John was raised in the Pinner suburb of London and learned to play piano at an early age, forming the blues band Bluesology in 1962. After leaving Bluesology in 1967 to embark on a solo career, John met Taupin after they both answered an advert for songwriters. For two years, they wrote songs for other artists, and John worked as a session musician for artists. John released his debut album Empty Sky in 1969, and a year later formed the Elton John Band and released his first hit single, "Your Song".
John's critical success was at its peak in the 1970s when he released a streak of chart-topping albums in the US and UK, which began with Honky Château (1972) and culminated with Rock of the Westies (1975). John continued his success in the 1980s and 1990s, having several hit singles and albums in both decades, and has continued to record new music since then. He has also had success in musical films and theatre, composing music for The Lion King, Aida, and Billy Elliot the Musical. In 2018, John began his ongoing farewell tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road, which is scheduled to conclude in 2023. The 2019 biopic Rocketman dramatized his life and career.
Outside of music, John is an HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser and has been involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s. He established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which has raised over £300 million since its inception, and a year later he began hosting his annual Foundation Academy Awards Party, which has since become one of the biggest high-profile Oscar parties in the Hollywood film industry. John was the chairman and director of Watford F.C, from 1976 to 1987, and again from 1997 to 2002, and is an honorary life president of the club. From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, John developed a severe addiction problem to drugs and alcohol but has been sober since 1990. He entered into a civil partnership with Canadian filmmaker David Furnish in 2005; they married after same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales in 2014.
John has sold over 300 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has more than fifty Top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including nine number-ones in the UK and US, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US. His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", a rewritten version of his 1974 single in dedication to Princess Diana, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling chart single of all time. In 2021, John became the first solo artist with UK Top 10 singles across six decades.
John has received numerous awards, including five Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards; including for Outstanding Contribution to Music; two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, a Disney Legend Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and is a fellow of The Ivors Academy. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to music and charitable services in 1998 and was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) in 2020.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John
Solo studio albums
Empty Sky (1969)
Elton John (1970)
Tumbleweed Connection (1970)
Madman Across the Water (1971)
Honky Château (1972)
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Caribou (1974)
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
Rock of the Westies (1975)
Blue Moves (1976)
A Single Man (1978)
Victim of Love (1979)
21 at 33 (1980)
The Fox (1981)
Jump Up! (1982)
Too Low for Zero (1983)
Breaking Hearts (1984)
Ice on Fire (1985)
Leather Jackets (1986)
Reg Strikes Back (1988)
Sleeping with the Past (1989)
The One (1992)
Made in England (1995)
The Big Picture (1997)
Songs from the West Coast (2001)
Peachtree Road (2004)
The Captain & the Kid (2006)
The Diving Board (2013)
Wonderful Crazy Night (2016)
Regimental Sgt. Zippo (2021)
And The Clock Goes Round
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To get a little rest and to ease my mind
I didn't calculate it when I walked in the door
I only thought I'd stay for a minute or more
First I saw the lights on the ceiling dim
The stale perfume yeah, and ???
My first impression was to get outside
The pendulum swings
Going to and fro
And the clock goes round
Says it's time to go
And the clock goes round
And the hours fly past
Slow down pendulum you're moving much too fast
Now it's gone kind of quiet but I seem to see
That the only people here in the room are you and me
But I don't mind girl, girl that's all right
As long as you're gonna be with me, gonna be with me all night
The song "And The Clock Goes Round" by Elton John is about impulsively wandering into a bar or nightclub to pass the time and clear one's head. The first few lines of the song showcase the singer's intention to "waste some time" and enjoy a bit of rest. However, the singer didn't anticipate the ambiance of the environment, which is hinted at with imagery such as the "lights on the ceiling dim" and the "stale perfume." This leads the singer to consider leaving, but something stops him; he notices a woman crying by the fireside.
The woman crying seems to hold the singer's attention, and this focus is heightened with the use of repetition in the lyrics "And the clock goes round / Says it's time to go / And the clock goes round / And the hours fly past." The clock's movement is juxtaposed with the emotional scene the singer is observing, creating a sense of urgency. This urgency is further emphasized in the final lines of the song where the singer is content with staying in the quiet room "as long as you're gonna be with me, gonna be with me all night," indicating a certain sense of bliss or relief amidst the chaos of the nightlife.
In conclusion, "And The Clock Goes Round" touches upon themes of impulsive decisions, irrationality, and the need for comfort amidst confusion. The seemingly random encounter with the woman crying by the fireside symbolizes the beauty in unexpected moments, and the clock's constant movement highlights the importance of living in the present.
Line by Line Meaning
I came down here just to waste some time
I came here without any purpose just to relax
To get a little rest and to ease my mind
I came here to free my mind from any work or thought
I didn't calculate it when I walked in the door
I didn't plan on staying for long
I only thought I'd stay for a minute or more
My plan was to leave quickly
First I saw the lights on the ceiling dim
I saw a dull lighting at first
The stale perfume yeah, and ???
There was a strange smell
My first impression was to get outside
My initial thought was to leave the place
But then I saw you crying, crying by the fireside
But I noticed you were crying by the fireplace
The pendulum swings
The pendulum is moving back and forth
Going to and fro
Swings are moving from one direction to another
And the clock goes round
The clock is ticking
Says it's time to go
The clock indicates that it's time to leave
And the clock goes round
The clock keeps ticking
And the hours fly past
Time passes quickly
Slow down pendulum you're moving much too fast
I wish time would slow down
Now it's gone kind of quiet but I seem to see
It's quiet now, but it looks like it's just you and me
That the only people here in the room are you and me
It seems like there's nobody else in the room except us
But I don't mind girl, girl that's all right
But I'm not bothered, it's okay
As long as you're gonna be with me, gonna be with me all night
As long as you're here, I don't mind spending the night
Contributed by Elena T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Peter Harthen
on Sacrifice
not like todays crap
Peter Harthen
on Sacrifice
Even at 56 years old, this music still sounds so good to me, how music should sound.....