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Written by John's long time collaborator Bernie
Taupin, the romantic ballad was the British singer's first big
hit in 1970, and remains one of his best known songs. A staple
of John's live shows, it has also been performed over the years
by singers ranging from Frank Sinatra and Petula Clark to Al
Jarreau and Lady Gaga.
Bonhams, the auction house, said on Friday that the lyrics,
written and notated in blue ink and signed B. Taupin, are the
"original, first and only draft" of the song.
They are to be sold at a Nov. 19 auction in New York by Taupin's
first wife, Maxine. Bonhams declined to give a precise estimate
but said they expected the lyrics to be sold for a six-figure
sum.
According to interviews with John in the early 1970s, once
Taupin gave him the lyrics it took the singer just 10 minutes to
come up with tune for "Your Song," which begins with the words,
"It's a little bit funny."
In 2013, John told Rolling Stone magazine that it was "a perfect
song. It gets better every time I sing it. ... I was 22 and he
was 19, and it gave us so much confidence."
Song lyrics, especially if hand written, have become sought
after items by rock memorabilia collectors. The original lyrics
for Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" sold for a record $2
million at an auction in New York in 2014.
Taupin is selling many of his other lyrics, including the
rewritten "Candle in the Wind" words for Princess Diana's London
funeral in 1997, at another auction in New York on Nov. 9.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by David Gregorio)
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