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)
Jack Rabbit
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You had a good night and you feel real loose
Heard they got you going round the goosecreek shed
Trying to fill your belly full of buckshot lead
Go jack-rabbit get the cabbage patch
Farmer left the back porch door on the latch
Heard you coming and he got his gun
Go jack-rabbit running through the wood
You had a good night and you feel real loose
Gunfire breaking up the peaceful night
Jack-rabbit lying in the cold daylight
The lyrics of Elton John’s Jack Rabbit depict the unfortunate fate of a “real loose” rabbit who runs through the woods without a care in the world. At the beginning of the song, the rabbit is introduced as carelessly running through the woods, euphoric from a “good night.” However, his carefree demeanor soon comes to an end as he hears about the impending danger approaching him. The farmer in the cabbage patch has a gun and with the intention of filling the rabbit’s belly “full of buckshot lead.” The rabbit knows his fate is sealed and starts to sprint for his life.
The chorus of the song revolves around the rabbit sprinting through the woods, trying to save his life. The last verse of the song ramps up the tension as rifle shots ring out, and the rabbit meets his untimely end, lying “in the cold daylight.” The song mourns on the tragic end of the rabbit, who had enjoyed a carefree life.
The song paints a picture of a carefree life, which is then destroyed tragically in an instant. It’s about the loss of innocence, and it reflects the harshness of reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Go jack-rabbit running through the wood
Encouraging a wild and free lifestyle
You had a good night and you feel real loose
Feeling carefree and happy
Heard they got you going round the goosecreek shed
Rumors of being hunted by someone at Goosecreek shed
Trying to fill your belly full of buckshot lead
Being hunted and shot at to be killed
Go jack-rabbit get the cabbage patch
Advocating for finding happiness and food in the simple things
Farmer left the back porch door on the latch
Opportunity to access resources if one remains vigilant
Heard you coming and he got his gun
Being aware of someone else's intentions
Better go jack-rabbit better start to run
Running to avoid being caught or hurt
Gunfire breaking up the peaceful night
Disturbance and violence after a peaceful day
Jack-rabbit lying in the cold daylight
Death after trying to escape
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.....