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 Should Have Sent Roses
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking up at the sky
Cursing a wandering star
Well if I were you
I'd throw rocks at the moon
And I'd say, "Damn you wherever you are"
I don't know where to start
Locked up what I meant to say
What I felt all along the way
Just wondering how come
I couldn't take your breath away
'Cause I never sent roses
I never did enough
I didn't know how to love you
Though I loved you so much
And I should have sent roses
When you crossed my mind
For no other reason
Than the fact you were mine
I should have sent roses
Looking back on my life
If fate should decide
I could do it all over again
I'd build no more walls
I'd stay true and recall
The fragrance of you on the wind
You'll get better than me
Someone who can see
Right from the start give it all that you need
And I'll slip away
Knowing I'm half the man I should be
'Cause I never sent roses
I never did enough
I didn't know how to love you
Though I loved you so much
And I should have sent roses
When you crossed my mind
For no other reason
Than the fact you were mine
I should have sent roses
Should have sent roses
In Elton John and Leon Russell's song When Love Is Dying, the lyrics speak to the heartache and regret of a lost love. The first verse describes the frustration and anguish the singer feels, as he imagines standing outside, staring up at a "wandering star," and cursing at it for not bringing back his lost love. The allusions to the star and the moon create a beautiful image of the vast, endless universe, where there are countless possibilities and opportunities that are beyond our control.
The second verse reveals the singer's regret and guilt for not having done enough to show his love. He acknowledges that he did not know how to love her despite loving her deeply, and wished he had sent roses as a symbol of his affection when she crossed his mind. The third verse shows the singer accepting his mistakes and recognizing that he wasn't the best partner for her. He hopes that she will find someone who can give her everything she deserves, while expressing the sadness and disappointment in knowing that he wasn't that person.
Overall, the song speaks to the universal themes of love, loss, regret, and missed opportunities. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of cherishing and nurturing a relationship while it is still alive, and the pain that comes with losing it when it is too late to fix.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you standing outside?
Are you outside looking up at the sky?
Looking up at the sky
Looking up at the sky wondering about something.
Cursing a wandering star
Feeling angry towards an uncontrollable situation.
Well if I were you
If I were in your situation, this is what I'd do.
I'd throw rocks at the moon
I'd try to change something that is unchangeable.
And I'd say, 'Damn you wherever you are'
I'd express my frustration towards the situation even though I know it's irrelevant.
I don't know where to start
I don't know how to begin expressing my feelings.
This cage round my heart
I feel trapped and unable to freely express myself emotionally.
Locked up what I meant to say
I held back what I truly wanted to express.
What I felt all along the way
What I've been feeling throughout the entire journey of our relationship.
Just wondering how come
I'm questioning why I couldn't be better for you.
I couldn't take your breath away
I wasn't able to surpass your expectations and make you feel special.
'Cause I never sent roses
I never did enough gestures to show you I care.
I never did enough
I didn't put enough effort into our relationship.
I didn't know how to love you
I didn't know how to express love in the way you needed.
Though I loved you so much
Even though I loved you deeply.
And I should have sent roses
I should have done more romantic gestures to show my affection.
When you crossed my mind
When I thought of you.
For no other reason
Without any specific occasion.
Than the fact you were mine
Simply because you belonged to me.
Looking back on my life
Reflecting on my past experiences.
If fate should decide
If life circumstances were different.
I could do it all over again
I would redo everything.
I'd build no more walls
I wouldn't let past hurt prevent me from loving again.
I'd stay true and recall
I'd remain faithful and remember.
The fragrance of you on the wind
I'd remember the essence of you that lingered in memories.
You'll get better than me
You deserve someone who is better for you.
Someone who can see
Someone who can truly appreciate you.
Right from the start give it all that you need
Giving you everything from the beginning of the relationship.
And I'll slip away
I'll move on and leave you behind.
Knowing I'm half the man I should be
Acknowledging my shortcomings and shortcomings in the relationship.
Should have sent roses
I should have done more to show my love and affection towards you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, LEON RUSSELL
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.....