Artist:Elton John & Kiki DeeSong:Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Album:The Best Of Kiki Dee
The idea behind the 1976 chart topper Don't Go Breaking My Heart was that Kiki Dee was recording for Elton John's label Rocket Records and they thought if she recorded a duet with the boss, it would launch her to stardom. The song did great but Kiki Dee was never a star. She was born Pauline Matthews Mar. 6, 1947 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. In the 60s, she was a session singer backing up Dusty Springfield among others. Veteran songwriter Mitch Murray named her Kiki Dee. In 1968, her album Kiki Dee was released by Fontana and didn't sell. Then she signed with Motown and her 1970 album Great Expectations went nowhere. She returned to sessions until she signed with Rocket Records in 1973. Her English version of the Veronique Sanson classic Amoureuse was her first chart single in England. Then I've Got The Music In Me reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Her album was produced by Elton John's producer Gus Dudgeon. The album charted in England but not in the US. It was decided that a duet with the boss might be just the thing to make Kiki a star. Elton John & Bernie Taupin wrote Don't Go Breaking My Heart under the pseudonyms Ann Orson & Carte Blanche. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was a worldwide hit. It was not released on an Elton John album so you had to buy Kiki's album to get the song. It didn't help her. Subsequent singles and albums did not do well and Kiki was never a star. She recorded for Ariola and EMI Columbia in the 80s and performed Don't Go Breaking My Heart with Elton John on Live Aid in 1985. But I think it's safe to say that Kiki Dee's career did not live up to expectations. You can get Don't Go Breaking My Heart on several Elton John comps. But EMI in England has released a Kiki Dee comp that also contains I've Got The Music In Me. Kiki Dee still performs in England today but she should have been a much bigger star. Here's the video for Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John & Kiki Dee.
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