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)
Feed Me
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm scared of the darkness
I'm cold as a razor blade
Inches from madness
Don't let me sleep here
They're all trying to kill me
I've seen the walls moving
Feed me
Feed my needs and then just leave me
Let me go back where you found me
`Cause I miss my basement
The sweet smell of new paint
The warmth and the comforts of home
So feed me
Give me my treatment and free me
My arms are so hungry so feed me
The room's so distorted
And filled with mad shadows
I feel like a carcass
White like a marrow bone
It all seems so long ago
I remember them laughing
I heard the ambulance scream
I saw the red light flashing, flashing
The lyrics to Elton John's song "Feed Me" paint a picture of a person struggling with intense fear and paranoia. The singer is on the brink of madness, feeling cold and helpless in the darkness. They beg for someone to stay with them and not to let them sleep for fear of being killed.
The line "Feed me, feed my needs and then just leave me" speaks to the singer's desperation for comfort, but also their desire to be alone. They long for the safety and security of their basement, a place that feels like home, even though it's not necessarily a healthy environment. The imagery of new paint and warmth suggest a nostalgia for the past, perhaps even a time before the singer's decline into mental illness.
The stark contrast between the bright red of the flashing ambulance and the darkness of the room creates a sense of chaos, and the repetition of "screaming, screaming" emphasizes the singer's fear and desperation. Overall, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of the singer's struggle with their own mental health, and their desperate longing for safety and comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't close the shades
Please don't shut out the light and leave me surrounded by darkness.
I'm scared of the darkness
I'm frightened of what lurks in the dark.
I'm cold as a razor blade
I feel numb and emotionless, like a sharp and icy blade.
Inches from madness
I'm close to losing my mind.
Don't let me sleep here
Please don't make me stay in this place.
They're all trying to kill me
I believe that everyone around me is out to harm me.
I've seen the walls moving
I perceive the walls around me as if they're alive and shifting.
They've all heard me screaming, screaming
I've been shouting for help, but no one seems to care.
Feed me
Provide me what I need to sustain myself.
Feed my needs and then just leave me
Give me what I need and depart from my presence.
Let me go back where you found me
Allow me to return to the place where I was discovered.
`Cause I miss my basement
Because I long for the familiarity and safety of my former dwelling.
The sweet smell of new paint
The pleasing aroma of fresh paint that reminds me of my home.
The warmth and the comforts of home
The cozy and secure feelings that home brings.
So feed me
Please provide me with what I require to survive.
Give me my treatment and free me
Provide me with the care I need and set me free.
My arms are so hungry so feed me
I have a strong desire and need for sustenance.
The room's so distorted
The space around me appears twisted and warped.
And filled with mad shadows
The area has shadows that seem insane and frightening.
I feel like a carcass
I feel lifeless and like a dead animal.
White like a marrow bone
My skin is as pale as a bone's marrow.
It all seems so long ago
It appears as though it has been many years since this all started.
I remember them laughing
I recall hearing people laughing at me.
I heard the ambulance scream
I heard the sound of an ambulance's siren.
I saw the red light flashing, flashing
I witnessed the flashing red lights of the ambulance as it approached.
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.....