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Yes, the title of today's "Great Song of 1974" was controversial at the time-- and still is to a certain extent--but it's one of Elton John's best...and it really rocks!
The song was written by Elton and his trusty collaborator, Bernie Taupin, but the title came from Bernie's wife at the time, Maxine Feibelman.
It seems that Elton was rather...umm...moody back in the day, and whenever he got cranky, Maxine would exclaim, "Uh-oh! THE BITCH IS BACK!"
Actually, all three of them thought that was funny, so Elton and Bernie decided to keep the humor coming and write the song as a parody of the "celebrity lifestyle" they were living. When it was done, and released as a single from the album, "Caribou," critics loved it! Cashbox Magazine declared, "The hooks are incredible, the vocals are intense, and the playing is 'right there'."
As you can imagine, some radio stations refused to play it, but Elton didn't care--and neither did his fans or listeners to the stations that DID play it! "The Bitch is Back" hit #1 in Canada...and #4 in the US. If every Top 40 station in the US had played it, it would have hit #1 here, too.
But again, Elton didn't care--he loved the song and enjoyed "rockin' out!"
"The Bitch is Back" by Elton John--controversial, yes...but definitely a "Great Song of 1974!
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