Well I don’t even know if it’s Cleveland or Maine.
The building’s as big, and the room’s just the same.
And the TV don’t work, and the french fires are cold.
And room service closed ’bout an hour ago.
Birthday boy Elton John, 67 today, wrote those lyrics to a little “life on the road” gem called “Holiday Inn.” Those words weren’t included in the version that appeared on his 1971 “Madman Across the Water” LP. Perhaps he feared a lawsuit from the famous motel chain?
Here’s the 24-year-old pre-flamboyant Elton singing the song on a live 1971 BBC broadcast.
The only thing missing from that live rendition is Davey Johnstone’s mandolin work, which makes the album cut (below) even more beautiful. This is one of my all-time favorite Elton songs.
© Dana Spiardi, March 25, 2014
I actually think the verse you quote that was left off was a good choice — because it changes the tenor of the song. As recorded on “Madman,” the song comes off as a charming — albeit naive — take by an up-and-coming singer who’s beginning to enjoy the trappings of stardom. He’s impressed by everything — even a mediocre hotel chain — because it’s a big step up from where he’s been. But once the quoted verse is included, the song changes from being charming to being a predictable put-down, which isn’t nearly as interesting. In fact, I can imagine someone — if not Elton or Bernie themselves — recommending that the verse be removed for that very reason. Does that make sense?
Hi Tom. Sorry for the delay in responding to you comment. Thanks for reading my blog article. I appreciate your perspective on the Holiday Inn tune. I never thought of it that way. Well, Elton and Bernie were pros and I’m sure they thought carefully about the way lyrics are perceived and how they change the tone of the article. Bernie was a real poet. When Holiday Inn pops on my song shuffle, it’s one of the songs I never skip over. I love that mandolin. Thanks again for finding my blog!
“The hotel chain threatened to sue; the original lyric was “you ain’t seen nothing till you’ve been/in a motel hell” – Bernie Taupin, 2022