High Flying Bird - Elton John (1973) video free download

You wore a little cross of gold around your neck

I saw it as you flew between my reason

Like a raven in the night time when you left

I wear a chain upon my wrist that bears no name

You touched it and you wore it

And you kept it in your pillow all the same

My high-flying bird has flown from out my arms

I thought myself her keeper

She thought I meant her harm

She thought I was the archer

A weather man of words

But I could never shoot down

My high-flying bird

The white walls of your dressing room are stained in scarlet red

You bled upon the cold stone like a young man

In the foreign field of death

Wouldn't it be wonderful is all I heard you say

You never closed your eyes at night and learned to love daylight

Instead you moved away

"High Flying Bird" was released on Elton John's sixth album, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, in late 1973. This was Elton's second straight #1 album in the US and yielded his first #1 single in both the US and Canada: "Crocodile Rock". "Daniel" was another huge hit from the album, though not quite reaching the heights of the first single.

"High Flying Bird" has always been one of my favorite Elton John songs and has now become my 3rd detour (after "Curtains" and "Bite Your Lip (Get Up And Dance!)" from my video series I've been working on for the songs from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. I wish I could complete my intended comprehensive work on that series before moving on to other Elton songs....but it's difficult as there are just so many Elton John tracks that are special to me...already playing with my next non-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road "distraction" ("Hard Luck Story")! But for those interested enough, I'm still planning on finishing the GBYBR project.

I think Elton John is one of the most incredible musicians in history, his vocals and piano are extraordinary. Listening to some of these songs as I make the videos, it's just amazing the amount of detail that went into his work, the production on his records, the arrangements.....everything is just so wonderfully well realized.

For this video, the most difficult thing was trying to find one main image to use for the "High Flying Bird" reference. I searched quite awhile and nothing quite fit, either too modern or too old. Tried with the Jennifer Love Hewitt pic (retained in the movie poster on on the album cover images...just too beautiful NOT to use! LOL!), which was very nice but not quite right. I finally stumbled across an image that I knew instantly would be perfect, the album cover from an album (Colour Green) by Sibylle Baier, a German folk singer and actress whose musical abilities achieved belated recognition with the 2006 release of the album Colour Green, compiled from songs she had recorded in the early 1970s. I haven't heard the album (though I now must!), but the photograph used on the cover was so beautiful and captivating, if the music's anything like it, it should be very nice. Thank you Sibylle!

Anyway, as usual.....hope you enjoy the effort! Please check out a few of the other Elton John videos I've made:

"Candle In The Wind"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK1XlMsTgmM

"Curtains"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch73A5Ticgw

"Daniel"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vin-E1KFWhU

"Dirty Little Girl"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cCkiOl3hAY

"Roy Rogers"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2yRASZqKeM

"Bite Your Lip (Get Up And Dance!)" Version 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0utr4NLLh58

"Bite Your Lip (Get Up And Dance!)" Version 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu3PMoE2J24