21 at 33

Background

After the release of Blue Moves in 1976, Elton John and Bernie Taupin put their partnership on hold, with the both of them working with other acts. On A Single Man (1978), John would collaborate with lyricist Gary Osborne for the first time, while Taupin co-wrote Alice Cooper's 1978 album From the Inside. While John's albums still sold well, his new releases did not match the success of his early-1970s work, with A Single Man only reaching number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and number 15 on the US Billboard 200. In 1979, John would release the album Victim of Love, a move into disco on which he did not compose or play piano on any of the material, providing only vocals. The album was a flop, receiving the worst reviews of his career and stalling at number 35 in the US and number 41 in the UK. Also in 1979, John travelled to the Soviet Union to play a series of concerts with percussionist Ray Cooper.

Writing and recording

The writing of 21 at 33 marked the beginning of a tentative reunion between John and Taupin. The majority of the album's material was written in August 1979 in Grasse, France, to which John invited Taupin and his wife to join him. John and Taupin wrote ten songs together during this period, three of which would appear on the album. At one point, John considered making 21 at 33 a double album, though it was ultimately reduced to a single due to Clive Franks' belief that there was not a sufficient amount of quality material for a double. Most of the basic tracks for the album were recorded at Super Bear Studios in Nice in August 1979, while overdubs, as well as the track "White Lady White Powder", were recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in early 1980. Additionally, a choir was recorded for "Dear God" at Rumbo Recorders in February 1980.

Musicians on the album included Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray, both of whom made their first appearance on an Elton John album in five years. Olsson's involvement in recording began when he was invited to Sunset Sound to overdub a drum track on "Little Jeannie", as John (who, at one point, considered scrapping the song entirely) was unsatisfied with the original drum part performed by Alvin Taylor. As Murray was living in Los Angeles at the time, he was also called in to contribute to the track, on which he provided backing vocals. Olsson and Murray would also end up providing the rhythm section for "White Lady White Powder", the last track recorded for the album.

Composition

In contrast with the previous year's Victim of Love, 21 at 33 sees John return to a more conventional pop and rock sound. Judy Parkinson, author of Elton: Made in England, describes the album as having a "contemporary electronic sound" due to its use of synthesizers and electric piano. The album opens with "Chasing the Crown", a John–Taupin composition. Additionally, she describes John's piano part as a "scaled-down adaptation of some of the peppery chord patterns he had incorporated into "[I Heard It Through the] Grapevine" during his 1979 world tour", while "the melodious screeching of Steve Lukather's guitar sifts through the chords." The song was written with Osborne, who has described its lyrics as portraying "a girl who was beautiful but didn't realise her own worth, a woman who would sleep around because of her low self-esteem." Rosenthal describes "Little Jeannie" as a song "about love of a higher order, sung from the perspective of a man without the most pristine values, whose life has been transformed by the pure and idealistic young Jeannie." Rather than playing the part himself, John had James Newton Howard provide the song's prominent Fender Rhodes electric piano, due to John feeling Newton Howard possessed better technique on the instrument. The song's coda, featuring Murray (among others) on backing vocals, contains a melody similar to that of "When I Need You", which had been a number one hit for Leo Sayer in 1977.

Rosenthal describes "Sartorial Eloquence", the first of two John–Robinson songs on the album, Its title refers to the duo's unique tendency to write in different locations, rather than collaborating, and asserts that despite their break, their relationship remained strong, with Buckley stating the song's main theme is that "the distance that separated them was a physical, not emotional one." The song features John on electric piano and Lukather on guitar, while the instrumentation continues to build throughout the song, including the addition of a brass arrangement by Jim Horn and multiple layers of overdubbed backing vocals.

"White Lady White Powder", which opens side two, is the third and final John–Taupin song on the album. He also remarked that he "had the brass balls to sing it as if was about someone else." Rosenthal notes that the lyrics "itemize the reasons Elton himself had grown fond of the drug", while also calling the track "an exercise in irony" due to music which she likens to "a jolly nursery rhyme, complete with happy piano chords just right for frolicking children." Henley, Frey, and Schmidt provide backing vocals on the song. "Dear God" features choir vocals performed by, among others, Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys and Toni Tennille. Rosenthal notes its lyrics as conflicting with John's "religious skepticism", while also opining that the song "sounds not only right for church, but as if it had already been played to death for decades." Krochmal describes the track as "a musically beautiful ballad that makes almost no sense in the context of Elton John's life in 1980."

Rosenthal believes that "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", the album's second co-write with Robinson, starts off describing "someone half-seriously lamenting an overabundance of casual infatuation with members of the opposite sex."

