John, Elton - Young Gifted And Black Lyrics

It's hilarious that so many people don't think this is Elton John. It absolutely is.

This is another " duet " with Elton John and Clare Torry....the engineer at Mayfair studio in South Molton Street was John Hudson and the cover album was arranged and produced by Alan Caddy.

en francais : "bel enfant noir " christine lebail

Not so rare now that the most popular version on youtube is this one (incorectly labelled as the Bob and Marcia version)

What the hell is this??🤣🤣

Complete nonsense. (smh)

Old white and gay

" bel enfant noir " par christine lebail en francais

Back then we did not have compilation albums by the original artists and so there were cheap albums of compilations by unknowns basically trying to copy the chart hit. So Elton was just an unknown jobbing singer here hired to copy the original. I guess the label dug them out later and still had the rights to release it.

This track, recorded at Mayfair Sound Studios, South Molton Street, was the same session when Elton John and Clare Torry did a couple of duets,. The other being Good Morning Freedom.
On that particular " cover album " Clare Torry also sang backing vocals on most of the other tracks.

That's Bob Andy & Marcia Griffiths

Great version elton

Gosh ! Guess what ?? The girl singer with Elton John on this cover version is Clare Torry who later did loads of backing vocals for the likes of Alan Parson Project, Max Bygraves, Peggy Lee, The Geoff Love Orchestra, Roland Shaw, and Phil Woods.

And Pink Floyd!

Awesome song, but he is only 1 of those adjectives...

Elton John likes his guys young "gifted" and black :D

Hehe lmao✌🏾😂😂😂😂

When/what year did Elton sing/cover this song?

It tells you on the cover 1970

+Brian A Cunningham oh shit...you are right.
Wow. I am blind.
Thank you.

Hehe don't worry about it we all have a blonde moment 😜😜😜😜😜hehe

This song has been stuck in my head for a week now. lol. I love how Elton is singing about being black. it's just so original (even though I believe this is a cover). Haven't found a better version. 

Yeh I looked it up on the net & it said the song wasn't released till the 80’s, but I still like it & the reasons behind why he recorded it😜😜😜

+Brian A Cunningham: the original was done by nina simone. this version is a cover of a
version by bob and marcia, a huge hit in england. at the time, elton
john (as reginald dwight) worked for a record label which recorded
knock-off versions of hit records released as a budget compilation
album. their slogan was "see if you can tell the difference".

@sdh568 WOW, Precise info right there. Thank you for the wonderful insight. :-)

Nicky Thomas sang this too...great reggae singer...

I think this is the worst cover tbh, but I like the meaning behind it. I say that because out if Donny, Nina, and Aretha this is simply garbage to compare to them. But it shows that we are culturally significant. So with that, goodbye

I didn't know Elton released this. I'm really happy about it.

Me too!! LOL I had no clue this excited but now I'm pretty excited! Haha

Wanna bet ?

I remember this version as a primary school boy but I am just learning it is Elton John's!

This is not their version LOL

Yes it is

I recognise the voice of Elton John in this song

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Its bob and marcia!

This is not Elton John!

Yes it is. He isn't the only singer on this though. But he is in there quite frequently.

In the days when Elton John and Clare Torry were in the need of a few bob...they honed their trade singing cover versions for Alan Caddy,
Recorded mostly at Mayfair Sound Studio in South Moulton Street........

The only track that Elton did that I like. :)

its sounds like the original! Well done Elton!

I liked Elton when he was black,never been a fan since.

Just been brought here by Danny Baker on Radio London.

It sound like the original Marcia vocal track, but that's not Bob Andy. It's, yep, Elton John

love this version as well as BOB+Marcias but the only version too listen to is DR.NINA SIMONES as upbeat as it sounds it carried amessage please listen to her vresion

It is Elton John. Check out browningbbw's channel for the Bob & Marcia version.

It is not Bob and Marcia. It is Elton John and Dana Gillespie working as anonymous session singers for low-budget compilations issued in the UK.

It is not Bob & Marcia

This is not Bob and Marcia!

What the F, get it right or don't do it. I refused to play it coz no matter what artist, you've got to be black to sing this, and then I thought let me hear this, and its not even him. Correct your uploads, coz its miss information

This was an Avenue Records recording session track that was done before his first album made it big. He never got credit for the vocals and this song features Dana Gillespie as duet. The same song was done with David Byron of Uriah Heep fame replacing Elton.

this is not Mr.John

Elton John has voice and sound alike. idiot. it is Elton John Gay.

This is Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths version of this classic, It is not Elton John

@eddiehead64
Might well be. But doubtful. When (not-yet Sir) Elton recorded this, he was doing covers for money. It was common practice for UK record companies to avoid paying fees to the original artists by having unknown studio musicians record sound-alike versions of hit songs.
Anyway, some of the haters on this thread would do well to remember the last lines of Border Song:
"There's a man over there.
What's his color? I don't care ...
He's my brother. Let us live in peace."

