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 Never Knew Her Name
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a sweet Sunday prayer
While the choir sang Son of Heaven
And the groom just walked on air
I was killing time with Jesus
When the wedding bells began
And I saw the most beautiful woman
And she walked like a mystery
And she passed like summer rain
And she said I do like an angel
But I never knew her name
Oh the congregation gathered
But in darkness I remained
In love with the bride of a handsome man
But I never knew her name
In the shadow of the holy
Oh I heard my tell-tale heart
Whisper words that never reached her
As her vows were made at last
Oh the preacher with his blessing
Pronounced them man and wife
And I saw the most beautiful woman
Make a promise to be kept for life
Elton John's song "I Never Knew Her Name" is a poignant reflection on missed opportunities and unrequited love. The first two lines of the song describe a beautiful woman walking down the aisle of a church. The atmosphere is described as one of profound sacredness as the choir sings "Son of Heaven" and the groom is euphoric. The singer, meanwhile, is "killing time with Jesus" when the wedding bells sound, and he sees the bride. He is deeply struck by her beauty, but he never finds out her name.
The song is full of yearning and regret, as the singer muses on what might have been. He is "in love with the bride of a handsome man," but he is also in the shadow of the holy. This phrase is an allusion to Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Tell-Tale Heart," in which the singer is consumed by guilt after murdering an elderly man in the presence of his "evil eye." The singer of "I Never Knew Her Name" is similarly obsessed and tormented by his impossible love. He is racked with guilt and self-doubt, and he is unable to approach the bride or even learn her name.
In the final stanza of the song, the preacher pronounces the bride and groom as "man and wife." The singer watches helplessly as the woman he loves makes a solemn vow to her new husband. The song ends on a melancholy note of resignation, as the singer laments that he will never know the name of the woman he loves.
Overall, "I Never Knew Her Name" is a haunting portrait of love and loss, a tribute to the bittersweet nature of human desire and the longing for connection that animates all of us.
Line by Line Meaning
Well she swept through the church
The woman entered the church gracefully and elegantly.
Like a sweet Sunday prayer
Her presence in the church gave a peaceful and calming effect, just like a prayer.
While the choir sang Son of Heaven
The choir sang a religious song about Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the Son of Heaven.
And the groom just walked on air
The groom was filled with joy and happiness on his wedding day.
I was killing time with Jesus
The artist was passing time in the church, possibly praying or reflecting.
When the wedding bells began
The bells of the church started ringing to announce the wedding ceremony.
And I saw the most beautiful woman
The singer noticed a strikingly beautiful woman in the church.
Getting married to a handsome man
The woman was about to tie the knot with a good-looking man.
And she walked like a mystery
The way the woman walked appeared as though she was hiding something or trying to keep a secret.
And she passed like summer rain
Her presence was fleeting, like the light touch of summer rain.
And she said I do like an angel
When the woman agreed to get married, she did so with grace and purity, like an angel.
But I never knew her name
Despite being captivated by her beauty, the artist never found out her name or met her.
Oh the congregation gathered
The people who attended the church ceremony were all gathered and waiting for the wedding to start.
But in darkness I remained
The singer felt alone and left out, unseen by everyone else.
In love with the bride of a handsome man
The singer fell in love with the woman who was marrying another man.
Oh the shadow of the holy
The artist was standing in the shadow of the church, a holy place.
Oh I heard my tell-tale heart
The artist's heart was racing and revealing his feelings.
Whisper words that never reached her
Although the singer wanted to express his love to her, he never did so.
As her vows were made at last
The woman made her wedding vows to her husband while the singer remained silent.
Oh the preacher with his blessing
The priest or minister who presides over the wedding blessed the couple.
Pronounced them man and wife
The priest confirmed that the couple were now legally married.
And I saw the most beautiful woman
Even after the wedding ceremony was over, the artist could not forget the beauty of the woman.
Make a promise to be kept for life
The woman promised to stay with her husband for the rest of her life during the wedding ceremony.
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.....