Philadelphia Freedom (song) honour Billie Jean King, and so asked Taupin to write a song called "Philadelphia Freedom" as a homage to her tennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. In "His Song: The Musical History of Elton John", Elizabeth Rosenthal recounts that Taupin said, "I can't write a song about tennis," and did not. Taupin maintains that the lyrics bear no relation to tennis, Philly Soul, or even flag-waving patriotism. Nonetheless, the lyrics have been interpreted as patriotic and uplifting, and even though it was released in 1975, the song's sentiment, intentionally or not, meshed perfectly with an American music audience gearing up for
1975 Virginia Slims of San Francisco 1975 Virginia Slims of San Francisco The 1975 Virginia Slims of San Francisco, was a women's tennis tournament that took place on indoor carpet courts at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco in the United States. It was the fifth edition of the event, which was part of the Virginia Slims Circuit, and was held from January 6 through January 11, 1975. The final was watched by 6,346 spectators who saw first-seeded Chris Evert win the singles title, earning $15,000 first-prize money. Chris Evert defeated Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–1 Chris Evert / Billie Jean King defeated Rosemary Casals /