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)
Lady D'Arbanville
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do you sleep so still
I'll wake you tomorrow
And you will be my pill, yes you will be my pill
My Lady D'Arbanville
Why does it grieve me so
But your heart seems so silent
My Lady D'Arbanville
Why do you sleep so still
I'll wake you tomorrow
And you will be my pill, yes you will be my pill
My Lady D'Arbanville
You look so cold tonight
Your legs feel like winter
Your skin has turned to white, your skin has turned to white
My Lady D'Arbanville
Why do you sleep so still
I'll wake you tomorrow
And you will be my pill, yes you will be my pill
My Lady D'Arbanville
Why do you grieve me so
But your heart seems so silent
Why do you breathe so low, why do you breathe so low
I love you my lady
Though in your grave you lie
I'll always be with you
This rose will never die, this rose will never die
The lyrics of Elton John's song, Lady D'Arbanville, tell a story of a man who is mourning the loss of his lover, Lady D'Arbanville, who has passed away. He is frustrated with her coldness in death and unresponsiveness to him. He repeats the refrain, "Why do you sleep so still? I'll wake you tomorrow and you will be my pill," suggesting that he wants to use a reanimated Lady D'Arbanville as a cure for his heartache.
The verses are hauntingly sad, with the singer's grief overwhelming his attempt to move on. He laments Lady D'Arbanville's silence and coldness, her stillness in death. He notes her physical changes, her skin turning white and feeling cold, like winter. He is caught between wanting her to wake up and wanting her to stay with him in death, promising that, "This rose will never die."
Elton John has said that "Lady D'Arbanville" was inspired by a famous painting by the French artist Édouard Manet called “The Dead Toreador.” The painting depicts a young girl mourning over the body of a deceased bullfighter. The song is not only a testament to grief but also a commentary on our societal obsession with fixing our problems. We often turn to pills and other quick fixes rather than dealing with the pain of loss head-on.
Line by Line Meaning
My Lady D'Arbanville
The singer is addressing Lady D'Arbanville
Why do you sleep so still
The singer is wondering why Lady D'Arbanville is sleeping so quietly
I'll wake you tomorrow And you will be my pill, yes you will be my pill
The singer plans to wake Lady D'Arbanville up and use her as a source of comfort
Why does it grieve me so But your heart seems so silent
The artist is confused about why Lady D'Arbanville's silence is making him upset
Why do you breathe so low, why do you breathe so low
The artist is wondering why Lady D'Arbanville is breathing quietly
You look so cold tonight
Lady D'Arbanville appears to be very cold to the singer
Your legs feel like winter Your skin has turned to white, your skin has turned to white
Lady D'Arbanville's body feels very cold to the singer
Why do you grieve me so But your heart seems so silent
The artist is upset that Lady D'Arbanville is not communicating with him
I love you my lady
The artist loves Lady D'Arbanville
Though in your grave you lie I'll always be with you
The artist plans to love Lady D'Arbanville forever, even after she's gone
This rose will never die, this rose will never die
The singer is leaving a rose as a symbol of his love for Lady D'Arbanville
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: CAT STEVENS, YUSUF ISLAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vegan Vocalist
Love his voice 💙
Diron
Great cover! Love both Elton's and Yusuf/Cat's music!
Hagamenon Souza
Jamais pensei que tenha existido essas gravações por parte de Elton John ! Muito bom !
Andreia Ferreira
O que é certo é... esta letra é fantástica a música também...
Everything Music & Guitar Shenanigans
This song almost makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but not quite. Now Cat Stevens? The guy who wrote this song,that version makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and brings tears to my eyes. If I had to pick 5 of my favorite Cat Stevens songs this would be in the top 3.
Andreia Ferreira
Acreditas que é Elton John e não Cat Stevens?!!¿
ramses4321
@Andreia Ferreira Claro que é Elton John. Eu conheço muito bem o timbre do Elton. Os dois têm um timbre parecido mas nota-se a assinatura de voz do Elton.
Rocket Calcutta
Why did Elton sing, "You will be my pill," instead of fille? 🤔
Adriana Rocha
Linda releitura ficou perfeita
Bill Blocker
Out of all the covers here , this is the best,kind of haunting...the way I like it