Release and reception

"Little Jeannie" was released as the album's lead single in April 1980. By 7 June, the song entered the top 10 and reached its peak of number three the week of 19 July. This made it the highest-charting Elton John song to be co-written by Osborne, as well as John's biggest American hit in years. It was less successful in the UK, where it stalled at number 33 on the UK singles chart. By the time it charted, on 9 August, "Little Jeannie" was still in its peak position. "Sartorial Eloquence" was not as successful as its predecessor, only reaching number 39 in the US and number 44 in the UK. "Dear God" was released as the album's third and final single (in two versions, a standard pressing with one B-side and a "deluxe" edition with two more) in the UK that November and failed to chart.

21 at 33 was released on 23 May 1980. The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs and Tape chart on 31 May 1980, and would eventually reach a peak of number 13, his highest chart placement since Blue Moves. In the UK, the album reached number 12, becoming the second album (along with Victim of Love) of John's to not reach the top 10 since Madman Across the Water (1971).

Critical reception

21 at 33 received moderately positive reviews from critics. Writing for Smash Hits, Ian Cranna gave the album a 7 out of 10 rating and declared it John's best since Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973). While stating the album "never reach[es] jackpot status", he praised it as "melodically strong" and "musically light", complimenting Taupin's lyrics as "powerful", Robinson's as "personal", and calling Tzuke's contribution a "strong ballad". The publication praised the record for containing "melodic pop offerings with the melodic and lyrical depth that made him [John] a '70s superstar", rather than the "disco and R&B" experiments of his late 70s work.

Writing for Rolling Stone, Ken Tucker praised the album's first side, while disparaging the second. He praised "Little Jeannie" as a "sweet midtempo ballad" sharing similarities with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and declared "Chasing the Crown" and "Two Rooms at the End of the World" to be "the neatest, most cogent rockers that Taupin and John have done in a long time." He believed the album "falls apart" with its second side, criticizing the subject matter of "White Lady White Powder" and "Dear God" while characterizing the last three tracks as "slow, dull and boring".

Some writers have criticized the album as inconsistent and lacking cohesion due to its large number of co-writers. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Lindsay Planer felt the album exhibits a "scattered nature", criticizing the John–Taupin tracks for containing what he feels is a "nauseating disco vibe" similar to that of Victim of Love while praising the John-Osborne collaborations as well as "Sartorial Eloquence". Buckley writes that due to the number of co-writers present, 21 at 33 "lack[s] the sort of thematic unity of style and content that ma[kes] the best Elton John albums click." Much like Tucker, he praises the album's first half, feeling it contains "some of the strongest material Elton had made for years", while its second side "failed to sparkle".

Promotion and aftermath

To promote the album, Elton embarked on his 1980 World Tour, starting with a 44-show US leg, his first large-venue tour in four years. Olsson and Murray rejoined John's touring band at this time, which also contained James Newton Howard on keyboards and Zito and Tim Renwick on guitar. For much of the tour, 21 at 33 would be represented in setlists by "Little Jeannie", "Sartorial Eloquence", and "White Lady White Powder". Parkinson notes that John's costumes of the time took inspiration from the Village People, with his outfits including a "sequinned cowboy", "musical chauffeur" and, in a publicity photo, a "butch New York cop."

Material recorded during the 21 at 33 sessions would appear on John's next album, The Fox (1981). After recording for the album completed, John collaborated with French singer France Gall in what Rosenthal describes as "practically an extension of the 21 at 33 sessions" due to John and Franks producing and the lineup of musicians. These sessions produced two songs, "Les Aveux" and "Donner Pour Donner". The tracks were released as a single in February 1981, which topped the French charts and sold over 600,000 copies.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes.

Musicians

• Elton John – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic piano (1, 3, 5, 6), overdubbed piano (1, 3, 5, 6, 8), Yamaha electric piano (4), Wurlitzer electric piano (8)
• James Newton Howard – Fender Rhodes (2, 6, 7), Yamaha CS-80 (2), electronic keyboards (3, 7), acoustic piano (9)
• David Paich – organ (6)
• Steve Lukather – electric guitar (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9)
• Richie Zito – acoustic guitar (2, 7), electric guitar (5, 8)
• Steve Wrather – electric guitar (7)
• Reggie McBride – bass (1–4, 6–9)
• Dee Murray – backing vocals (2), bass (5)
• Alvin Taylor – drums (1, 3, 4, 6–9)
• Nigel Olsson – drums (2, 5)
• Victor Feldman – tambourine (1, 3, 5, 9)
• Clive Franks – tambourine (4, 6), cowbell (4)
• Lenny Castro – congas (5, 9)
• Jim Horn – brass arrangements (2, 4), piccolo flute (2), alto saxophone (2), tenor saxophone (4)
• Richie Cannata – alto saxophone (7)
• Larry Williams – tenor saxophone (9)
• Chuck Findley – trombone (2, 4), trumpet (2, 4)
• Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (9)
• Jerry Hey – flugelhorn (2, 9), trumpet (4, 9), brass arrangements (9)
• Larry Hall – trumpet (9), flugelhorn (9)
• Byron Berline – fiddle (8)
• David Foster – string arrangements (9)
• Venette Gloud – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
• Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
• Carmen Twillie – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
• Bill Champlin – backing vocals (2, 9)
• Max Gronenthal – backing vocals (2)
• Glenn Frey – backing vocals (5)
• Don Henley – backing vocals (5)
• Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals (5)
• Curt Becher – choir vocals (6)
• Joe Chemay – choir vocals (6)
• Bruce Johnston – choir arrangements (6), choir vocals (6)
• Jon Joyce – choir vocals (6)
• Peter Noone – choir vocals (6)
• Toni Tennille – choir vocals (6)

