The song from Elton John's 1970 self-titled album later covered by Aretha Franklin was “Border Song.” Elton John wrote the music, while Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics, and the track became the album's first single.
Released in March 1970, “Border Song” was recorded at London's Trident Studios. Its melody has been compared with a spiritual, and the arrangement includes a choir alongside John's piano-led performance. The song's themes of alienation, prejudice, and spiritual searching give it a more reflective character than many of John's later pop hits.
The single was John's first song to chart in Canada and his first to appear on the U.S. charts, where it reached No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100. Aretha Franklin recorded her own version with “Holy Moses” added parenthetically to the title, reflecting a repeated phrase in the song. Her recording reached No. 37 in the United States and later closed her 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black. John and Franklin also performed the song together on a 1993 television special.