. It is one of the few singles John released with different lyricists on each side.

Chart performance

Personnel

  • Elton John - piano, vocals
  • Tim Renwick - guitars
  • Clive Franks - bass
  • Steve Holly - drums
  • Ray Cooper - percussion
  • Vicki Brown - backing vocals
  • Joanne Stone - backing vocals
  • Stevie Lange - backing vocals
  • Gary Osborne - backing vocals
  • Chris Thompson - backing vocals
  • Davey Johnstone - backing vocals, lead guitar
  • Paul Buckmaster - orchestral arrangement

References

  1. ↑ Landers, Ann (September 29, 1979). "Some Rock Lyrics Are Offensive". The Dispatch (Lexington, N.C.). p. 6. Some newspapers published this column on October 1.
  2. 1 2 Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  3. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  4. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Part-Time Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  5. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1978-12-24. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  6. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 12/30/78". 50.6.195.142. 1978-12-30. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  7. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
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