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)
Angel Tree
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And its roots are planted deep
Never climb that willow
'Cause its trunk is awful steep
Yeah the trunk is awful steep
Seven miles south of the city
Way on a windy hill
Are calm at the evening still
Magical ???
As the leaves are ???
And strange things happen to people
Who go on to the windy hill
??? down here
Had gone up to there
And rested underneath her bough
They slept long, what is wrong
They never woke up again
The opening lines of Elton John's song Angel Tree bring to mind an enchanted forest or a fairytale-like setting. The singer describes a majestic tree standing tall and firm, its roots secure in the ground. He warns against climbing the willow's steep trunk, luring the listener into a sense of mystery and rich exploration. He then takes us on a journey to a place seven miles south of the city, where a windy hill stands and the angel tree is rooted. The whistling branches of the tree at still at evening time, a peaceful and serene image evoking a sense of calm and tranquility.
However, the tone quickly shifts, as the next lines talk about the "strange things" that happen to people who venture to the windy hill. The lyrics are cryptic and leave much to the imagination, yet the vibe is ominous, and the idea of restful sleep turning into eternal slumber is eerie. The song finishes leaving the listener with a sense of looming danger and a shadow cast over the magical beauty of the angel tree.
Line by Line Meaning
The angel tree has grown so high
The tree is really tall
And its roots are planted deep
The tree has strong roots
Never climb that willow
Don't climb the tree
'Cause its trunk is awful steep
The trunk of the tree is very steep
Yeah the trunk is awful steep
The trunk of the tree is difficult to climb
Seven miles south of the city
The tree is located 7 miles south of the city
Way on a windy hill
The tree is situated on a hill that's often windy
The whistling branches of the angel tree
The branches of the tree make a whistling sound
Are calm at the evening still
The tree is quiet in the evening
Magical ???
There's something magical about the tree
As the leaves are ???
The leaves are special in some way
And strange things happen to people
People experience strange things near or around the tree
Who go on to the windy hill
Those who visit the hill with the tree
??? down here
People who aren't near the tree
Had gone up to there
Went to the hill with the tree
And rested underneath her bough
Relaxed under the branches of the tree
They slept long, what is wrong
They slept for a long time
They never woke up again
They didn't wake up and died (implied)
Contributed by Aaliyah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jason Carpp
Another awesome song I've never heard before. What better way to begin a songwriting partnership. :)
trfesok
Actually, it looks like this was officially released! It was one of the songs that appeared on a Portuguese EP. The A-side tracks were "I've Been Loving You" and "Here's to the Next Time".
Małgorzata Piotrowska
Już Voice like softly clearly strong silk
Francisco Santos
"empty sky" is far away much better than this album
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
His lala's make this cute.