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)
If There's A God In Heaven
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mothers go hungry
To feed their children
But children go hungry
There's so many big men
They're out making millions
When poverty's profits
Just blame the children
If there's a God in heaven
What's he waiting for
If He can't hear the children
Then he must see the war
But it seems to me
That he leads his lambs
To the slaughter house
And not the promised land
Dying for causes
They don't understand
We've been taking their futures
Right out of their hands
They need the handouts
To hold back the tears
There's so many crying
But so few that hear
If there's a God in heaven
Well, what's he waiting for
If there's a God in heaven
What's he waiting for
The lyrics of If There's A God In Heaven by Elton John deal with the issue of poverty, war, and suffering of innocent people. The first verse highlights the reality of poverty where mothers are forced to starve themselves to feed their children. Despite the efforts, many children still suffer from hunger. The second verse talks about the profit-making businesses of big men who seem to care less about the suffering of the poor. Instead, they blame the children for their poverty. The chorus asks a question about the existence of God in the face of the pain and suffering of innocent people. The bridge highlights the irony of dying for causes one doesn't understand and how people's futures are being taken away from them. The last verse talks about the tears of the suffering and how a few people seem to care.
The lyrics are a call to draw attention to the state of poverty and suffering that is largely ignored by those who have the power to make a change. The song suggests that if there is a God in heaven, He should intervene because the suffering of innocent people is too much to bear. The lyrics suggest that the world is unjust, and the powerful people in charge have a responsibility to address these issues. The song is a protest against the suffering and injustice that is happening in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Torn from their families
Families are being forcibly separated from each other
Mothers go hungry
Mothers are sacrificing their own meals in order to provide for their children
To feed their children
The primary motive for the mothers is to provide sustenance to their children
But children go hungry
This despite the efforts made by the mothers, the children still remain unfed
There's so many big men
There are numerous wealthy and powerful men
They're out making millions
Who are accumulating vast amounts of money through various means
When poverty's profits
The rich are profiting from the poverty and hardships of the poor
Just blame the children
Yet the children are being held responsible for their poverty, while the rich continue to profit
If there's a God in heaven
Assuming the existence of God
What's he waiting for
The question raised is why God has not intervened already
If He can't hear the children
If God is not attuned to the cries of the children
Then he must see the war
God must be aware of the suffering inflicted upon them
But it seems to me
The singer is of the opinion that
That he leads his lambs
God is guiding his followers
To the slaughter house
Towards their inevitable demise
And not the promised land
Contrary to the reward they have been promised for their faith
Dying for causes
People losing their lives for various reasons
They don't understand
Many of them are unaware of why they are dying
We've been taking their futures
Their future possibilities are being taken from them
Right out of their hands
They are powerless to regain them
They need the handouts
The poor require assistance in order to survive
To hold back the tears
To prevent themselves from breaking down
There's so many crying
There are countless people who are suffering and in distress
But so few that hear
Yet only a select few are willing to acknowledge their plight
If there's a God in heaven
Once again implying the existence of God
Well, what's he waiting for
The question remains, why hasn't he acted to alleviate their distress?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, DAVEY JOHNSTONE, ELTON JOHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Julio Cesar Pereira
One of my favorite songs by Elton. The sound of this album is fantastic. Even with all the advances in technology, I don't thing Elton has ever released an album with such quality.
Lori Moore
I find myself with this title coming thru my mind many times a day. I have not thought about or possibly didn't even remember this song but with things such as they are in this country it was pulled back into my mind.
That being said I truly believe Elton John is a once in a lifetime occurance.
Marla Manriquez
This message is more timely than ever. This one always gets me choked up.
greeniem
I think the same thing exactly
Julio Cesar Pereira
Great song from a great album. Thanks for posting.
Ronnie Friend
UR Welcome! I think so too....
Julio Cesar Pereira
Great review. I also love 'Blue Moves'. I was already a big Elton John fan when this album was released. It was the first one under his Rocket Records label and also the first one manufactured and destributed by EMI. Here in Brazil, it was a major update, for EMI had bought one of our best recording companies, ODEON. Not only the distribution got better, but also the material of the cover and the cut. This album has a very distinctive sound and its quality is so much better than the previous stereo-monaural cuts. Listening to it is such joy, even on mp3 (with the help of a good dsp equalizer). I wouldn't know which song is my favorite, either is 'Cage The Songbird', 'Between 17 and 20', 'Out Of The Blue', 'Shoulder Holster', etc. 'Blue Moves' was included in the Elton John's Classic Years collection remastered by Gus Dudgeon in the early 90s. It sure deserved.
Sam W
This is my favourite song from Blue Moves. I get real Stevie Wonder vibes from it.
Guy Pauget
This song is about the feeling of dereliction(of losing faith) that we experience when pain is insufferable or when we are outraged at the amount of injustice surrounding us.
teresa chavez
Still have this album when it came hot off the presses.