I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That

Album

Single

Label

MCA Records

Genre

Rock

Composer(s)

Elton John;Bernie Taupin

Entered Chart

Jun 18, 1988

Peak Date

Aug 27, 1988

Released

1988

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

MCA 53345

B-Side

Rope Around A Fool

Elton's highest-charting US hit of the '80s, "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" finds him lambasting a straying lover. The lyric is one of the more straightforward written by Elton's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Of note is that Elton sings it from the perspective of a man being cheated on by a woman: "If you wanna spread it around sister that's just fine." When he recorded this song, Elton was still married to a woman (Renate Blauel), and had not come out as gay. The song has a lot of significance for Elton not so much for its subject matter, but for where it fits on his timeline. He was doing copious amounts of cocaine at the time, and in his words, "headed for the abyss." As his current hit, he performed the song at many concerts; Elton says that he always left his personal life behind when he faced an audience, but had to deal with his demons as soon as he left the stage. Like many of Elton's videos, the clip for this one was directed by Russell Mulcahy, and did very well on MTV. Elton performed the song at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards. A 7:20 Dance remix by Shep Pettibone was released as a 12" single.

I've always said that one's enough to love
Now I hear you're bragging one is not enough
Something tells me you're not satisfied
You got plans to make me one of four or five

I guess this kind of thing's just in your blood
But you won't catch me carving up my love
I ain't no puzzle piece that needs to fit
If it takes more than me let's call it quits

[Chorus]
Cause I don't want to go on with you like that
Don't want to be a feather in your cap
I just want to tell you honey I ain't mad
But I don't want to go on with you like that

It gets so hard sometimes to understand
This vicious circle's getting out of hand
Don't need an extra eye to see
That the fire spreads faster in a breeze

[Chorus]

No I don't want to go on with you like that
One more set of boots on your welcome mat
You'll just have to quit them if you want me back
cause I don't want to go on with you like that

Oh if you want to spread it around sister that's just fine
But I don't want no second hand feeding me lines
If you want to hold someone in the middle of the night
Call out the guards, turn out the light