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)
Claw Hammer
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're hard to read
Your a twenty-one century kind
You're lighting fast
Built for speed
A tight lipped modern mind
An architect
Of grand romance
You're holed up in your house
Just waiting for the fire
You're buttoned down
All sown up
You're an ontological soul
Cold hard truth
Only proof
What we already know
You're gonna need a claw hammer
Oh my Lord
To bust on through
And break down your walls
Loosen your lips
Slacken that jaw
It's gonna take a claw hammer
Oh my Lord
Look at us fools
Being used
We're totally dumb, surprised
Waiting for you to share with us
The myth behind the lies
Come on out
Throw us a bone
We want to know your intentions
Are you fake
For goodness sake
Or the mother of invention
You're buttoned down
All sown up
You're an ontological soul
Cold hard truth
Only proof
What we already know
You're gonna need a claw hammer
Oh my Lord
To bust on through
And break down your walls
Loosen your lips
Slacken that jaw
It's gonna take a claw hammer
Oh my Lord
You're gonna need a claw hammer
Oh my Lord
To bust on through
And break down your walls
Loosen your lips
Slacken that jaw
It's gonna take a claw hammer
Oh my Lord
It's gonna take a claw hammer
Oh my Lord
It's gonna take a claw hammer
Oh my Lord
Elton John’s song “Claw Hammer” is a reflection on the enigmatic nature of modern society and the people who inhabit it. The song begins with a description of a person who is “hard to read” because of their “tight-lipped modern mind”. The person is described as an “architect of grand romance” and a “mystery of disguise”. Despite being “holed up in your house”, they possess a “twenty-first-century kind” of energy that is “built for speed”. The refrain of the song, “You’re gonna need a claw hammer”, suggests that this person’s walls are impenetrable, and the only way to get to the truth beneath the surface is to use force.
As the song progresses, the lyrics shift to address the listener directly, imploring them to reveal their true intentions. The singer calls the listener out for being “fake” and hiding behind a persona that they use to manipulate others. In contrast, the singer demands “the myth behind the lies” and insists that the listener “throw us a bone”. The repetition of the refrain highlights the sense of urgency felt by the singer, who longs to break through the listener's walls and expose the hidden truths hiding beneath the surface.
Ultimately, “Claw Hammer” is a powerful and evocative piece that speaks to the innate human desire to know and be known. The song suggests that the modern world is often built on facades and manipulations, and the only way to get to the truth is to use force of some sort, represented here by the metaphorical claw hammer.
Line by Line Meaning
You're holding back
You're not showing your true self or emotions
You're hard to read
It's difficult to understand or interpret what you're thinking or feeling
Your a twenty-first century kind
You embody the traits and characteristics of modern times
You're lightning fast
You act quickly and efficiently
Built for speed
Your skills or abilities are designed for a fast-paced environment
A tight-lipped modern mind
You keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself
An architect of grand romance
You have an impressive ability to create and inspire romantic feelings and experiences
You're a mystery of disguise
You purposely conceal who you are or what you're feeling
You're holed up in your house
You're isolating yourself from the outside world
Just waiting for the fire
You're waiting for something to trigger or ignite your passions
You're buttoned down
You're reserved or conservative in your behavior
All sewn up
Everything is completely under your control
You're an ontological soul
You have a soul or essence that is concerned with the nature of existence and reality
Cold hard truth
The facts or reality can be difficult to accept or face
Only proof
Sometimes the reality or proof of something is all we need to know
What we already know
Sometimes the truth is staring us in the face, even if we don't want to see it
You're gonna need a claw hammer
It will take a great effort or force to get through to you
Oh my Lord
An expression of exasperation or desperation
To bust on through
To forcefully break down barriers or walls
And break down your walls
To remove the mental or emotional barriers that you have put up
Loosen your lips
To get you to talk more freely or openly
Slacken that jaw
To get you to relax and let down your guard
Look at us fools
We are foolish for blindly waiting for you to reveal yourself or your intentions
Being used
We are letting ourselves be manipulated or taken advantage of
We're totally dumb, surprised
We are completely unaware of what is really going on
Waiting for you to share with us
We're eagerly waiting for you to confide in us
The myth behind the lies
The hidden or underlying truth behind the deception
Come on out
To invite you to be more open or honest
Throw us a bone
Give us a small clue or indication about your intentions or motivations
We want to know your intentions
We are curious about what you really want or plan to do
Are you fake
We question whether you are genuine or sincere
For goodness sake
We are asking for honesty or sincerity
Or the mother of invention
Do you hold the key to unlocking new ideas or opportunities?
It's gonna take a claw hammer
It will require a significant effort or force to achieve our goal
Oh my Lord
An expression of exasperation or desperation
It's gonna take a claw hammer
It will require a significant effort or force to achieve our goal
Oh my Lord
An expression of exasperation or desperation
It's gonna take a claw hammer
It will require a significant effort or force to achieve our goal
Oh my Lord
An expression of exasperation or desperation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELTON JOHN, BERNARD J.P. 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.....