Don't Go Breakin' My Heart - Elton John & Kiki Dee (1976) 3/18/21

Pseudonyms are the order of the day!

Our "Great Song of the '70s" was written by Ann Orson and Carte Blanche...and sung by Reginald Dwight and Pauline Matthews.

The songwriting team of "Orson & Blanche" was actually Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and of course, Reginald Dwight is Elton's real name. But did you know that Pauline Matthews is...Kiki Dee?

I've been unable to uncover why Elton & Bernie chose to be "Orson & Blanche," but they're both on record as saying "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" was intended to be a tribute to the classic Motown duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston or Tammi Terrell.

The original plan was to have Dusty Springfield sing the female part, but she was seriously ill at the time, so Kiki got the call...and certainly ran with it!

The finished song was a worldwide hit in 1976: Top 5 in 15 countries, including #1 in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Canada! In the US, it topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary and Hot 100 Charts, and believe it or not, it was Elton's (and Kiki's) FIRST #1 in the UK--where it stayed on top for 6 weeks!

TRIVIA: As for Ann Orson & Carte Blanche, they won Great Britain's prestigious Ivor Novello Songwriting Award for "Best Song/Musically and Lyrically."

In 1994, Elton recorded the song again...this time with RuPaul (!)...and it went to #3 in the UK, and #1 in Iceland, of all places! In the US, it was a hit on Billboard's Dance Chart, peaking at #2! (The video is a lot of fun--check it out, below.)

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart:" from Pseudonyms...to Pseuper hits: A "Great Song of 1976," and 1994. Elton & Kiki ('76):

Elton & RuPaul ('94):