While Taupin was still a boy, his father decided to try his hand at independent farming, and the family relocated again, this time to a run-down property called Maltkiln Farm in the north-Lincolnshire village of Owmby-by-Spital. Here a third brother, Kit, was born 11 years junior to Bernie. The family attended Holy Rood Catholic Church in the town of Market Rasen, where Bernie and Tony served as altar boys. Bernie attended school at Market Rasen Secondary Modern. Unlike his older brother, he was not a diligent student, although he showed an early flair for writing. At 15 he dropped out of school. He spent his teenage years hanging out with his friends, hitchhiking the country roads to attend youth club dances in the surrounding villages, playing snooker in the Aston Arms Pub in Market Rasen, and drinking ale well before his eighteenth birthday. He had worked at several part-time, dead-end jobs when, at the age of 17, he answered an advertisement that led to his collaboration with Elton John.
In 1967, he answered an advertisement for a lyric writer placed in the New Musical Express by Liberty records A&R man Ray Williams. Thus began the famous and well-loved songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The pair have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date, though John worked with other lyricists between 1977 and 1983. Taupin's lyrics include such memorable tunes as "Rocket Man", "Tiny Dancer", "Candle in the Wind", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", and 1970's "Your Song", their first hit.
In 1971, Taupin recorded a spoken-word album entitled Taupin, in which he recites some of his early poems against a background of impromptu, sitar-heavy music created by some members of Elton's band, including Davey Johnstone and Caleb Quaye. Side One is entitled "Child" and contains poems about his early childhood in southern Lincolnshire. The first poem, "The Greatest Discovery," which looks at his own birth through the eyes of his older brother, was also set to music by Elton John and included on the Elton John (album). There are poems about Taupin's first two childhood homes, Flatters and Rowston Manor, and others about his relationship with his brother and grandfather. Side Two includes a variety of poems of varying obscurity, from a marionette telling her own story to a rat catcher who falls victim to his prey. While the lyrics to Side One provide interesting insights into Taupin's childhood, the album makes for a tedious listening experience, and Taupin stated in interviews that he wasn't pleased with the results.
In 1980, Taupin recorded his first album as a singer, He Who Rides the Tiger. Although he demonstrated a more-than-adequate vocal ability, the album failed to make a dent in the charts. Taupin later suggested in interviews that he didn't have the creative control he would have liked over the album.
In 1987, he recorded another album entitled Tribe. The songs were co-written with Martin Page. "Citizen Jane" and "Friend of the Flag" were released as singles. Videos of both singles featured Taupin and then-wife Toni Russo, and the "Citizen Jane" video also included Toni's sister, actress Rene Russo. Once again, neither the album nor the singles made much of a dent in the charts.
In 1996, Taupin pulled together a band called Farm Dogs, whose two albums were conscious (and successful) throwbacks to the grittier, earthier sound of Tumbleweed Connection. While Taupin wrote the lyrics, the music was a collaborative effort among the band members. Their first album, 1996's Last Stand in Open Country, received critical praise but little airplay. As mentioned above, the title track was later recorded by Willie Nelson and Kid Rock for Nelson's 2002 album The Great Divide.
In 1998, Farm Dogs released its second and final album, Immigrant Sons. Again a respectable effort, the album went nowhere despite a tour of small clubs across America.
Candle In The Wind
Bernie Taupin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name
And it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in
And I would have liked to know you, but I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did
Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
All the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
And it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in
And I would have liked to know you, but I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did
Goodbye, Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
Goodbye, Norma Jean
From the young man in the twenty-second row
Who sees you as something more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe
And it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in
And I would have liked to know you, but I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did
Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did
Bernie Taupin's song Candle In The Wind is a tribute to Norma Jean, whom most people know as Marilyn Monroe. The opening lines of the song are addressed to her: 'Goodbye, Norma Jean / Though I never knew you at all / You had the grace to hold yourself / While those around you crawled'. These lines are a direct reflection of the way Norma Jean was often presented to the public - as a beautiful, graceful woman who rose above the sordid world of Hollywood.
The next lines of the song describe how Norma Jean was victimized by the people around her who wanted to exploit her beauty and talents. 'They crawled out of the woodwork / And they whispered into your brain / They set you on the treadmill / And they made you change your name'. Despite this exploitation, Norma Jean continued to grow in her career, until she became the legend that was Marilyn Monroe. The chorus of the song reflects on the tragedy of her life: 'And it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind / Never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in / And I would have liked to know you, but I was just a kid / Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did'.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye, Norma Jean
Farewell to you, Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
I didn't have the chance to meet you in person
You had the grace to hold yourself
You carried yourself with elegance and poise
While those around you crawled
Others around you behaved poorly
They crawled out of the woodwork
They appeared from nowhere
And they whispered into your brain
They influenced your thoughts negatively
They set you on the treadmill
They put you in a cycle of fame and work
And they made you change your name
They forced you to adopt a different name
And it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind
You lived a fragile and vulnerable life, susceptible to the slightest environmental changes
Never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in
You felt lonely and didn't know whom to trust during tough times
And I would have liked to know you, but I was just a kid
I could only admire you from afar because I was young
Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did
You died long before your remarkable impact on people's lives ever faded
Loneliness was tough
Feeling alone was the most challenging thing you faced
The toughest role you ever played
Being lonely was harder than any acting role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
The entertainment industry made you a celebrity
And pain was the price you paid
You had to endure emotional suffering to achieve fame
Even when you died
Even after your death
All the press still hounded you
The media still followed and harassed you
All the papers had to say
Newspapers only reported
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
You were found with no clothes on
From the young man in the twenty-second row
A young man sitting far away
Who sees you as something more than sexual
Who respects you beyond your sex symbol image
More than just our Marilyn Monroe
You are more than just a cultural icon
Contributed by Jordyn F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Troy Gaspard
Good for Taupin being honest about his feelings about the song and royalty.
Passion Blaze Romance
Elton singing that song for Princess Diana is a seminal moment for music history. An immortal song for an immortal woman ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Adrinopaulindromeus
No one cared.
sxt444
The perfect word to describe her, “immortal.” Even in her absence, she is more relevant and beloved than she ever has been before ❤
Sam Primera
Yea it seemed to me her wedding and funeral were two of my favorite televised events.And the queens death all the "kids" standing vigil.
HollyBlueAgitated
finally we get Elton's other half on this show after years and years and years
robintexas
Holly, one of my prized possessions is a photo of me holding a platinum award record for “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from the Lion King movie soundtrack. In the picture is Elton on my right and Bernie on my left. Even though Bernie didn’t write the lyrics for this song, it was awesome having him in the same picture with Elton and me.
MightyMouse350
He probably did not want to be on TV shows.. might be a private person perhaps? which is what I'd do - anonymity is waaay better 👍
Andrew Curtis
JUST… he just writes songs, he just rewrote the lyrics… MASTERCLASS.
Kayla Abadie
I’m American, and just remembering Sir Elton sing that song at her homecoming service makes me tear up all over again.
I almost felt offended by his phrasing of events but I can tell he doesn’t mean any harm. Just his own experience. Regardless, my little part of the South mourned her.