Something About the Way You Look Tonight


"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is a song by Elton John, released in 1997 as the first single from his 26th studio album The Big Picture.
Later, the single was also released as a double A-side single with "Candle in the Wind 1997". That single and its video were dedicated to the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who died that year, with proceeds from the sale of the single going towards Diana's charities. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, with certified sales, this double A-side is "the best-selling single of all time". The Guinness World Records 2009 states that the song is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies".

Music video

The video for the song was directed by Tim Royes and features Elton singing and playing piano to an empty theater, as well as actors and actresses from the UK television programme This Life, as well as supermodels Kate Moss and Sophie Dahl appearing in a fashion show. Many consider it as one of Elton John's best videos. John has publicly revealed that he finds videos "fucking loathsome" and after the videos from his album The Big Picture refrained from appearing in his own videos unless they were cameo appearances.

Sales and chart positions

In the UK alone, the double A-side single with "Candle in the Wind 1997" sold over 4,930,000 copies, making the song the best-selling single ever in UK history. It remained for five weeks at the number-one position. In the US, the double A-side single spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The best-selling single in Billboard history and the only single ever certified Diamond in the US, the single sold over 11 million copies in the US. On the US adult contemporary chart, however, "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" and "Candle in the Wind 1997" charted separately; while the tribute to Princess Diana peaked at number 2 on this chart, "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" spent 10 weeks at number 1 in late 1997 and early 1998. This double-sided single holds the record for the fewest weeks in a chart year from a year-end number-one single, with as few as eight.

Critical reception

Billboard said the song is "a grandly executed ballad that washes John's larger-than-life performance in cinematic strings and whooping, choir-styled backing vocals. An instant fave for die-hards, this single will bring kids at top 40 to the table after a few spins."

Personnel

The following chart entries are for "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" as a solo single.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Canada Adult Contemporary 31