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In terms of sales and lasting popularity, Elton John was the biggest pop superstar of the early '70s. Initially marketed as a singer/songwriter, John soon revealed he could craft Beatlesque pop and pound out rockers with equal aplomb. He could dip into soul, disco and country, as well as classic pop balladry and even progressive rock. His versatility, combined with his effortless melodic skills, dynamic charisma and flamboyant stage shows made him the most popular recording artist of the '70s. Unlike many pop stars, John was able to sustain his popularity, charting a Top 40 single every single year from 1970 to 1996. During that time, he had temporary slumps in creativity and sales, as he fell out of favor with critics, had fights with his lyricist Bernie Taupin, and battled various addictions and public scandals. But through it all, John remained a remarkably popular artist and many of his songs -- including "Your Song," "Rocket Man," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" -- became contemporary pop standards.
The son of a former Royal Air Force trumpeter, Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947. Dwight began playing piano at the age of four, and when he was 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. After studying for six years, he left school with the intention of breaking into the music business. In 1961, he joined his first band, Bluesology, and divided his time between playing with the group, giving solo concerts at a local hotel, and running errands for a London publishing house. By 1965, Bluesology were backing touring American soul and R&B musicians like Major Lance, Doris Troy and the Bluebells. In 1966, Bluesology became Long John Baldry's supporting band, and began touring cabarets throughout England. Dwight became frustrated with Baldry's control of the band and began searching for other groups to join. He failed his lead vocalist auditions both King Crimson and Gentle Giant before responding to an advertisement by Liberty Records. Though he failed his Liberty audition, he was given a stack of lyrics Bernie Taupin, who had also replied to the ad, had left with the label. Dwight wrote music for Taupin's lyrics and began corresponding with him through mail. By the time the two met six months later, Dwight had changed his name to Elton John, taking his first name from Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and his last from John Baldry.
John and Taupin were hired by Dick James to become staff songwriters at his fledgling DJM in 1968. The pair collaborated at a rapid rate, with Taupin submitting batches of lyrics -- he often wrote a song an hour -- every few weeks. John would then write music without changing the words, sometimes completing the songs in under a half hour. Over the next two years, the duo wrote songs for pop singers like Roger Cook and Lulu. In the meantime, John recorded cover versions of current hits for budget labels to be sold in supermarkets. By the summer of 1968, he had begun recording singles for release under his own name. Usually, these songs were more rock and radio-oriented than the tunes he and Taupin were giving to other vocalists, yet neither of his early singles for Phillips, "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and "Lady Samantha," sold well. In June of 1969, he released his debut album for DJM, Empty Sky, which received fair reviews, but no sales.
For his second album, John and Taupin hired producer Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster, who contributed grandiose string charts to Elton John. Released in the summer of 1970, Elton John began to make inroads in America, where it was appeared on MCA's Uni subsidiary. In August, he gave his first American concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, which received enthusiastic reviews, as well as praise from Quincy Jones and Leon Russell. Throughout the fall, Elton John continued to climb the charts on the strength of the Top 10 single, "Your Song." John followed it quickly in February 1971 with the concept album Tumbleweed Connection, which received heavy airplay on album-oriented radio in the US, helping it climb into the Top 10. The rapid release of Tumbleweed Connection established a pattern of frequent releases that John maintained throughout his career. In 1971, he released the live 11-17-70 and the Friends soundtrack, before releasing Madman Across the Water late in the year. Madman Across the Water was successful, but John achieved stardom with the followup, 1972's Honky Chateau. Recorded with his touring band -- bassist Dee Murray, drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone -- and featuring the hit singles "Rocket Man" and "Honky Cat," Honky Chateau became his first American number one album, spending five weeks at the top of the charts.
Between 1972 and 1976, Elton John and Bernie Taupin's hit-making machine was virtually unstoppable. "Rocket Man" began a four-year streak of 16 Top 20 hits in a row; out of those 16 -- including "Crocodile Rock," "Daniel," "Bennie and the Jets," "The Bitch Is Back" and "Philadelphia Freedom" -- only one, the FM hit "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," failed to reach the Top Ten. Honky Chateau began a streak of seven consecutive number one albums -- Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973), Caribou (1974), Greatest Hits (1974), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975), Rock of the Westies (1975) -- that all went platinum. John founded Rocket, a record label distributed by MCA, in 1973 in order to sign and produce acts like Neil Sedaka and Kiki Dee. John didn't become a Rocket recording artist himself, choosing to stay with MCA for a record-breaking eight million dollar contract in 1974. Later in 1974, he co-wrote John Lennon's number one comeback single, "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," and he persuaded Lennon to join him onstage at Madison Square Garden on Thanksgiving Day 1974; it would prove to be Lennon's last live performance. The following year, Captain Fantastic became the first album to enter the American charts at number one. After its release, he revamped his band, which now featured Johnstone, Quaye, Roger Pope, Ray Cooper and bassist Kenny Passarelli; Rock of the Westies was the first album to feature this lineup.
