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)
Candle In The Wind )
Elton John 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've 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
Oh, 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've liked to know you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
Goodbye, Norma Jeane
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
Goodbye, Norma Jeane
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've 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
The song "Candle in the Wind" was originally written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin in 1973 as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, who died tragically at age 36. The lyrics describe the sadness of the loss of someone who lived their life like a candle in the wind. The metaphorical language of the song paints a picture of a fragile and fleeting life lived by a Hollywood icon, who dealt with the pains and struggles of loneliness, fame, and addiction.
The lyrics suggest that Marilyn attempted to hold onto her sense of self amidst the chaos of Hollywood, but ultimately succumbed to the pressures that surrounded her, which had been imposed by others. She was forced to change her name, and her unique, creative spark was snuffed out in favor of becoming a manufactured superstar. Even after her death, her legacy was marked by scandal, rather than the brilliance that she was capable of. The chorus laments the fact that she lived her life without ever finding anyone to hold onto during the difficult times, while recognizing the fact that many people, like the young man in the audience, still admire her for who she was.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye Norma Jean
Farewell to Marilyn Monroe
Though I never knew you at all
I never had the chance to meet you
You had the grace to hold yourself
You carried yourself with elegance and poise
While those around you crawled
Despite those who acted with less dignity
They crawled out of the woodwork
They came out of hiding to exploit your fame
And they whispered into your brain
They whispered lies and deceit into your mind
They set you on the treadmill
They put you in a never-ending cycle of work
And they made you change your name
They forced you to create a new identity
And it seems to me you lived your life
It appears to me that you experienced life
Like a candle in the wind
Fragile and fleeting, with an uncertain future
Never knowing who to cling to
Unable to find a true companion through difficult times
When the rain set in
During hardships and challenging moments
And I would have liked to have known you
I would have desired to know you better
But I was just a kid
But I was too young to have had the chance
Your candle burned out long before
Her life came to an end far too soon
Your legend ever did
Her legacy continues to live on
Loneliness was tough
Marilyn's solitude was challenging
The toughest role you ever played
Her hardest part was playing the idealized version of herself
Hollywood created a superstar
The movie industry transformed Marilyn into an icon
And pain was the price you paid
The cost of fame was the emotional torment she experienced
Even when you died
Even after she passed away
Oh the press still hounded you
The media continued to pressure and harass Marilyn
All the papers had to say
The newspapers only wrote
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
Details about her death were sensationalized and disrespectful
From the young man in the twenty second row
Addressing a specific audience member at a concert
Who sees you as something more than sexual
One who viewed Marilyn as more than an object of desire
More than just our Marilyn Monroe
More than just a movie star or cultural symbol
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.....