Dear Elaine
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| "Dear Elaine" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Roy Wood | ||||
| from the album Boulders | ||||
| B-side | "Songs of Praise" | |||
| Released | 11 August 1973 | |||
| Genre | Baroque pop | |||
| Length | 4:09 | |||
| Label | Harvest Records (HAR 5074) | |||
| Songwriter | Roy Wood | |||
| Producer | Roy Wood | |||
| Roy Wood singles chronology | ||||
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"Dear Elaine" is a song written and produced by Roy Wood. It was first released on Wood's July 1973 debut solo album, Boulders,[1] before being issued as a single on 11 August 1973.[2] Wood played all of the musical instruments on the recording, as well as supplying lead and multi-tracked backing vocals.[3] The song was globally published by Essex Music International, Inc. (ASCAP).[4]
The track reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart.[5] The single remained in the UK chart for eight weeks.[5][6]
"Dear Elaine" was a "semi-classical" experimental pop song reminiscent of Pink Floyd and Queen.[7] It featured a slow tempo, with Wood singing with acoustic guitar, French horns and bass, alongside sporadic usage of Wood's multitracked choir.[8]
In 1994, Wood stated, "Even though we didn't actually record it as the Move, I had already written "Dear Elaine", which I subsequently put on the Boulders solo album. I thought that was probably the best song I'd written at that time".[9]
The track has appeared on numerous compilation albums,[10][11] including Wood's own Singles (1993, Connoisseur Records).[12] The track is still played on national radio, with BBC Radio airing it in January 2019.[13]