Throughout the mid-'70s, John's concerts were enormously popular, as were his singles and albums, and he continued to record and perform at a rapid pace until 1976. That year, he revealed in an interview in Rolling Stone that he was bisexual; he would later admit that the confession was a compromise, since he was afraid to reveal that he was homosexual. Many fans reacted negatively to John's bisexuality, and his audience began to shrink somewhat in the late '70s. The decline in his record sales was also due to his exhaustion. After 1976, John cut his performance schedule drastically, announcing that he was retiring from live performances in 1977 and started recording only one album a year. His relationship with Taupin became strained following the release of 1976's double-album Blue Moves, and the lyricist began working with other musicians. John returned in 1978 with A Single Man, which was written with Gary Osborne; the record produced no Top 20 singles. That year, he returned to live performances, first by jamming at the Live Stiffs package tour, then by launching a comeback tour in 1979 accompanied only by percussionist Ray Cooper. "Mama Can't Buy You Love," a song he recorded with Phillie soul producer Thom Bell in 1977, returned him to the Top Ten in 1979, but that year's Victim of Love was a commercial disappointment.
John reunited with Taupin for 1980's 21 at 33, which featured the Top 10 single "Little Jeannie." Over the next three years, John remained a popular concert artist, but his singles failed to break the Top 10, even if they reached the Top 40. In 1981, he signed with Geffen Records and his second album, Jump Up! became a gold album on the strength of "Blue Eyes" and "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)," his tribute to John Lennon. But it was 1983's Too Low for Zero that began his last great streak of hit singles, with the MTV hit "I'm Still Standing" and the Top Ten single "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues." Throughout the rest of the '80s, John's albums would consistently go gold, and they always generated at least one Top 40 single; frequently, they featured Top 10 singles like "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (1984), "Nikita" (1986), "Candle in the Wind" (1987), and " I Don't Want To Go On With You Like That" (1988). While his career continued to be successful, his personal life was in turmoil. Since the mid-'70s, he had been addicted to cocaine and alcohol, and the situation only worsened during the '80s. In a surprise move, he married engineer Renate Blauel in 1984; the couple stayed married for four years, although John later admitted he realized he was homosexual before his marriage. In 1986, he underwent throat surgery while on tour in 1986, but even after he successfully recovered, he continued to abuse cocaine and alocohol.
Following a record-breaking five-date stint at Madison Square Garden in 1988, John auctioned off all of his theatrical costumes, thousands of pieces of memorabilia and his extensive record collection through Sotheby's. The auction was a symbolic turning point. Over the next two years, John battled both his drug addiction and bulimia, undergoing hair replacement surgery at the same time. By 1991, he was sober and the following year, he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation; he also announced that he would donate all royalties from his single sales to AIDS research.
In 1992, John returned to active recording with The One. Peaking at number eight on the US charts and going double platinum, the album became his most successful record since Blue Moves, and sparked a career renaissance for John. He and Taupin signed a record-breaking publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music in 1992 for an estimated $39 million. In 1994, John collaborated with lyricist Tim Rice on songs for Disney's animated feature The Lion King. One of their collaborations, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. John's 1995 album Made In England continued his comeback, peaking at number three on the UK charts and number 13 in the US; in America, the album went platinum. The 1997 follow-up The Big Picture delivered more of the same well-crafted pop, made the Top Ten, and produced a hit in "Something About the Way You Look Tonight." However, its success was overshadowed by John's response to the tragic death of Princess Diana -- he re-recorded "Candle in the Wind" (originally a eulogy for Marilyn Monroe) as a tribute to his slain friend, with Taupin adapting the lyrics for what was planned as the B-side of "Something About the Way You Look Tonight." With the profits earmarked for Diana's favorite charities, and with a debut performance at Diana's funeral, "Candle in the Wind 1997" became the fastest-selling hit of all time in both Britain and the U.S. upon the single's release, easily debuting at number one on both sides of the Atlantic; with first-week sales of over three million copies in the U.S. alone and 14 weeks in the top spot, it was John's biggest hit ever. For his next project, John reunited with Lion King collaborator Tim Rice to write songs for Disney's Broadway musical adaptation of the story of Aida; an album of their efforts featuring a who's-who of contemporary pop musicians was released in early 1999, going gold by the end of the year. In late 2000, John landed a TV special with CBS, performing a selection of his greatest hits at Madison Square Garden; a companion album drawn from those performances, One Night Only, was issued shortly before the special aired.
