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 Meant To Do My Work Today
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The brown bird sang in the apple tree
I know that's why ....
And a butterfly flittered across the field
And all the leaves were calling me
And the Buttercups nodded their smiling heads
Greeting the bees who came to call
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining handâ??
So what could I do but laugh and go?
Elton John's "I Meant to Do My Work Today" is a contemplative piece about the beauty of nature and how it can distract us from our responsibilities. The singer begins by stating that they had intended to work, but were lured away by the idyllic scene surrounding them. The brown bird singing in the apple tree and the butterfly flittering across the field captured their attention. The leaves and Buttercups called out to them, while bees and lizards all seemed to be reveling in the day. The wind is also personified in this piece, sighing as it tosses the grasses to and fro. The singer feels a sense of joy and wonder at all that is happening around them, unable to resist the pull of nature's beauty. In the end, a rainbow appears, further adding to the already breathtaking scene, and the singer laughs and decides to give in to the distraction.
The lyrics here explore the idea of the human relationship with nature, highlighting the pull that it can have on us. Despite the singer's intentions to work, the beauty surrounding them proves too enticing to resist. In the end, the rainbow symbolizes hope and the beauty that is present in everything around us. The singer ultimately embraces this beauty and embraces the distraction from their responsibilities. The song is a tribute to the power of nature, reminding listeners that sometimes, it's okay to let go of our worries and enjoy the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
I meant to do my work today
I had intended to work on my tasks for the day
The brown bird sang in the apple tree
I heard a melodious song of a brown bird sitting on an apple tree
I know that's why ....
It made me pause and take notice of the beauty around me
And a butterfly flittered across the field
A butterfly flew across the field, adding to the beauty of nature surrounding me
And all the leaves were calling me
The rustling sound of leaves made me feel as though they were beckoning me to enjoy the outdoors
And the Buttercups nodded their smiling heads
The Buttercups in the field seemed to be greeting me with their cheerful presence
Greeting the bees who came to call
Bees affectionately buzzing around the Buttercups added to the lively atmosphere of the field
And I asked the lizard the time of day.....
I was so lost in the beauty of nature that I playfully asked a lizard what time it was
And the wind went sighing over the land,
The wind made a soft, gentle sound as it passed over the land
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
The wind played with the blades of grass, moving them rhythmically
And a rainbow held out its shining handâ??
A rainbow appeared in the sky, displaying its vibrant colors as if inviting me to revel in its beauty
So what could I do but laugh and go?
All these captivating sights and sounds made me feel joyous and carefree, prompting me to leave my work and enjoy the outdoors instead
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.....