Today’s classic song of the day is “Levon” by Elton John. Like all the best Elton John songs, this one was written by Elton (music) and his long-time collaborator, Bernie Taupin (words). “Levon” was the second track on side one of Elton’s 1971 album, Madman Across the Water and was released as a single in November of that year. It peaked early the next year at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100, although it’s had an extremely long life on classic rock stations.
“Levon” is generally regarded as one of Mr. John’s signature songs. It’s about three generations of a family: grandfather Alvin Tostig, his son Levon, and Levon’s son, Jesus. Levon makes his money (and a lot of it, they say) selling cartoon balloons in town; Jesus is disillusioned with his life of blowing up those balloons all day and dreams of flying away to Venus, while his father Levon slowly dies. It’s a story of family traditions and expectations and how they can stifle the very life out of a person. As the chorus goes:
He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas Day
When the New York Times said, “God is dead
And the war’s begun”
Oh, Alvin Tostig has a son todayAnd he shall be Levon
And he shall be a good man
And he shall be Levon
In tradition with the family plan
And he shall be Levon
And he shall be a good man
He shall be Levon
As terrific as the song itself is, it’s the arrangement and production that elevate “Levon” to the next level, in particular the accompanying strings which punctuate and support the lyrics. The strings were arranged by Paul Buckmaster, who also conducted the orchestra. That orchestra gives “Levon” a majestic feel that is still powerful five decades on.
Buckmaster did string arrangements for a large number of major artists over the years. His work includes arrangements for David Bowie (“Space Oddity”), Harry Nilsson (“Without You”), Carly Simon (“You’re So Vain” and “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain”), Celine Dion (“Falling Into You”), Train (“Drops of Jupiter”), Taylor Swift (“Back to December”), and more. Buckmaster’s arrangements, especially his later ones, are distinctive and evoke memories of his work on “Levon,” full of syncopated hits and supportive countermelodies. He passed away in 2017, aged 71.
Madman Across the Water may be Elton John’s best album; it’s my second favorite, after the earlier Tumbleweed Connection. “Levon” and “Tiny Dancer” were the big hits, but the album itself only hit #8 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. That made it one of Elton’s lowest-charting albums in the ’70s, although time has proved it one of his most important overall.
