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)
Crazy Water
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just before the sun had gone
I tried to reach you
Plain faced and falling fast
You looked so vacant like an empty shell
Whose life had passed upon the ocean
Before light shook the sky
The masts unfolding
Don't turn away, please understand
It's a life and a living
And a way to keep the wolves away
From hungry hands, from hungry hands
Crazy water
Takes my fishing boat on Monday morning
Dangerous dreaming
If we all believe in the things you believe you're seeing
Oh we'd never drop our nets in the crazy water, crazy water
Tangled lives, lonely wives
Shoreline widows pray
For the souls of missing whalers
Endless nights on an endless sea
Where nothing lives between us
Just the breakers on the ocean
Separating you and me
Separating you and me
The song "Crazy Water" by Elton John is full of melancholic and emotional lyrics that convey deep meanings. The song starts with the singer sitting on a bench on the beach, watching the sun go down and wanting to reach out to someone, possibly a lover. He found that person to be vacant and empty, their life had passed, leaving them with nothing. The singer then moves on to a different location, the docks, where he sees the masts of boats unfolding, which reminds him of his own life, a life of fishing which is a way to keep the wolves away, prevent hunger from falling into his hands. However, he is doubtful and wants the other person to understand his dilemma and how he wants to keep doing what he does to survive.
As the song progresses, Elton John talks about the dangers associated with the job of a fisherman, how the crazy water could take his fishing boat on any given Monday morning. He compares this to the dangerous dreaming we do when we believe in things that we haven't seen, just like how the fishermen believe what they're doing is right, but in reality, it's very risky. If we all start to believe in such things, we would never drop our nets in the crazy water. The song ends by talking about the tangled lives, lonely wives and shoreline widows, and how the breakers on the ocean separate people from one another.
Line by Line Meaning
On a bench, on the beach
Sitting on a bench, watching the beach
Just before the sun had gone
Almost sunset time
I tried to reach you
Attempting to communicate with someone
Plain faced and falling fast
Having a simple expression and facing inevitable failure
You looked so vacant like an empty shell
You appeared empty, like someone who has lost everything
Whose life had passed upon the ocean
Whose life has been exhausted by the sea
Before light shook the sky
Dawn time
Down by the docks I saw
Witnessed something at the dock
The masts unfolding
The sails were being raised
Don't turn away, please understand
Do not ignore, comprehend the situation
It's a life and a living
It's a means of subsistence
And a way to keep the wolves away
A way to protect from harm and loss
From hungry hands, from hungry hands
From those who are needy and depraved
Crazy water
Unpredictable and dangerous water
Takes my fishing boat on Monday morning
My means of livelihood on Monday mornings
Dangerous dreaming
Imagining something threatening
If we all believe in the things you believe you're seeing
If we accept what you see as real
Oh we'd never drop our nets in the crazy water, crazy water
We would not risk our lives on dangerous water
Tangled lives, lonely wives
Complicated relationships, spouses left alone
Shoreline widows pray
Widows whose husbands died at sea, praying on the coast
For the souls of missing whalers
Praying for the lost whalers' spirits
Endless nights on an endless sea
Countless nights on a boundless ocean
Where nothing lives between us
Where there is nothing alive around us
Just the breakers on the ocean
Only the sound of waves separating us
Separating you and me
Keeping us distant from each other
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, ELTON JOHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ARK Ministries
On a bench, on the beach
Just before the sun had gone
I tried to reach you
Plain faced and falling fast
You looked so vacant like an empty shell
Whose life had passed upon the ocean
Before light shook the sky
Down by the docks I saw
The masts unfolding
Don't turn away, please understand
It's a life and a living
And a way to keep the wolves away
From hungry hands, from hungry hands
Crazy water
Takes my fishing boat on Monday morning
Dangerous dreaming
If we all believe in the things you believe you're seeing
Oh we'd never drop our nets in the crazy water, crazy water
Tangled lives, lonely wives
Shoreline widows pray
For the souls of missing whalers
Endless nights on an endless sea
Where nothing lives between us
Just the breakers on the ocean
Separating you and me
Separating you and me
Doge
On a bench, on the beach just before the sun had gone
I tried to reach you, plain faced and falling fast
You looked so vacant like an empty shell
Whose life had passed upon the ocean
Before light shook the sky
Down by the docks I saw the masts unfolding
Don't turn away, please understand, it's a life and a living
And a way to keep the wolves away
From hungry hands, from hungry hands
Crazy water takes my fishing boat on Monday morning
Dangerous dreaming
If we all believe in the things you believe you're seeing
Oh, we'd never drop our nets in the crazy water, crazy water
Tangled lives, lonely wives
Shoreline widows pray for the souls of missing whalers
Endless nights on an endless sea where nothing lives between us
Just the breakers on the ocean
Separating you and me, ooh, separating you and me
Crazy water takes my fishing boat on Monday morning
Dangerous dreaming
If we all believe in the things you believe you're seeing
No, we'd never drop our nets in the crazy water, crazy water
Crazy water takes my fishing boat on Monday morning
Dangerous dreaming
If we all believe in the things you believe you're seeing
And we'd never drop our nets in the crazy water, crazy water
Crazy water
Crazy water
Crazy water
Crazy water
Crazy water
Crazy water
Crazy water
Crazy water
In the crazy, crazy water
In the crazy, crazy, crazy water
Crazy, oh, crazy, crazy water
Crazy, crazy, crazy water
John LaStrada
The band of musicians on this track are so tight you can't even slip a razor blade between them. Incredible song. Elton John was and is one of the greatest rock singers who ever held a microphone. This is superb.
Paul Mason
My favourite EJ song. It only just got into the UK Top 30 in 1977. This song was inspired by the sinking of the Hull trawler Gaul with the loss of 36 lives in 1974.
saran song
Could not agree more!
Ken Landon
Well said
Chris Treacy
It's not a popular opinion I'm sure but his band over this period was far better... top musicians
The Real Slim Shadow
The microphone is suspended over the piano by a pole. He hasn’t got a third hand to hold it.
JimmyJoeization
I'm glad Elton put out these non commercial gems. I'm 64 and was there with him in the 70s. Lost touch for decades. I'm getting into his albums that were obscure. It's great fun. He's got to be pleased at the resurgence of his popularity. Online music is great to access.
Spike Burst
Que disco cojones!!
Diego Zapata.
This is what only EJ fans have the fortune to enjoy and appreciate. They don't play this on the radio but we all know that this "unknown" music is for us, the fans!
Thomas Minor
Once addicted to Elton it became mandatory to acquire all of his music. Empty sky was his first release which I've never heard on the radio. That album has a secret.. hint: all songs fit together to tell one story.