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)
Burn Down the Mission
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did he say he'd come to call on me?
For things are getting desperate in our home
Living in the parish of the restless folks I know
Everybody now, bring your family down to the riverside
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps
Burn down the mission
If we're gonna stay alive
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven
See the red flame light the sky
Burn down the mission
Burn it down to stay alive
It's our only chance of living
Take all you need to live inside
Deep in the woods the squirrels are out today
My wife cried when they came to take me away
But what more could I do just to keep her warm
Than burn, burn, burn, burn down the mission walls
Now everybody, bring your family down to the riverside
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps
It's time we put the flame torch to their keep
Burn down the mission, Lord
If we're gonna stay alive
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven
See the red flame light the sky
Burn down the mission, Lord
If we're gonna stay alive
It's our only chance of living
Take all you need to live inside
In "Burn Down the Mission," Elton John addresses an individual who tells him there is an angel living in his tree. The angel, the listener says, told him to come to Elton, implying that he has a message for him. The song clearly describes the desperation of life in the parish, emphasizing the restless spirit of its inhabitants. The chorus encourages the listeners to burn down the mission, which is perhaps a religious reference, to stay alive. In the second verse, Elton paints a picture of a society in which the wealthy reside behind stone walls, which symbolize their privilege and protection from the struggles and chaos of the rest of society.
The third verse depicts Elton's experience of being taken away. His wife cries as he is hauled off, but Elton believes "what more could [he] do just to keep her warm/Than burn down the mission walls." This line can be interpreted to mean that Elton is willing to do anything to protect his loved ones, even if it means harming or setting fire to something else.
Overall, "Burn Down the Mission" is a powerful commentary on the struggles of the working-class and the divide between the wealthy and the poor. It urges the listener to take action against the oppressive system and fight for survival.
Line by Line Meaning
You tell me there's an angel in your tree
You say you have a spiritual presence in your life.
Did he say he'd come to call on me
Did this presence say it would visit me as well?
For things are getting desperate in our home
Our situation is becoming more and more dire.
Living in the parish of the restless folks I know
I reside in a place full of people who are constantly struggling.
Everybody now bring your family down to the riverside
Let us gather our loved ones near the water.
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide
We must pay attention to where the wealthy are hoarding their resources.
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps
The wealthy are comfortably housed and at ease.
It's time we put the flame torch to their keep
We must take matters into our own hands and destroy their fortress.
Burn down the mission
Let us set fire to their stronghold.
If we're gonna stay alive
Our survival is at stake.
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven
Observe the destruction that we are unleashing.
See the red flame light the sky
Witness the power of our revolt.
It's our only chance of living
This is the only way we will survive.
Take all you need to live inside
Gather all that is necessary to sustain ourselves.
Deep in the woods the squirrels are out today
Even the creatures of the forest are active and aware.
My wife cried when they came to take me away
My partner wept when I was taken into custody.
But what more could I do just to keep her warm
All I could do was my best to provide for her and offer comfort.
Than burn burn burn burn down the mission walls
So I burned the establishment to the ground.
Burn down the mission Lord
Destroy the stronghold, O Lord.
It's our only chance of living
This is our sole opportunity for survival.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernie Taupin, Elton John
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tanith Jackson
I always thought this was one of Elton John's best songs. Great music.
Val Halesworth
Same
Tom Cooley
Most of his songs are just killer!
Mark Hebert
I'm a professional musician... I was 10 in 1970. I learned all these songs then, started performing in college sophomore year of High School, and won two scholarships from Montreux straight out of High School. Learning this album is like a University education all by itself. What a great time to be an impressional musician? So grateful.
Laurylie Norman
We are about the same age, born in 1960. I also remember learning the songs from this album, especially this.
My father loved his music and after figuring out how to play a few of his compositions from an album how it was so fun, exciting to aquire the sheet music when it appeared at the record store on University Ave near our home in Tucson, Arizona off of fourth street and Euclid... played Funeral For a Friend for the band leader as audition for the stage-jazz band in high school at Canyon Del Oro at fourteen. If not for Elton would not have known the pleasure of playing with kids my age or discovered Maynard Ferguson or the joy of swing, big band music. Forever grateful to Elton John for enlightening me to the concept that modern music might just be worthwhile in general... love this tune
Mark Hebert
@tiberio135I posted the websites.
Mark Hebert
@tiberio135 all the keyboards but very strong piano. Guitars, brass, and a few more. You??
tiberio135
what instruments do you play, Mark?
Tom Busch
Saw him at the Auditorium theater in Chicago in 1970. Elton John playing a miked Steinway D. Caleb Quaye on a miked classical guitar. Nigel Olsson on drums. Dee Murray on bass. It’s hard to imagine how talented these guys were.
Tom Busch
@Guadalupe Bon Sadly, Dee Murray died in 1992.