One of the most touching moments of Princess Diana’s funeral was Elton John’s performance of a Bernie Taupin rewrite of his 1973 homage to Marilyn Monroe, candle in the wind. The song became one of the best-selling singles in history, and it’s also a timeless ballad that will always have a special place in people’s hearts.
The original “Candle in the Wind” was written by Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin to pay tribute to Marilyn Monroe, whom they wrote about not so much as the flim star but the sensitive person damaged by her success. It opened with the words, “Goodbye Norma Jean”, and in the lyrics it talked about how a woman would hold herself despite all of the things that she was being told to change about herself — she’d say, “I never knew you at all.”
After the death of Diana, John was asked by the royal family to perform the song for her funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. He and Taupin rewrote the lyrics to become a poignant, emotionally stirring song about the impact of the princess’s life on the world.
But the song was initially stymied by Buckingham Palace, according to newly released government documents. The Dean of Westminster, Dr Wesley Carr, sent a letter to the palace urging them to allow Sir Elton to perform the song, which was described as a crucial moment in the service and a chance for “boldness”, or something of the modern world that Diana represented.