Production

• Produced by Clive Franks and Elton John
• Engineers – Clive Franks, Steve Desper (Track 6), Patrick Jaunead (Tracks 1–4, 6–9).
• Second engineers – David Burgess (Tracks 1–4, 6–9), David Leonard, Peggy McCreary and Stephen McManus.
• Recorded at Super Bear Studios (Berre-les-Alpes, France); Rumbo Recorders and Sunset Sound Recorders (Los Angeles, CA).
• Mixed at Sunset Sound Recorders
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Mastering Studio (Los Angeles, CA).
• Studio coordinator – Adrian Collee
• Art direction – George Osaki
• Design and concept – Norman Moore
• Photography – Jim Shea
• Management – John Reid Management, LTD.

Charts and certifications

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

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Notes

References

Sources

Citations

References

1. (13 May 1980). "21 at 33". MCA Records.
2. Tucker, Ken. (23 May 1980). "21 at 33".
3. (3 May 1980). "Billboard Singles Radio Action".
4. Rosenthal 2001, p. 184
5. Rosenthal 2001, p. 189
6. Parkinson 2003, p. 117
7. Parkinson 2003, p. 110
8. Parkinson 2003, p. 110-111
9. Buckley 2013, p. 253
10. Parkinson 2003, p. 116
11. Buckley 2013, p. 253-254
12. Higgins, John. (11 April 2019). "Elton's 1979 Tour of the USSR – A Look Back".
13. Rosenthal 2001, p. 178
14. Rocket]] signee who had a UK top 20 hit with "[[Stay with Me till Dawn]]" in 1979.Tobler 1995, p. 120
15. Buckley 2013, p. 262
16. Parkinson 2003, p. 117
17. Rosenthal 2001, p. 180
18. Buckley 2013, p. 260
19. Lyrically, Rosenthal considers the song to be a "close lyrical cousin" to "[[Sympathy for the Devil]]" (1968) by [[the Rolling Stones]], with both songs being "engaging puzzles in which the listener is invited to identify a culprit who has caused conflict and misery." "Little Jeannie" is a midtempo ballad which Buckley believes shares similarities to John's earlier hit "[[Daniel (Elton John song)|Daniel]]" (1973).Buckley 2013, p. 259
20. Rosenthal 2001, p. 181
21. Krochmal, Shana Naomi. (22 June 2023). "All 378 Elton John Songs, Ranked".
22. country]]-influenced song with John using a [[Wurlitzer electronic piano. Philadelphia Freedom]]" (1975), as they both "combine the lilt of [[soul music
23. The single debuted on the [[Billboard Hot 100
24. "Elton John Chart History".
25. "Sartorial Eloquence" was chosen as the album's second single and was released in August 1980; it was given the subtitle of "Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More?" in the US.Rosenthal 2001, p. 184
26. Anon.. (17 May 1980). "In-depth ad drive for Elton album".
27. [[Colin Larkin. (September 2007). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.)". Omnibus Press.
28. Smith, Robin. (17 May 1980). "Peter Pan of Rock".
29. Cranna, Ian. (12 June 1980). "Reviews – Albums".
30. (24 May 1980). "Top Album Picks – Spotlight".
31. Planer, Lindsay. "21 at 33".
32. Parkinson 2003, p. 118
33. Tzuke joined as the opening act, for what would be her first-ever American tour.Rosenthal 2001, p. 185
34. Rosenthal 2001, p. 186
35. Famously, John dressed in a [[Donald Duck]] costume for the encore of a free concert in [[Central Park]] on 13 September 1980.Buckley 2013, p. 254-255
36. Buckley 2013, p. 267
37. Rosenthal 2001, p. 182-183
38. In a 1984 interview, John spoke fondly of ''21 at 33'', stating: "I think it's one of my best albums. It has a lot of really good songs on it."Rosenthal 2001, p. 182
39. Kent, David. (1993). "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992". Australian Chart Book.
40. "Classifiche". [[Musica e Dischi]].
41. (2006). "Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005". [[Oricon.
42. (1980). "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". [[GfK Entertainment Charts]].
43. "Top Selling Albums of 1980 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". [[Recorded Music New Zealand]].
44. "Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980". [[Kent Music Report]].