Studio Album · No. 29
The Diving Board Songwriting Credits by Elton John
Produced by T Bone Burnett · Engineered by Jason Wormer
Holds writing credit on 15 of 15 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 15 / 15 documented
Scored across the 15 tracks with documented writers, by whether Elton John carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 15 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
The Diving Board strips Elton John's sound back to piano, bass, and drums, with John composing the music and Bernie Taupin writing all the lyrics. Produced by T Bone Burnett, it was praised as a late-career return to a rawer, song-focused style.
The Diving Board is the twenty-ninth studio album by Elton John, released in September 2013 on Mercury Records and produced by T Bone Burnett. Recorded with Burnett's characteristically stripped-down approach (piano, bass, drums, and very little else), the album stripped away decades of studio embellishment to present Elton's songwriting at its most direct and unadorned. The result was praised by critics as one of the most honest and searching albums of his career, a meditation on aging, regret, and artistic legacy that benefited enormously from its sparse production. Songs like 'Oscar Wilde Gets Out' and 'The Diving Board' demonstrated that Elton and Taupin remained capable of complex, emotionally resonant songwriting more than four decades into their partnership. The Diving Board was hailed as a late-career triumph that suggested a final creative peak rather than a gentle decline.
Track Listing & Credits 15 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Oceans Away
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 2 |
Oscar Wilde Gets Out
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 3 |
A Town Called Jubilee
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 4 |
The Ballad of Blind Tom
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 5 |
Dream #1
|
Not documented | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Piano) |
| 6 |
My Quicksand
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 7 |
Can't Stay Alone Tonight
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 8 |
Voyeur
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 9 |
Home Again
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 10 |
Take This Dirty Water
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 11 |
Dream #2
|
Not documented | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Piano) |
| 12 |
The New Fever Waltz
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 13 |
Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |
| 14 |
Dream #3
|
Not documented | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Piano) |
| 15 |
The Diving Board
|
Bernie Taupin | Elton John | T Bone Burnett | Elton John (Lead Vocals, Piano) |