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)
Dont Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
I can't find, oh, the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way feel
Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have, oh, they need love to help them heal
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free, yeah
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
The lyrics of Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me deal with themes of loneliness and desperation, as Elton John sings about feeling trapped in a dark, bleak world. The first verse introduces the idea that the singer is surrounded by darkness and that his life is losing its vibrancy. He is stuck in a rut and unable to move forward. In the second verse, the singer admits that he took a chance on someone who he believed would change his life, but instead, he was left feeling blindsided and alone. The chorus repeats the plea for the sun not to go down on him, with the metaphor representing the darkness that's consuming him.
The third verse is the most vulnerable, as the singer confesses that he struggles to express his feelings and that he is still in love with the person who left him. He pleads for them not to discard him, as he is just seeking love to help heal the wounds that he has. This verse makes the song deeply personal, as Elton John is exposing his own insecurities and vulnerabilities to the listener.
Overall, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me is a poignant, emotional song that showcases Elton John's masterful songwriting and his ability to connect with listeners on a deeply personal level.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't light no more of your darkness
I'm unable to alleviate the bleakness in your life despite my efforts to do so
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
My memories of happiness and vibrance with you are slowly dissipating
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
I'm becoming exhausted while time seems to remain stagnant for me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
I'm stuck in a difficult position in my life and unable to progress
Too late to save myself from falling
I'm already past the point of no return and unable to save myself
I took a chance and changed your way of life
I took a risk and influenced the way you live your life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
You misunderstood my intentions when we first met
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
You shut me out and left me disoriented and confused
Don't let the sun go down on me
Please don't let our relationship end in a negative way
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
Despite my introspection, I can only see the flaws in others and not myself
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
I only want a small part of your life and not to control it entirely
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
Losing you would be equivalent to losing everything in my life
I can't find, oh, the right romantic line
I'm struggling to express my love with the perfect words
But see me once and see the way feel
If you give me one chance, you'll understand how I truly feel about you
Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm
Don't reject me simply because you think I have malicious intentions
But these cuts I have, oh, they need love to help them heal
The emotional hurts I've experienced require love and care to recover from
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free, yeah
I only ask for a small piece of your life to have some freedom and individuality
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
If I lose you, I'll be left with nothing and my life will feel incomplete
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.....