Candle in the Wind

Goodbye England's rose

May you ever grow in our hearts

You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
You called out to our country
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to heaven
And the stars spell out your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall you
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your legend never will

Loveliness we've lost
These empty days without your smile
This torch we'll always carry
For our nation's golden child
And even though we try
The truth brings us to tears
All our words cannot express
The joy you brought us through the years

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall you
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your legend never will

Goodbye England's rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
Goodbye England's rose
From a country lost without your soul
Who'll miss the wings of your compassion
More than you'll ever know

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And you footsteps will always fall you
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your legend never will

Elton John's Princess Diana version of the song Candle in the Wind, as performed at her funeral on the 6th of September, 1997. Music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin. Adapted from a song originally written in 1973 as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

There are a lot of differences between the two versions of the lyrics, the most notable one perhaps being the line "Even when you died, the press still hounded you", which (though apt) was changed in the Princess Diana version to "Even though we try, the truth still brings us to tears". This perhaps signifies that John and Taupin were hesitant to represent Diana's death in too negative a light considering she had only died a week before the song was performed, whereas Monroe had died roughly 12 years before the original version of the song. The length of time between Diana's death and the lyrics being written affects the sensitivity of the representation as there is a sense that the history of that moment was still being written at the time of Princess Diana's funeral, and there is also the fact that John conceived and performed this version of the song for Diana's family and peers at the funeral service - a context that would require some delicacy.

The time that passed between Monroe's death and the 1973 version of Candle of the Wind allows for a less sensitive commentary as it was written for a wider immediate audience (Elton John's commercial audience... in other words, his fans and the record-buying public). The time that had passed also meant that significant investigation had gone into Monroe's death and her status as a pop-culture icon had grown exponentially in light of her enigmatic death.

The central premise of the lyrics in both versions of the song is the idea that Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe will be remembered by history for a long time beyond their lifetimes. The public's perception of them outshines their mortality, and their legacy lives on despite their untimely deaths. There are other, superficial comparisons to be made (both were shy and slightly unknowable blondes worshipped for their style), but ultimately it is the impact that they have had on our immediate cultural history (and the media's relationship with them) that has made them enduring legends. Elton John and Bernie Taupin have also contributed to this iconography directly by immortalising them through pop music, making the song Candle in the Wind subtly metafictive.


Here are the original lyrics for the Marilyn Monroe version for further comparison...

Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did

Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did

Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
Goodbye Norma Jean
From the young man in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did