The One is the twenty-third studio album by British musician Elton John, released on 22 June 1992. It was recorded at Studio Guillaume Tell in Paris, produced by Chris Thomas and managed by John Reid. The album was dedicated to Vance Buck, and its cover artwork was designed by Gianni Versace.
The One spent three consecutive weeks at No. 2 without reaching No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, being kept off the top spot by the Lionel Richie compilation Back to Front. It was John's biggest-selling album in the US since 1976, and was certified 2× platinum in that country by the RIAA. It is also John's only studio album to reach number one in Germany.
Background Olle Romö collaborated with Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin on one song, "Runaway Train", in which Eric Clapton sang a duet with John. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour also made an appearance, playing guitar on "Understanding Women". The Elton John Band's long-standing drummer Nigel Olsson and female backing vocalist Kiki Dee (who had duetted with John on his hit single "Don't Go Breaking My Heart") and longtime guitarist Davey Johnstone provided backing vocals on a few songs.
The One was John's first album project since his rehabilitation from drug and alcohol addictions and bulimia in 1990. On the album, he returned to playing an acoustic piano (a Yamaha Disklavier) in place of the Roland RD-1000 digital piano that had featured heavily on the previous albums Reg Strikes Back (1988) and Sleeping with the Past (1989), although he did use the RD-1000 again during his The One Tour supporting the album (as documented on Live in Barcelona) and on his later album Duets (1993).
Track listing All songs composed by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except "Runaway Train", co-written by Olle Romö.
Personnel
Musicians Elton John – vocals, keyboards Mark Taylor – keyboards (1–3, 6, 7) Guy Babylon – keyboards (2–5, 7–11), programming (2–5, 7–11) Adam Seymour – guitars (1, 2, 6, 7) Davey Johnstone – guitars (2–5, 7–9), backing vocals (7, 9) Eric Clapton – guitar (4), vocals (4) David Gilmour – guitar (10) Pino Palladino – bass Olle Romo – drums, percussion, programming Beckie Bell – backing vocals (4) Carole Fredericks – backing vocals (4) Joniece Jamison – backing vocals (4) Kiki Dee – backing vocals (7, 9, 10) Nigel Olsson – backing vocals (7, 9)
Production Chris Thomas – producer David Nicholas – engineer Andy Strange – assistant engineer Alex Firla – studio assistant, studio assistant (4) Andy Bradfield – studio assistant (4) The Hit Factory London – cutting location Steve Brown – album coordinator Adrian Collee – studio coordinator Sam Stell – studio coordinator Lee Dixon – technician to Eric Clapton Vince Barker – technician to Mark Taylor Patrick Dermarchelier – photography Gianni Versace – cover design concept John Reid – management
Charts
Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for The One Chart (1992) PeakpositionDanish Albums (Hitlisten) 3European Albums (Music & Media) 1 French Albums (SNEP) Select Elton John from the menu, then press OK. 1Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Elton John". 1Spanish Albums (Spanish Albums Chart) 1
Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for The One Chart (1992) PositionArgentina Foreign Albums (CAPIF)12Australian Albums (ARIA) 27Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 9French Albums (SNEP) 18Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 11UK Albums Chart (OCC) 52US Billboard 200 59
Certifications
References
External links