A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by English musician Elton John.

Released in 1978, it is the first album for which Gary Osborne replaced Bernie Taupin as lyricist. It is also the first of two (the second being Victim of Love) John albums that, on the original cut, have no tracks co-written by Taupin.

Production

A Single Man is the first of Elton John's albums to not include work by lyricist Bernie Taupin, and the first since his debut Empty Sky without producer Gus Dudgeon. The returning members of the Elton John Band are percussionist Ray Cooper and guitarist Davey Johnstone; the latter played on only one song on the album. Paul Buckmaster would not appear on another Elton John album until Made in England. Unlike previous compositions in which lyrics came first, John started writing melodies at a piano, and an album unintentionally came about from this. This is also John's first album on which he sings in a lower register. "Song for Guy" was written as a tribute to Guy Burchett, a young messenger employed by John's record label Rocket Records, who was killed in a motorcycle accident.

The staff and players of Watford Football Club, of which John was chairman at the time, provide backing vocals on "Big Dipper" and "Georgia". Also featured on these tracks are the backing vocals of the female staff from Rocket Records, credited as 'The South Audley Street Girls' Choir'.

The photo for the front cover was taken in the Long Walk, which is part of Windsor Great Park in Berkshire. The inside cover shows John in a Jaguar XK140 FHC. John stopped wearing his trademark glasses in public for a period during the late 1970s, and the album photo reflects this.

Release

The album was released on 27 October 1978 by MCA in America, and by Rocket in the UK. Singles from the album were "Part-Time Love", October 1978; "Song for Guy", December 1978; and "Return to Paradise", February 1979. "Song for Guy" was a near-global success, charting high everywhere except the US and Canada, where John's label, MCA Records, initially refused to release it, though the single was eventually released there in March 1979.

A Single Man was John's first album ever to be officially released in the former USSR, though his previous releases had been smuggled into the country in various forms. It was released following the success of his A Single Man in Concert shows in Moscow and Leningrad, though it differed in two ways from its release elsewhere. Firstly, the album was re-titled Poyot Elton John ["Elton John sings"\ Поет Элтон Джон in Russian]. Secondly, both "Big Dipper" and "Part-Time Love" were removed, due to the subject matter of the songs. Curiously, John had performed "Part-Time Love" at the USSR shows without objection from Soviet officials.

Musicians

• Elton John – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 8), piano (1, 4, 11), acoustic piano (2, 3, 5–7, 9, 10), clavinet (3), harmonium (7), church organ (7), Fender Rhodes (8); Mellotron, synthesizer, ARP synthesizer and Solina String Synthesizer (11)
• Tim Renwick – acoustic guitar (2, 3), electric guitar (4–6, 9), Leslie guitar (7), mandolin (7)
• Davey Johnstone – lead guitar (6), backing vocals (6)
• B.J. Cole – pedal steel guitar (7)
• Clive Franks – bass guitar (1–7, 9, 11)
• Herbie Flowers – bass guitar (8)
• Steve Holley – drums (1–9), motor horn (4)
• Ray Cooper – tambourine (1, 3–7, 9), marimba (2), shaker (2, 8, 11), vibraphone (5), congas (6, 9), timpani (9), wind chimes (11), rhythm box (11)
• John Crocker – clarinet (4), tenor saxophone (8)
• Jim Shepherd – trombone (4)
• Henry Lowther – trumpet (2)
• Patrick Halcox – trumpet (4)
• Paul Buckmaster – orchestra arrangements (1, 3, 5, 6, 9), arrangements (2), ARP synthesizer (10)
• Gary Osborne – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 6)
• Vicki Brown – backing vocals (3, 6)
• Stevie Lange – backing vocals (3, 6)
• Joanne Stone – backing vocals (3, 6)
• Chris Thompson – backing vocals (3, 6)
• The South Audley Street Girl's Choir – backing vocals (4, 7)
• Watford Football Club – backing vocals (4, 7)

Production

• Producers – Clive Franks and Elton John
• Supervising producer – Mike Gill
• Engineers – Phil Dunne, Stuart Epps, Clive Franks and Peter Mew
• Mixing – Phil Dunne, Stuart Epps and Clive Franks
• Mastered by Ian Cooper at Utopia Studios (London, UK)
• Digital remastering – Gus Dudgeon
• Coordination – David Croker and Alex Foster
• Sleeve design – David Costa
• Graphic design – Mike Storey
• Photography – Terry O'Neill
• Liner editor – John Tobler
• Liner notes – Chris White