-- Stephen Thomas Erlewine "All Music Guide"
01. Empty Sky 02. Val-Hala 03. Western Ford Gateway 04. Hymn 2000 05. Lady What's Tomorrow 06. Sails 07. The Scaffold |
08. Skyline Pigeon 09. Gulliver/It's Hay Chewed/Reprise 10. Lady Samantha 11. All Across the Heavens 12. It's Me That You Need 13. Just Like Strange Rain |
01. Your Song 02. I Need You to Turn On 03. Take Me to the Pilot 04. No Shoe Strings on Louise 05. First Episode at Hienton 06. Sixty Years On 07. Border Song |
08. The Greatest Discovery 09. The Cage 10. The King Must Die 11. Bad Side of the Moon 12. Grey Seal 13. Rock & Roll Madonna |
01. Ballad of a Well-Known Gun 02. Come Down in Time 03. Country Comfort 04. Son of Your Father 05. My Father's Gun 06. Where to Now St. Peter? |
07. Love Song 08. Amoreena 09. Talking Old Soldiers 10. Burn Down the Mission 11. Into the Old Man's Shoes 12. Madman Across the Water |
01. Friends 02. Honey Roll 03. Theme (The First Kiss) 04. Seasons 05. Variations on Michelle's Song |
06. Can I Put You On 07. Michelle's Song 08. I Meant to Do My Work Today 09. Four Moods 10. Seasons Reprise |
01. Bad Side of the Moon 02. Amoreena 03. Take Me to the Pilot 04. Sixty Years On |
05. Honky Tonk Woman 06. Can I Put You On 07. Burn Down the Mission/My Baby Left Me/Get.. |
01. Tiny Dancer 02. Levon 03. Razor Face 04. Madman Across the Water 05. Indian Sunset |
06. Holiday Inn 07. Rotten Peaches 08. All the Nasties 09. Goodbye |
01. Honky Cat 02. Mellow 03. I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself 04. Susie (Dramas) 05. Rocket Man |
06. Salvation 07. Slave 08. Amy 09. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters 10. Hercules |
01. Daniel 02. Teacher, I Need You 03. Elderberry Wine 04. Blues for My Baby and Me 05. Midnight Creeper 06. Have Mercy on the Criminal 07. I'm Gonna Be a Teenage Idol |
08. Texas Love Song 09. Crocodile Rock 10. High Flying Bird 11. Screw You (Young Man's Blues) 12. Jack Rabbit 13. Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady... 14. Skyline Pigeon |
01. Funeral for a Friend (Loves Lies Bleeding) 02. Candle in the Wind 03. Bennie and the Jets 04. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 05. This Song Has No Title 06. Grey Seal 07. Jamaica Jerk Off 08. I've Seen That Movie Too 09. Sweet Painted Lady |
10. The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-34) 11. Dirty Little Girl 12. All the Girls Love Alicia 13. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock... 14. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting 15. Roy Rogers 16. Social Disease 17. Harmony |
01. The Bitch Is Back 02. Pinky 03. Grimsby 04. Dixie Lily 05. Solar Prestige a Gammon 06. You're So Static 07. I've Seen the Saucers |
08. Stinker 09. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me 10. Ticking 11. Pinball Wizard 12. Sick City 13. Cold Highway 14. Step into Christmas |
01. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 02. Tower of Babel 03. Bitter Fingers 04. Tell Me When the Whistle Blows 05. Someone Saved My Life Tonight 06. (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket 07. Better off Dead |
08. Writing 09. We All Fall in Love Sometimes 10. Curtains 11. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds 12. One Day at a Time 13. Philadelphia Freedom |
01. Medley: Yell Help/Wednesday Night/Ugly 02. Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future) 03. Island Girl 04. Grow Some Funk of Your Own 05. I Feel Like a Bullet 06. Street Kids |
07. Hard Luck Story 08. Feed Me 09. Billy Bones and the White Bird 10. Planes 11. Sugar on the Floor |
01. Skyline Pigeon 02. Border Song 03. Take Me to the Pilot 04. Country Comfort 05. Love Song 06. Bad Side of the Moon 07. Burn Down the Mission 08. Honky Cat 09. Crocodile Rock 10. Candle in the Wind 11. Your Song 12. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting 13. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding |
14. Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a long time) 15. Take Me to the Pilot 16. Bennie and the Jets 17. Grey Seal 18. Daniel 19. You're So Static 20. Whatever Gets You Through the Night 21. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds 22. I Saw Her Standing There 23. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me 24. Your Song 25. The Bitch Is Back |
01. Your Starter for... 02. Tonight 03. One Horse Town 04. Chameleon 05. Boogie Pilgrim 06. Cage the Songbird 07. Crazy Water 08. Shoulder Holster 09. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word |
10. Out of the Blue 11. Between Seventeen and Twenty 12. The Wide Eyed and Laughing 13. Someone's Final Song 14. Where's the Shoorah? 15. If There's a God in Heaven 16. Idol 17. Theme from a Non-Existent TV Series 18. Bite Your Lip (Get up and Dance) |
01. Shine on Through 02. Return to Paradise 03. I Don't Care 04. Big Dipper 05. It Ain't Gonna Be Easy 06. Part-Time Love 07. Georgia 08. Shooting Star |
09. Madness 10. Reverie 11. Song for Guy 12. Ego 13. Flinstone Boy 14. I Cry at Night 15. Lovesick 16. Strangers |
01. Johnny B. Goode 02. Warm Love in a Cold World 03. Born Bad 04. Thunder in the Night |
05. Spotlight 06. Street Boogie 07. Victim of Love |
01. Chasing the Crown 02. Little Jeannie 03. Sartorial Eloquence 04. Two Rooms at the End of the World 05. White Lady White Powder |
06. Dear God 07. Never Gonna Fall in Love Again 08. Take Me Back 09. Give Me the Love |
01. Breaking Down Barriers 02. Heart in the Right Place 03. Just Like Belgium 04. Nobody Wins 05. Fascist Faces |
06. Carla/Etude/Fanfare 07. Chloe 08. Heels of the Wind 09. Elton's Song 10. The Fox |
01. Dear John 02. Spiteful Child 03. Ball and Chain 04. Legal Boys 05. I Am Your Robot |
06. Blue Eyes 07. Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny) 08. Princess 09. Wherer Have All the Good Times Gone 10. All Quiet on the Western Front |
01. Cold as Christmas 02. I'm Still Standing 03. Too Low for Zero 04. Religion 05. I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues 06. Crystal 07. Kiss the Bride |
08. Whipping Boy 09. Saint 10. One More Arrow 11. Earn While You Learn 12. Dreamboat 13. The Retreat |
01. Restless 02. Slow Down Georgie ["She's Poison"] 03. Who Wears These Shoes? 04. Breaking Hearts ["(Ain't What It Used to Be)"] 05. Lil 'Frigerator |
06. Passengers 07. In Neon 08. Burning Buildings 09. Did He Shoot Her? 10. Sad Songs (Say So Much) |
01. This Town 02. Cry to Heaven 03. Soul Glove 04. Nikita 05. Too Young 06. Wrap Her Up |
07. Satellite 08. Tell Me What the Papers Say 09. Candy by the Pound 10. Shoot Down the Moon 11. Act of War |
01. Leather Jackets 02. Hoop of Fire 03. Don't Trust That Woman 04. Go It Alone 05. Gypsy Heart 06. Slow Rivers |
07. Heartache All over the World 08. Angeline 09. Memory of Love 10. Paris 11. I Fall Apart |
01. Sixty Years On 02. I Need You to Turn On 03. The Greatest Discovery 04. Tonight 05. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word 06. The King Must Die 07. Take Me to the Pilot |
08. Tiny Dancer 09. Have Mercy on the Criminal 10. Madman Across the Water 11. Candle in the Wind 12. Burn Down the Mission 13. Your Song 14. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me |
01. Town of Plenty 02. A Word in Spanish 03. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Pt. 2 04. I Don't Wanna Go on With You Like That 05. Japanese Hands |
06. Goodbye Marlon Brando 07. The Camera Never Lies 08. Heavy Traffic 09. Poor Cow 10. Since God Invented Girls |
01. Durban Deep 02. Healing Hands 03. Whispers 04. Club at the End of the Street 05. Sleeping With the Past |
06. Stones Throw from Hurtin' 07. Sacrifice 08. I Never Knew Her Name 09. Amazes Me 10. Blue Avenue |
01. Nice and Slow 02. Country Love Song 03. Shine on Through |
04. Mama Can't Buy You Love 05. Are You Ready for Love 06. Three Way Love Affair |
01. Simple Life 02. The One 03. Sweat It Out 04. Runaway Train 05. Whitewash County 06. The North |
07. When a Woman Doesn't Want You 08. Emily 09. On Dark Street 10. Understanding Women 11. The Last Song |
