The Fox is the fifteenth studio album by British musician Elton John. It was released on 20 May 1981, through Geffen Records in the US (John's first release for the label) and The Rocket Record Company in all other territories. The album was John's first to be produced by Chris Thomas, who would go on to produce many of John's albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as well as John and Clive Franks. In addition to material written and recorded specifically for the album, multiple tracks originated from the sessions for John's previous album, 21 at 33 (1980).
As with its predecessor, The Fox contains contributions from multiple lyricists. In addition to the four songs written with longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin, the album also contains material written with Gary Osborne and Tom Robinson. The songs encompass a wide range of genres, including the synthpop of "Nobody Wins", the classical piece "Carla/Etude", and a stripped-back ballad in "Elton's Song".
Released among legal troubles with John's previous label MCA Records, The Fox was seen as a commercial slump, only reaching number 12 in the UK and number 21 in the US. "Nobody Wins" was released as the album's lead single and failed to make the top 40 in the UK, though it did reach the top 30 in the US. Reviews were tentatively positive, with many critics viewing it as an improvement from previous releases, yet not on the level of John's best work. To promote the album, music videos were created for each track and were released on a video collection entitled Visions.
Background After releasing Blue Moves in 1976, Elton John and Bernie Taupin put their writing partnership on hold, taking a break to collaborate with other lyricists/artists. John wrote the entirety of A Single Man (1978) with lyricist Gary Osborne, while the poorly received Victim of Love (1979) consisted entirely of songs by outside songwriters. In the meantime, Taupin worked with Alice Cooper; the two co-wrote the album From the Inside (1978). While in Grasse in 1979, John invited Taupin to resume their songwriting collaboration, and three John-Taupin compositions appeared on John's next album 21 at 33 (1980). Despite the reunion, John continued to work with other lyricists as well, including Osborne and fellow British songwriter Tom Robinson.
After the release of 21 at 33 John left his longtime label MCA Records and signed with Geffen Records. Upon signing with the label, John had hopes of collaborating with John Lennon, with whom he had been friends since the mid-70s, and who was also signed with Geffen Records. However, Lennon would be shot and killed on 8 December 1980.
Writing and recording
As with John's previous few albums, Clive Franks was selected to produce The Fox. However, Geffen rejected six of the songs on the completed album, and so John agreed to record new material on the condition that he could work with producer Chris Thomas, dismissing Franks. Among the songs cut was "The Man Who Never Died", an instrumental tribute to Lennon, which would later be released as the B-side to "Nikita" (1985). Franks' dismissal came as a surprise, with the producer stating the news "made [him] physically sick", and the departure led to the dissolution of John and Franks' Frank N. Stein production company. Despite this, Franks has continued to work with John, being part of his live sound crew.
Much of the lineup for The Fox remained the same as the lineup of the previous album: with lyricists Taupin, Osborne, and Robinson, and musicians from the 1970s lineup of the Elton John Band (Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray), as well as members of Toto (Steve Porcaro, Steve Lukather, and David Paich). On the material retained from the first version of the album, the rhythm section of Reggie McBride (bass) and Alvin Taylor (drums) was used. Reverend James Cleveland, along with the Cornerstone Baptist Church Choir, appeared on "Fascist Faces"; Cleveland had previously appeared on Blue Moves (1976).
Osborne has retrospectively described The Fox as "a bit of a dog's dinner", stating the material came from "all over the place", including left-over songs from 21 at 33. Writing for the album began in August 1979 in Grasse where three songs were started. "Elton's Song" is another track conceived in 1979, having been performed on John's tour of the USSR. "Breaking Down Barriers" stemmed from a 1980 BBC interview in which John was challenged to write a piece of music on the spot, building it from the poem Devotions upon Emergent Occasions by John Donne. The finished track features new lyrics by Osborne and minor alterations from its initial performance. "Nobody Wins" uses the melody of "J'Veux d'la Tendresse" by Janic Prévost, which John had heard during his time in France in the summer of 1980. Its lyrics were translated and altered by Osborne, who would later name it as his favorite out of his collaborations with John. "Carla" and "Etude" were originally two separate pieces before being merged into one track.
