On June 17, 1967 an advertisement appeared in the New Musical Express, the famed British pop music weekly. Tucked inside, behind The Monkees on the cover and among stories and reviews of The Rolling Stones, The Small Faces and others, the ad reads “Liberty Wants Talent.”

The man who placed the ad was Ray Williams. On receiving applications from 20-year-old Reg Dwight and 17-year-old Bernie Taupin, Williams noticed their dovetail talents and launched one of the the greatest songwriting partnerships in history.

The song’s lyrics were originally credited to Bernie Taupin, although Elton later admitted that he had written the entire song himself.

On October 27 1969, Elton “didn’t do anything” apart from writing the song that would change his life and career forever.

Your Song was released a year later, on 1970’s album Elton John, and has been described as “near-perfect”. It is certified platinum in the USA, has been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify and is considered by Rolling Stone as one of the Greatest Songs of All Time.