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)
Chameleon
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were somewhere on a cruise in the Mediterranean
So imagine my surprise to see you very much alive
In the English rain again
And I can still recall wet afternoons
When we were small and simply childish
But you've created your own ghost
Oh, Chameleon, you're stealing your way back into my eyes
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
You're a devil, you're a devil in disguise
Do you really change me, or am I going crazy
Chameleon, Chameleon, Chameleon, you're free again my child
I remember still those lazy summer days
We'd kill out hunting danger
And we were alien to all outsiders
We had no desire to talk to strangers
Elton John's song "Chameleon" is a commentary on how people change over time and how masks they put on to hide their true selves. In the opening verse, the singer expresses his surprise at seeing a person whom he had believed to be far away on a Mediterranean cruise once again in England. The singer reminisces about their childhood on a wet afternoon, and reflects how his friend has created ghosts and has a deeper need than most to hide them. The singer then addresses his friend (referring to them as a chameleon) directly, accusing them of stealing their way back into his eyes and being a devil in disguise. He questions whether his friend changes him, or whether he is simply losing his mind. The song ends with the singer remembering the simple pleasures of their childhood and how they used to be alien to all outsiders.
Line by Line Meaning
The last I heard of you
It has been a long time since I last heard about your whereabouts.
You were somewhere on a cruise in the Mediterranean
The last known location of yours was on a cruise trip in the Mediterranean Sea.
So imagine my surprise to see you very much alive
It was an unexpected surprise to see you alive and well.
In the English rain again
You are back in England during a rainy season.
And I can still recall wet afternoons
I still have a vivid memory of the rainy afternoons we spent together.
When we were small and simply childish
We were naive and immature as kids during those rainy afternoons.
But you've created your own ghost
You have developed your own inner demons or fears.
And the need you have is more than most to hide it
You have a greater need, compared to others, to keep it hidden from the world.
Oh, Chameleon, you're stealing your way back into my eyes
You possess a trait of a chameleon, able to change your colors or personality to blend or deceive others, and you are successfully catching my attention once again.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
I am sure about this observation and it is beyond any doubt.
You're a devil, you're a devil in disguise
You are cunning and deceptive, exhibiting traits of a devil, but hiding behind a facade of innocence.
Do you really change me, or am I going crazy
I am uncertain if your actions and presence around me are changing me or if I am reacting to your deceptive behavior.
Chameleon, Chameleon, Chameleon, you're free again my child
You have gained control of your life again by shedding your previous personality or behavior and becoming a new version of yourself, like a chameleon changing its colors.
I remember still those lazy summer days
I still reminisce those lazy summer days we spent together.
We'd kill out hunting danger
We would intentionally seek out risky and thrilling activities.
And we were alien to all outsiders
We had a strong bond and were indifferent to outsiders who didn't share our experiences or understand us.
We had no desire to talk to strangers
We didn't have an inclination to socialize with people outside our group or comfort zone.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, ELTON JOHN
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.....