To cope with the grief, John wanted to pay a tribute to Diana. In his autobiography, "Me", John says he had a phone call from Richard Branson who said that many of those writing in the Book of Condolence at St James Palace were quoting the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind". Branson asked John if he would rewrite the lyrics and sing them at the funeral. John believed that Branson had been contacted by the Spencer family. John contacted his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, asking him to revise the lyrics of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind" to honour her. George Martin was contacted to help produce the song, and added a string quartet (Peter Manning, Keith Pascoe, Levine Andrade, and Andrew Shulman), and woodwind (Pippa Davies, flute and oboe) to help balance the recording. It was recorded at Townhouse Studios in West London, immediately following the funeral.