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)
Honky Cat
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bopping in the country, fishing in a stream
Looking for an answer, trying to find a sign
Until I saw your city lights, honey, I was blind
They said, get back, honky cat
Better get back to the woods
Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways
You better get back, honky cat
Living in the city ain't where it's at
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine
It's like trying to drink whiskey, oh, from a bottle of wine
Well, I read some books, and I read some magazines
About those high-class ladies down in New Orleans
And all the folks back home, well, said I was a fool
They said, oh, "Believe in the Lord" is the golden rule
They said, get back, honky cat
Better get back to the woods
But I quit those days and my redneck ways
And, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, change is gonna do me good
They said, get back, honky cat
Better get back to the woods
Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways
And, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, change is gonna do me good
They said, stay at home, boy, you gotta tend the farm
Living in the city, boy, is, is going to break your heart
But how can you stay when your heart says no?
How can you stop when your feet say go?
You better get back, honky cat
Better get back to the woods
Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways
And, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, the change is gonna do me good
You better get back, honky cat
Living in the city ain't where it's at
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine
It's like trying to drink whiskey, oh, from a bottle of wine
Oh, yeah
Get back, honky cat
Get back, honky cat
Get back, woo
Get back, honky cat
Get back, honky cat
Get back, woo
Oh, get back, honky cat
Get back, get back, honky cat, woo
(Oh yeah, redneck ways and, woo)
In Elton John's song "Honky Cat," the singer reminisces about his simple life as a country boy, spending his time fishing in streams and searching for answers in life. However, his perspective changed when he saw the city lights and realized what he had been missing out on. Despite opposition from his friends and family back home, who believed in staying true to their roots and following religious beliefs, he abandons his old lifestyle and seeks out what the city has to offer. The song suggests that staying in one's comfort zone may not necessarily lead to personal growth, and sometimes taking risks and exploring new territory can bring about positive change.
The repeated refrain "get back, honky cat" serves as a warning from the singer's old way of life, urging him to return to the woods and his country lifestyle. This represents a conflict between the traditional expectations and beliefs of the singer's background and his desire for personal growth and change. Through the use of vivid imagery, such as trying to find gold in a silver mine or drinking whiskey from a bottle of wine, the song emphasizes the futility of remaining in familiar surroundings and the need to explore new horizons.
Line by Line Meaning
When I look back, boy, I must have been green
Reflecting on my past, I realize that I was naive
Bopping in the country, fishing in a stream
Spending leisure time in rural areas
Looking for an answer, trying to find a sign
Searching for guidance and direction in life
Until I saw your city lights, honey, I was blind
I didn't know what I was missing until I experienced the city life
They said, get back, honky cat
People advised me to return to my country way of life
Better get back to the woods
Returning to rural living is the best option for me
Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways
I gave up my old way of life
And, oh, the change is gonna do me good
I believe that the change will have a positive impact on me
Living in the city ain't where it's at
City life is not fulfilling
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine
Searching for what is not attainable in the city life
It's like trying to drink whiskey from a bottle of wine
Expecting too much from an ordinary thing
Well, I read some books, and I read some magazines
I have been exposed to literature on high society life
About those high-class ladies down in New Orleans
Reading about upper-class women in a specific setting
And all the folks back home, well, said I was a fool
My family and friends in the countryside thought I was being foolish
They said, oh, believe in the Lord is the golden rule
The religious belief of my community is the most important thing
They said, stay at home, boy, you gotta tend the farm
My responsibilities and duties are on the farm
Living in the city, boy, is going to break your heart
The city life is too hard and will cause harm to me
But how can you stay when your heart says no?
It's hard to stay when my heart doesn't want to
How can you stop when your feet say go?
It's hard to stay still when my feet want to keep moving
Oh, yeah
Exclamation to show enthusiasm
Get back, honky cat
Advice to return to rural life
Get back
Advice to return
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.....