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)
Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The winter of your discontent came twenty years too late
If it was love and I was there I've forgotten where it lives
We both stepped off a frozen rock onto a burning bridge
You came like an invasion all bells and whistles blowing
Reaping the rewards of the fable you'd been sowing
I saw you cross the landing and descending marble stairs
Like Caesar crossed the Rubicon you seemed to walk on air
And yeah I've seen your movie
And I read it in your book
The truth just flew off every page
Your songs have all the hooks
You're seven wonders rolled in one
You shifted gear to cruise
Oh you came to town in headlines
And eight hundred dollar shoes
Oh the bellboys are crying and moneys changing hands
Your cloak and dagger legacy's gone home to no man's land
The marquee lights are flickering your poster's fading fast
Your being here just melts away like ice cubes in a glass
And yeah I've seen your movie
And I read it in your book
The truth just flew off every page
Your songs have all the hooks
You're seven wonders rolled in one
You shifted gear to cruise
Oh you came to town in headlines
And eight hundred dollar shoes
Oh you came to town in headlines
And eight hundred dollar shoes
The song “Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes” by Elton John and Leon Russell is a profound commentary on the pitfalls of fame and fortune. The lyrics speak of the disillusionment and emptiness that come with achieving success, as well as the fleeting nature of it all. The opening lines, “You had your grand illusion and wrestled with your fate, the winter of your discontent came twenty years too late” allude to the idea that the singer has already achieved everything he thought he wanted, but it is not fulfilling. He is struggling with the fact that his dreams were achieved too late in his life, and the success doesn’t bring him the joy he expected it to.
The lines “If it was love and I was there I’ve forgotten where it lives, we both stepped off a frozen rock onto a burning bridge” suggest that the singer is now disconnected from the life that he used to love. He has achieved so much that he has forgotten why he wanted it, and it now feels like he is walking towards something that is ultimately self-destructive. The use of the image of “a burning bridge” represents the danger he is walking towards, and the idea that there may be no turning back.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the lines “You’re seven wonders rolled in one, you shifted gear to cruise, oh, you came to town in headlines, and eight hundred dollar shoes”, is a commentary on the image of success. The “seven wonders” element suggests someone that everyone should aspire to be like, while “eight hundred dollar shoes” are an over-the-top symbol of wealth and glamour. Ultimately, the song suggests that there is a dark side to the image of success, and it is not all that it appears to be.
Line by Line Meaning
You had your grand illusion and wrestled with your fate
You held onto a belief that didn't align with reality and struggled with your destiny
The winter of your discontent came twenty years too late
You realized too late that you weren't happy with your life
If it was love and I was there I've forgotten where it lives
If there was love between us, I can't remember where it went
We both stepped off a frozen rock onto a burning bridge
We made a dangerous transition from one difficult situation to another
You came like an invasion all bells and whistles blowing
You arrived with a lot of attention and fanfare
Reaping the rewards of the fable you'd been sowing
You were enjoying the benefits of the story you had been telling
I saw you cross the landing and descending marble stairs
I witnessed you making a grand entrance down a staircase
Like Caesar crossed the Rubicon you seemed to walk on air
You carried yourself with a sense of invincibility and confidence, much like Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon
Oh the bellboys are crying and moneys changing hands
People are being emotional and money is being exchanged
Your cloak and dagger legacy's gone home to no man's land
Your secretive and mysterious reputation has disappeared without a trace
The marquee lights are flickering your poster's fading fast
Your time in the spotlight is coming to an end, as your name on the marquee is losing its luster
Your being here just melts away like ice cubes in a glass
Your presence is fleeting and insignificant
You're seven wonders rolled in one
You possess many incredible qualities and talents
You shifted gear to cruise
You effortlessly transitioned into a state of ease and comfort
Oh you came to town in headlines
Your arrival to the city was highly publicized
And eight hundred dollar shoes
You wore expensive footwear as a symbol of your success and wealth
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.....