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Elton John was tired. It was 1977, and he'd been writing, recording and touring non-stop for most of the decade. He was out of ideas, and feuding with his lyricist, Bernie Taupin.
Elton was a fan of Philadelphia soul music, so he contacted producer Thom Bell, known for his work with The Stylistics and The Spinners.
Elton basically told him he'd sing whatever Thom came up with as long as he didn't have write or produce it.
So Thom came up with 3 songs--one of which was "Mama Can't Buy You Love:" today's "Great Song of 1979."
If you're paying attention, that's a two-year gap.
Here's what happened: Thom did his best; he even got The Spinners to sing back up on the song, but Elton abandoned the project, and put everything in limbo.
In 1978, Elton released his album "A Single Man," which did poorly (most likely because Bernie was not involved).
At that point, MCA Records, pulled the 3 songs out of limbo, released them on an EP (Extended Play--sort of mini-album), called "The Thom Bell Sessions," and separately released "Mama Can't Buy You Love" as a single."
It quickly became Elton's first Top 10 hit in almost 3 years, reaching #10 in Canada, #9 on The Hot 100, and #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart!
Obviously, Elton had been off his game a bit without Bernie, but a "Great Song" is a "Great Song," and Elton was certainly thankful that MCA pulled it out of limbo!
"Mama Can't Buy Your Love" by Elton John: A "Great Song of 1979," from 1977. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw1ulSbMBiw
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