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.
Citizen Jane
Bernie Taupin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the flesh is black and white
Eager workers turning the pages
Dirty fingers touch your life
All you pretty maids
With all your charms on view
Farm the waste ground in your head now
Oh, hey, hey, Citizen Jane
What will your sisters say?
Oh, they'll say ain't it a shame
After comin' such a long, long way
Citizen Jane
Now they're trading skin
And the cause is pushed away
Greedy piggies live on Fleet Street
Dealing meat out every day
Oh, hey, hey, Citizen Jane
What will your sisters say?
Oh, they'll say ain't it a shame
After comin' such a long, long way
Citizen Jane
What a picture, what a woman
What a curve on the great white way
A little touch up, a little airbrush
What will your sisters say?
The lyrics to Bernie Taupin's song Citizen Jane bring attention to the manipulation and exploitation of women in the media industry. The first verse addresses the press and how they present news stories in a black and white manner, while eager workers turn the pages and dirty fingers touch the lives of the people they write about. The second verse is directed towards women, particularly those who conform to societal beauty standards and showcase themselves as objects for the male gaze. The line "farm the waste ground in your head now" suggests that these actions are self-destructive and prevent women from connecting with each other on a deeper level. The chorus then calls out Citizen Jane, presumably a woman who has achieved some level of success in the media industry. The question "what will your sisters say?" implies that she has a responsibility to represent and support other women, but the following line "they'll say ain't it a shame after comin' such a long, long way" suggests that she has let them down in some way. The final verse discusses the commercialization of sex and how it has pushed aside any meaningful discussions or movements about women's issues. The line "greedy piggies live on Fleet Street dealing meat out every day" is a direct criticism of the media's role in perpetuating harmful stereotypes and limiting women's autonomy. The song as a whole critiques the way that women are depicted in the media, but also points out the ways in which women may be complicit in upholding these standards and failing to support each other in the face of oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the press is down
The news outlets are fabricating stories and bringing down the importance of journalism.
And the flesh is black and white
People are reduced to their physical appearance and nothing else.
Eager workers turning the pages
People are compulsively seeking out news and information, no matter how false or sensationalized it may be.
Dirty fingers touch your life
The media has a way of getting into people's personal lives and causing them harm.
All you pretty maids
This is addressing women.
With all your charms on view
Women are being valued solely for their appearances.
Farm the waste ground in your head now
Women need to focus on their own personal growth.
Your sisters can't get through
Women are being pitted against each other and are not supportive of each other.
Oh, hey, hey, Citizen Jane
This is addressing a specific woman, Citizen Jane.
What will your sisters say?
Other women will judge Citizen Jane for her actions or beliefs.
Oh, they'll say ain't it a shame
Other women will express disappointment in Citizen Jane and what she represents.
After comin' such a long, long way
After all the progress that has been made in terms of women's rights and equality, it's disappointing to see actions that go against this progress.
Citizen Jane
Reiterating the specific woman being addressed in this song.
Now they're trading skin
People are being reduced to their physical bodies and what they can offer.
And the cause is pushed away
Important social and political causes are being ignored for sensationalism and trivial matters.
Greedy piggies live on Fleet Street
This is a metaphor for the media outlets and news corporations who are prioritizing profit over ethical journalism.
Dealing meat out every day
They are sensationalizing and manipulating news stories in a way that is harmful.
What a picture, what a woman
This is commenting on how women are being objectified and valued solely for their appearance.
What a curve on the great white way
This is emphasizing the importance of physical appearance over anything else.
A little touch up, a little airbrush
This is highlighting how the media manipulates images to create an unrealistic ideal of beauty.
What will your sisters say?
Other women will judge Citizen Jane for her actions or beliefs, specifically in terms of how she perpetuates harmful beauty standards.
Contributed by Luke A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.