Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a … Read Full Bio ↴Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist, and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967, John is one of the most successful artists of all time, having sold over 300 million records worldwide in a seven-decade career in music. He is acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s, and his lasting impact on the music industry. John's music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with Taupin is one of the most successful in history.

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)

I Can't Keep This From You
Elton John Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can't keep this from you
I've held it in so long
It's time to tell the truth
Keeping it from you is wrong

I can't keep this from you
It's so simple I'm afraid
When I tell you how I feel

You'll just laugh and call me crazy

And I can't keep
This love a secret
And I don't want
To go on longing
I just want a chance for me to prove
My love and I can't keep this from you

I can't keep this from you
It's hard to breathe in here
I just seem to act the fool
Every time I feel you near

I can't keep this from you
No matter what you say
Anything is better now
Than going through my life this way

And I can't keep
This love a secret
And I don't want
To go on longing
I just want a chance for me to prove
My love and I can't keep this from you

And I love every move you make
Can't you hear every heart you break?
And don't you know when I hear your name?
Just the sound of it shoots me down in flames

And I can't keep
This love a secret
And I don't want
To go on longing
I just want a chance for me to prove
My love and I can't keep this from you

I can't keep
This love a secret
And I don't want
To go on longing
I just want a chance for me to prove
My love and I can't keep this from you

I just want a chance for me to prove
My love and I can't keep this from you

Oh no
I just can't keep this from you

Overall Meaning

"I Can't Keep This From You" is a heartbreaking yet relatable love song by Elton John that chronicles the singer's inner turmoil and struggle to express his love to the woman he desires. The lyrics express a sense of desperation and helplessness as the singer confesses his feelings.

He starts by admitting that he can't keep his secret any longer and that it's time for him to tell the truth. The singer is afraid to express his love to the woman he desires, fearing that she might laugh at him and consider him crazy. However, he realizes that keeping his love a secret is not the solution and that it's better to express his feelings than to go on longing.

The lyrics depict the singer's willingness to risk it all to prove his love, even if it means facing rejection and heartbreak. He loves every move the woman makes and is willing to endure the pain and heartbreak that comes with loving someone from afar. The singer wants to prove his love to the woman, and he can't keep it a secret any longer.

Overall, the song is an excellent representation of the complex emotions that come with love, and how sometimes we must take a leap of faith to get our hearts' desires.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't keep this from you
I need to tell you something important

I've held it in so long
I've been keeping it a secret for a while

It's time to tell the truth
I need to be honest with you

Keeping it from you is wrong
It's not fair for me to keep this a secret

It's so simple I'm afraid
This is a simple feeling, but I'm scared to tell you

When I tell you how I feel
I'm going to express my emotions to you

You'll just laugh and call me crazy
I'm worried you will react in a negative way and not take me seriously

And I can't keep this love a secret
I can't hide my feelings of love any longer

And I don't want to go on longing
I don't want to keep yearning for something I don't have

I just want a chance for me to prove
I want the opportunity to show you how much I love you

It's hard to breathe in here
It's not easy to keep this a secret