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)
Idol
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the hills I face are a long hard climb
I just sit cross legged with my old guitar
Ooh, it kind of makes me feel like a rock and roll star
Well, it makes me laugh Lord it makes me cry
And I think for once, let me just get high
Let me get electric put a silk suit on
And root-toot-shoot myself to fame
Every kid alive gonna know my name
An overnight phenomenon like there's never been
A motivated supersonic king of the scene
I'll be a teenage idol, just give me a break
I'm gonna be a teenage idol no matter how long it takes
You can't imagine what it means to me
I'm gonna grab myself a place in history
A teenage idol
That's what I'm gonna be
Well, life is short and the world is rough
And if you're gonna boogie, boy, you got to be tough
Nobody knows if I'm dead or alive
I just drink myself to sleep each night
And so I pray to the teenage god of rock
If I make it big let me stay on top
You got to cut me loose from this one-room dive
Put me on the ladder keep this boy alive
And root-toot-shoot myself to fame
Every kid alive gonna know my name
An overnight phenomenon like there's never been
A motivated supersonic king of the scene
I'll be a teenage idol, just give me a break
I'm gonna be a teenage idol no matter how long it takes
You can't imagine what it means to me
I'm gonna grab myself a place in history
A teenage idol, ah, yeah
Ooh, that's what I'm gonna be
Elton John’s “Idol” presents the aspirations of a teenager who wants to be a rock star no matter what it takes. The song is about longing for fame and success, the ups and downs of the music industry, and the challenges young musicians face in getting noticed. The teenage protagonist is struggling with writer’s block and difficult times, and he hopes to turn his fortunes around by playing his guitar and becoming a rock star.
The lyrics reveal the endless pursuit of fame, the desire to be recognized by others, and the tensions between creative expression and commercial success. The singer dreams of escaping his mundane life and becoming an overnight sensation. He wants to be loved by everyone and to leave his mark on the world. The song is a commentary on the glitz and glam of the music industry and the young people who want to break into it.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, there's slim times when my words won't rhyme
There are times when I struggle to find words that fit together perfectly
And the hills I face are a long hard climb
The challenges I face seem insurmountable and take a lot of effort to overcome
I just sit cross legged with my old guitar
To cope with these challenges, I turn to music and spend time playing my guitar
Ooh, it kind of makes me feel like a rock and roll star
Playing my guitar makes me feel like I can channel the spirit of famous rock stars
Well, it makes me laugh Lord it makes me cry
Music evokes strong emotions in me, both positive and negative
And I think for once, let me just get high
Sometimes I turn to drugs or alcohol to deal with the ups and downs of life
Let me get electric put a silk suit on
I want to feel flashy and glamorous, like a rock star with all the trappings of success
Turn my old guitar into a tommy gun
I want my guitar to be like a weapon that propels me to the top of the music world
And root-toot-shoot myself to fame
I want to use my guitar and music to catapult myself to fame and fortune
Every kid alive gonna know my name
I want to be so famous that everyone, especially young people, knows who I am
An overnight phenomenon like there's never been
I dream of becoming an instant sensation, unlike anyone who has come before me
A motivated supersonic king of the scene
I see myself as a passionate, unstoppable force that dominates the music industry
I'll be a teenage idol, just give me a break
My ultimate goal is to be a teenage idol, beloved and revered by young people everywhere
I'm gonna be a teenage idol no matter how long it takes
I am determined to achieve my dream of becoming a teenage idol, even if it takes a long time
You can't imagine what it means to me
Being a teenage idol would be everything to me, and more than anyone else can imagine
I'm gonna grab myself a place in history
I want to leave my mark on the world and make history as a beloved music icon
Well, life is short and the world is rough
I am aware that life is fleeting and sometimes difficult
And if you're gonna boogie, boy, you got to be tough
To succeed in the music industry, you have to be strong and resilient
Nobody knows if I'm dead or alive
I feel like I am struggling in obscurity right now, without anyone paying attention
I just drink myself to sleep each night
To cope with my struggles, I've turned to alcohol as a way to numb myself
And so I pray to the teenage god of rock
I see music as a kind of religion, and I hope that the spirit of rock will bless me
If I make it big let me stay on top
I hope that if I achieve my dream of becoming famous, I can stay at the top of the game
You got to cut me loose from this one-room dive
I dream of escaping my current conditions and moving up to bigger, more lavish surroundings
Put me on the ladder keep this boy alive
I hope that success will give me the motivation and drive to keep pursuing my dreams
A teenage idol, ah, yeah
Being a teenage idol is the ultimate goal that motivates me and gives my life meaning
Ooh, that's what I'm gonna be
I am convinced that I can and will achieve my dream of becoming a teenage idol
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, ELTON JOHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John McGrath
Just a glimpse of what Elton is/was capable of in an experimental frame of mind - this tune is one of his absolute best. Sanborn on sax tops it off.
Jean marc Guittard
Superbe
beachray2000
All time favorite..
robin chamberlain
One of the great tracks of all time,a little masterpiece from a great album,one of my all time favourites.
Robert Johnson
Beautiful song and terribly underrated. Thought it would be included on the new rarities "jewel box" recently released. Classic Elton from Blue Moves. There was something for everyone on this double-disc album. From 1976.
HugelyRound
How come this, Elton's greatest track of all time, has so few listens? When he sang this at the recorded Rainbow concert in 1977, it's me that whoops when he introduces it!! Fame, huh?
isaMM
@HugelyRound I want to thank you for making me know "Ticking" exists. There's the story, and that piano, the whole thing is just overwhelming. I always have empathy for people who don't fit in the world as it is. People who go unnoticed (or noticed but nobody wants to see) and desperately struggle. Ticking reminds me a lot of Dan Fogelberg's Tucson Arizona that gave me a shock the first time I heard it in the 80s and that gives me goosebumps ever since everytime I hear it.
I know they are different singers but I find similarities in these two songs.
Thanks again.
HugelyRound
@isaMM And 'Ticking', best whole story in a song ever!
isaMM
I thought I was the only one to think that it's' Elton's absolute best song (equal maybe with The fox, that I love). It's the only song I can listen to "en boucle" (listen on repeat) without ever getting tired of it.
SCREENPLAYHOUSE
But do you know MELANCHOLY BLUES by Queen?