The skeleton versions for the three songs written in Grasse were recorded at Superbear Studios in Nice with Franks, while an instrumental segment was recorded at Davlen Studios in Los Angeles. This recording continued at Abbey Road Studios in London, where the London Symphony Orchestra recorded their part (for "Carla/Etude") on New Year's Eve of 1979. Work on the album proceeded in early 1980 at Sunset Sound Recorders, as 21 at 33 was inching towards completion; Sunset Sound was also used for the replacement tracks recorded with Thomas. Finally, Village Recorders was used to record backing vocals for three of the album's tracks. "Heart in the Right Place", "Carla/Etude", "Fanfare", "Chloe", and "Elton's Song" were retained from the first version of the album, with the rest of the material created after its initial rejection. Recording sessions were marred by a period of depression for John. Osborne later recalled a month in which he and John were located in Paris for scheduled recording sessions, which would instead be spent "play[ing] poker and [taking] drugs for a month". Compounding the bleak mood was the recent murder of Lennon; the tribute song "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" was written the day after his death and would be released on Jump Up! (1982).
Composition
The songs on The Fox span a wide variety of genres, including pop rock, blues, technopop, orchestral music, and ballads. Elizabeth Rosenthal, author of His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John, considers the overarching theme of The Fox to be one of "sadness and disappointment", accentuated by the four-part suite which she believes to be the album's centerpiece. This is contrasted with the more hopeful lyrical content of the album's bookend tracks, "Breaking Down Barriers" and the title track.
Side one
The album opens with "Breaking Down Barriers". Opening with "rapid piano arpeggiations", the track exerts what Rosenthal describes as a "blaring bravado", with a vocal performance alternating between a "barrel-sized" chest voice and a higher falsetto. She describes the song's lyrical content as being sung from the point of view of a "protagonist [who], after years of living within a mental fortress", is "finally in touch with his feelings" and "unafraid to let love enter his mind and heart". In a retrospective of the album for PopMatters, Rich Wilhelm calls the song an "engaging, piano-based rocker" while also remarking on the prominent elements of 1970s Philadelphia soul. "Heart in the Right Place" is a blues-influenced track, interpreted as a critique of the British music press and its treatment of John at the time. Wilhelm describes the lyrics as "a venomous first-person narrative about a gossip columnist" accompanied by "appropriately snarling music". "Just Like Belgium" is a more pop-based track which lyrics have been described as "wistful" and as a "breezy travelogue", centered on "memory and travel", while themes of nostalgia have also been noted. Colette Bertrand, credited in the liner notes as the "French Girl", provides a spoken part on the track.
Featuring a much more synthetic sound than the rest of the album, "Nobody Wins" has been described as "Euro-beat" and "straight-up technopop circa 1981". Rosenthal considers Osborne's lyrics to be a depiction of John's own turbulent upbringing and family life, and the lingering effects of such conflict. Featuring simple production emphasizing synthesizers and programmed drums, "Nobody Wins" sees John utilize a lower vocal register than in past work. Wilhelm considers "Fascist Faces" to be the "hardest-rocking" track on the album, while Rosenthal likens it to a "rock-gospel protest song". The song has been interpreted as a comment on "anti-Communist hysteria", with a narrator who "resents being accused of Communist sympathies". Additionally, some reviewers have suggested the song may have been written as a comment on statements regarding Fascism made by David Bowie, particularly his infamous remark that "Britain could benefit from a fascist leader". Rosenthal also notes a sense of rising tension throughout the duration of the track, culminating in a final chorus in which John, Rev. James Cleveland and his choir "sing with outrage".
Side two
The album's second side begins with the suite of "Carla/Etude" (itself made up of two pieces), "Fanfare", and "Chloe". Biographer David Buckley compares the suite to earlier works such as "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973) and "Tonight" (from Blue Moves, 1976) due to its "dynamic marriage of instrumental music and song". "Carla", named after Clive Franks' wife, is an instrumental piece featuring the London Symphony Orchestra. Rosenthal describes the track as a "simple piano lament", with the accompanying instrumentation including strings, French horn, and flute. This segues into "Fanfare", a short, synthesizer-based instrumental performed by James Newton Howard, incorporating melodic elements of the following track ("Chloe") and compared to New Age music. The final part of the suite, "Chloe", is a Fender Rhodes-laced ballad which also continues the use of orchestration (arranged by Newton Howard and Marty Paich). In an article ranking all of John's songs for Vulture, Shana Naomi Krochmal described the lyrical content as "a series of heartbroken and heartbreaking questions to a desperate lover", while Buckley notes the "confessional" tone of the words. Rosenthal considers the song to be particular downbeat and pessimistic, characterizing John's vocal delivery as being completely devoid of "any glimmer of happiness", a mood which is compounded by the "descending melody lines" and the "throaty utterance" of the name which provides the song's title at the conclusion of each verse. The name "Chloe" was a nickname for a recent partner of John's at the time (real name Charles).