I didn't even know elton John was black. Fair play to him

LOLOL Best comment ever

Non african person can sing the young gifted and black little boi.

It's definitely Elton singing the male vocals,the backing vocals are from the original song..................still a brilliant song..

I have this album, but this track is not on it.

this isn't elton john it's bob and marcia

it's different. Elton John has sound aliked.

WOW!! I have more respect for Elton now than I had before. Not quite like Aretha's, but I like it though -- very catchy. WOW!!

nice job Elton.As a real proper skinhead from the days of this song I can tell you he captured the feel and sound.Unless you was around in the day you just don't understand.

nice job Elton.As a real proper skinhead from the days of this song I can tell you he captured the feel and sound.Unless you was around in the day you just don't understand.

When Elton did this cover in 1970 black race riots were still ripping America apart and to be gay in the UK had only just been legalised although hatred towards gays was still very much evident in the general population. It may sound silly today for somewhere like EJ to record this but back then, his message was clearly one of peace, tolerance and understanding. Now, in 2011, it's clearly evident that people are still as hateful and intolerant of others judging by some comments made here.

That's Bob Andy & Marcia Griffiths

No. It's Elton John singing it when he was a session singer for a LP that covered hits of the day.

Whut! Gwaarn!

@massadainty Get over yourself. you are obviously a bitter, unhappy person who cops out by blaming others who act or think differently from you. You are every bit as much a racist as Strom Thurmond and George Wallace...

Some black assholes (and pussies) were quite enjoyable; other assholes, such as you, arent. So go read the Final Call and whip yourself up into a frenzy. The world doesn't care, and either do i.

More like old fat and gay.. :) Ninas version 4 life....

Isn't this Marcia Griffith singing? Not Elton John?

I really find some people's views ridiculous. Because someone is white, he/she cannot sing about people of another race? How limiting! How absurd! Elton knows what prejudice and discrimination and hate are like! That qualifies him to join the struggle for ANY HUMAN BEING on this planet. This ridiculous idea that he does not do the song justice because he is white! How absurd!

why does this sound like the one sung by bob and marcia.................

Thanks for posting this rare song

Rare? I posted this song over two years ago. It has over twenty times as many views as your post.

If you listen to the song, he never sings as though he's a black person. In fact, the lyrics, when sung by a white person, take on another dimension. Stevie Wonder has a song about looking in the mirror and picking himself apart, which he clearly cannot do. But that's not the point of the song. The *song* is the point of the song.

Where the video to this?.. Does he wear blackface?

Some songs should probably be off limits to singers for obvious reasons. e.g. I love "Sister Golden Hair," but I wouldn't cover it, or Elton's "Blue Eyes," - especially if the song made reference to me being white, since I'm not. In all fairness to sir Elton, this was before Donny's great recording, and in '69, '70 Elton was doing great original songs with soul. This one though sound like some bad Chinese kung Fu flick muzak.

I dont care what yoour talking about indian shit. it's still Elton John. not just black sings this song.

One more small point: I have had to deal with race issues; although I am white, I was engaged to a black woman, and we got all kinds of weird and racist treatment from others because we were of different skin colors. I got into fights defending her color and her honor, because I saw in her the most beautiful woman I had ever known, not a "black" woman. She was DEFINITELY young, gifted and black... :)

Revolutionary, what you say is true, no doubt, about not having to deal with these things. Had you said that earlier, we wouldnt be having a heated conversation. Maybe it was obvious to you, but it involves assuming things I've learned not to assume. And Elton John HAS had to deal witn institutionalized homophobia, so he CAN understand unfair treatment. If I pulled the "race card" inappropriately, I apologize. But you can't assume things here. Let's just agree to disagree. Peace...

@Revolutionary36 what makes you think he doesn't understand? just cuz he's not black? That's rather narrow-minded, and, yes, racist. It's interesting how people hurl the word "truth" around as if they have the only understanding of it. I suggest you get off your soapbox about who can sing a song and who can't.

@Revolutionary36 so let me get this straight...white folks can't sing this song? now THAT is racism! have u ever heard of tributes, compliments, kudos, props, or any other kind of giving an influence a big old "THANK YOU"? Some of my biggest influences musically were Nina Simone, Billy Preston, Tina Turner, Burning Spear, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and many others. So I couldn't sing their songs? Look in the mirror before you go hurling potentially racist invective...

Although is not half as god as the original i must admit i like it. Love El.ton you are a legend.

Not that bad, give the guy some credit. Pretty decent in fact. Go on Reg!!

These cover versions were recorded around 1970 usually at Mayfair Sound Studios and produced by Alan Caddy ( of the Tornados ). Sir Elton is joined here by Clare Torry

These cover versions were recorded in around 1970 and produced by Alan Caddy who was in The Tornados.
Sir Elton is joined on this track by a very young Clare Torry