DESCRIPTION:
Side 2 track 1 from the 1975 album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy," recorded in the summer of 1974 at Caribou Ranch in Colorado, USA. Gus Dudgeon, producer. It is an autobiographical album, the songs telling the story of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's struggling years as songwriters, leading to their success in 1970. This song describes the hard hungry days they worked through.

The album debuted at #1 on the US Pop Albums chart, the first album ever to do so, and stayed there for seven weeks. Unlike Elton's previous albums, which were usually written and recorded rather quickly, "Captain Fantastic" was well-planned and labored over for several months. After receiving the lyrics from Taupin, Elton wrote the music alone on a cruise ship sailing from England to New York. Great attention and detail was given to the recording process over several weeks at Caribou Ranch. The cover art was designed by Alan Aldridge.

(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket
Words & Music by Elton John & Bernie Taupin
©1975 Big Pig Music Limited

Elton John: Vocal, Piano & Clavinet
Dee Murray: Bass Guitar & Backing Vocals
Nigel Olsson: Drums & Backing Vocals
Davey Johnstone: Guitars & Backing Vocals
Ray Cooper: Tambourine