01. I've Been Loving You 02. Here's To The Next Time 03. Lady Samantha 04. All Across The Havens 05. It's Me That You Need 06. Just Like Strange Rain 07. Bad Side Of The Moon 08. Rock And Roll Madonna 09. Grey Seal 10. Friends 11. Michelle's Song 12. Seasons 13. Variations on Michelle's Song 14. Can I Put You On 15. Honey Roll 16. Variation on Friends 17. I Meant To Do My Work Today 18. Four Moods 19. Seasons Reprise |
20. Madman Across The Water [demo] 21. Into The Old Man's Shoes 22. Rock Me When He's Gone 23. Slave [demo] 24. Skyline Pigeon 25. Jack Rabbit 26. Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again) 27. Let Me Be Your Car 28. Screw You 29. Step Into Christmas 30. Ho! Ho! Ho! (Who'd Be A Turkey At Christmas) 31. Sick City 32. Cold Highway 33. One Day At A Time 34. I Saw Her Standing There 35. House Of Cards 36. Planes 37. Sugar On The Floor |
01. Teardrops 02. When I Think About Love 03. The Power 04. Shakey Ground 05. True Love 06. If You Were Me 07. A Women's Needs 08. Old Friend |
09. Go on and On 10. Don't Go Breaking My Heart 11. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing 12. I'm Your Puppet 13. Love Letters 14. Born to Lose 15. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me 16. Duets for One |
01. My Baby Loves Lovin' 02. Cottonfields 03. Lady D'Arbanville 04. Natural Sinner 05. United We Stand 06. Spirit In The Sky 07. Travellin' Band 08. I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top 09. Good Morning Freedom 10. Young Gifted And Black |
11. In The Summertime 12. Up Around The Bend 13. Snake In The Grass 14. Neanderthal Man 15. She Sold Me Magic 16. Come And Get It 17. Love Of The Common People 18. Signed Sealed Delivered 19. It's All In The Game 20. Yellow River |
01. Circle Of Life 02. I Just Can't Wait To Be King 03. Be Prepared 04. Hakuna Matata 05. Can You Feel The Love Tonight 06. This Land |
07. ...To Die For 08. Under The Stars 09. King Of Pride Rock 10. Circle Of Life 11. I Just Can't Wait To Be King 12. Can You Feel The Love Tonight |
01. Believe 02. Made in England 03. House 04. Cold 05. Pain 06. Belfast |
07. Latitude 08. Please 09. Man 10. Lies 11. Blessed |
01. Long Way from Happiness 02. Live Like Horses 03. The End Will Come 04. If the River Can Bend 05. Love's Got a Lot to Answer For 06. Something About the Way You Look Tonight |
07. The Big Picture 08. Recover Your Soul 09. January 10. I Can't Steer My Heart Clear of You 11. Wicked Dreams |
01. Another Pyramid 02. Written in the Stars 03. Easy as Life ["Featuring Angelique Kidjo"] 04. My Strongest Suit 05. I Know the Truth 06. Not Me 07. Amneris' Letter 08. A Step Too Far |
09. Like Father, Like Son 10. Elaborate Lives 11. How I Know You 12. The Messenger 13. The Gods Love Nubia 14. Enchantment Passing Through 15. Orchestral Finale |
01. Driving Home 02. Driving to Universal 03. Driving to Jack's 04. Walk of Shame 05. Better Have a Gift 06. The Wrong Gift 07. The Aquarium 08. Are We Laughing 09. Take a Walk With Me 10. What Should I Do? |
11. Back to the Aquarium 12. Steven Redecorates 13. To the Guesthouse 14. The Cookie Factory 15. Multiple Pesonality 16. Sarah Escapes 17. Back to Paramount 18. Meet Christine 19. The Muse 20. The Muse ["Remix"] |
01. El Dorado 02. Someday Out Of The Blue 03. Without Question 04. Friends Never Say Goodbye? 05. The Trail We Blaze 06. Sixteenth Century Man 07. The Panic In Me 08. It's Tough To Be A God |
09. Trust Me 10. My Heart Dances 11. Queen Of Cities 12. Cheldorado 13. The Brig 14. Wonders Of The New World 15. Hey Armadillo 16. The Perfect Love |
01. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 02. Philadelphia Freedom 03. Don't Go Breaking My Heart [with Kiki Dee] 04. Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time) 05. Daniel 06. Crocodile Rock 07. Sacrifice 08. Can You Feel The Love Tonight 09. Bennie And The Jets |
10. Your Song [with Ronan Keating] 11. Sad Songs (Say So Much) [with Bryan Adams] 12. Candle In The Wind 13. The Bitch Is Back 14. Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) [with Anastacia] 15. I'm Still Standing 16. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me 17. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues [with Mary J. Blige] |