<P> "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a ballad performed by musician Elton John . Lyrics for the song were written by Bernie Taupin and the music composed by John for his album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road . Its musical style and production were heavily influenced by 1970s soft rock . It was widely praised by critics, and some critics have named it John's best song . </P> <P> The song was released in 1973 as the album's second single, and entered the Top Ten in both the United Kingdom and the United States . It was one of John's biggest hits, and surpassed the previous single, "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", in sales and popularity quickly following its release . In the US, it was certified Gold on 4 January 1974 and Platinum on 13 September 1995 by the RIAA . </P> <P> The Yellow Brick Road is an image taken from the 1939 film adaptation of Lyman Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz . In that film, Dorothy and her three misfit friends are instructed to follow the yellow brick road in search of the Wizard of Oz, only to find that they had what they were looking for all along . The road leads to the Emerald City in the land of Oz, often referred to as a metaphor for "The road that leads to life's fantasies" or "The road that leads to life's answers ." The lyrics describe wanting to go back to a simpler existence after living what the narrator thought was the good life, but realizing he had simply been treated like a pet . </P> <P> The Wizard of Oz was reportedly the first film that Elton John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin had ever seen, and he used the imagery in the lyrics relating to his own life as his desire to "get back to (his) roots". </P>

What do the lyrics to yellow brick road mean