It was one of the most emotional moments of the funeral of Diana of Wales in 1997. Elton John, dressed in rigorous black, seated at the piano, sang Candle in the wind. “Goodbye rose from England, you will always live in our hearts,” read the beginning of the song, reworked for the occasion by the singer and known by the name of Goodbye England’s rose. A few minutes, highly emotionally charged, which took place thanks to the express request of the dean of Westminster Abbey, Wesley Carr, according to reports various British media such as BBC Y The Guardian.
The documents in question referred to by the television network show how Carr asked Buckingham Palace to be John, a personal friend of the princess, who star in the moment. In a letter addressed to a high official in the British royal house, the Reverend wrote that John performing at the ceremony will be “imaginative and generous” to the millions who “feel heartbroken” and that the song performed “was playing all the time. on the radio”.
The truth is that the chosen song was not always Candle in the wind. In a first draft of the ceremony service, as reported The Guardian, the subject that was included was Your song. However, a second draft sent to Buckingham Palace for approval, replaced it with the one that was eventually interpreted. In the document sent by Carr, he assured that something “bold”, “unexpected” and “from the modern world that represented the princess” should be included and suggested that “something classic or choral”, even “if it is a popular classic like something Andrew Lloyd Webber “was” inappropriate. ” On the contrary, something from John, one of Diana’s favorites, and “the highest expression of popular culture” would be better. “If it is thought that his words are too sentimental (although that is not a bad thing given the national environment) it is not necessary to print them, just sing them,” he added.
According to Elton John on previous occasions, he, Bernie Taupin, composer of the song, rewrote Candle in the wind at the suggestion of Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of Virgin. The song became the second best-selling physical single in history, behind Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, with 33 million copies sold.
Princess Diana’s funeral took place on September 6, 1997, just six days after she died in a traffic accident in Paris with her then partner, Dodi Al Fayed. In addition to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, which was attended by 2,000 guests – from Hillary Clinton to Luciano Pavarotti – the event turned into a massive farewell on the streets of London in which two and a half million people gathered. The farewell was broadcast on television and followed by more than 32 million Britons.
#Elton #John #sang #funeral #Diana #Wales #express #request #Dean #Westminster