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)
First Episode At Hienton
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we were two so much in love forever
I loved the white socks that you wore
But you don't wear white socks no more; now you're a woman
I joked about your turned-up nose
And criticized your school-girl clothes
But would I then have paced these roads to love you
For seasons come and seasons go
Make Valerie a woman
And Valerie is lonely
No more to roam on the snow hills of Hinton
Undecided with the guardians of the older generation
A doormat was a sign of welcome
In the winter months to come
And in the summer laughing
Through the castle ruins we'd run
For the quadrangle sang to the sun
And the grace of our feeling
And the candle burned low as we talked of the future
Underneath the ceiling
There were tears in the sky
And the clouds in your eyes were just cover
For your thighs were the cushions
Of my love and yours for each other
The songs still are sung
It was fun to be young
But please, don't be sad where 'ere you are
I am who I am
You are who you are
Now Valerie's a woman
Now Valerie's a woman
Now Valerie's a woman
The song "First Episode at Hienton" by Elton John captures the essence of young love and the evolution of relationships. The lyrics refer to a time when the singer and his love were young and carefree. They were two people deeply in love, represented in the lyrics by 'two' being emphasized throughout the song. The singer loved his girlfriend's style, even her white socks, which she doesn't wear anymore since she has become a woman. It is a time when they teased each other, criticized each other's fashion sense, but were still head over heels in love.
The song also delves into the idea of time passing and people changing. The singer reflects on how they have both evolved as individuals and their relationship has transformed in a way that they are no longer together. There is no more roaming on the snow hills of Hinton, and the singer reflects on the passing of seasons. The mention of 'older generation' refers to the passing of time and new cultural norms clashing with the traditions of the past. The singer realizes that Valerie has become an older woman now and is lonely, and he reflects on the memories of their past, singing how 'it was fun to be young, but please, don't be sad wherever you are.'
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on young love, the passage of time, and the changes that happen within both individuals and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I was one as you were one
We were equal
And we were two so much in love forever
We were in love for a long time
I loved the white socks that you wore
I loved small things about you
But you don't wear white socks no more; now you're a woman
But you've changed now and become an adult
I joked about your turned-up nose
I teased you about your appearance
And criticized your school-girl clothes
And found fault with your attire
But would I then have paced these roads to love you
But that didn't matter, because I would have still loved you regardless
For seasons come and seasons go
Time passes
Bring forth the rain the sun and snow
There will be good times and bad
Make Valerie a woman
Valerie has grown up
And Valerie is lonely
She is alone and misses the past
No more to roam on the snow hills of Hinton
We can't go back to our past
Undecided with the guardians of the older generation
We were unsure about our future, and the older generation didn't help
A doormat was a sign of welcome
A doormat at the front door meant you were welcome
In the winter months to come
During the winter
And in the summer laughing
And during the summer we would laugh
Through the castle ruins we'd run
We would run through the ruins of a castle
For the quadrangle sang to the sun
The courtyard was beautiful in the sun
And the grace of our feeling
And we felt grace and love for each other
And the candle burned low as we talked of the future
We talked about our future until the candle burned out
Underneath the ceiling
In that room
There were tears in the sky
It was a sad time
And the clouds in your eyes were just cover
You were trying to hide your true feelings
For your thighs were the cushions
We were physically intimate
Of my love and yours for each other
We had a deep love for each other
The songs still are sung
The memories live on
It was fun to be young
Being young was enjoyable
But please, don't be sad where 'ere you are
But don't be upset anywhere you are, things will get better
I am who I am
We are who we are
You are who you are
We are unique individuals
Now Valerie's a woman
Valerie has grown up
Now Valerie's a woman
Valerie has grown up
Now Valerie's a woman
Valerie has grown up
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.....