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)
Latitude
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rain on the window, wind in the trees
It's my time to write, it's your time to call
There's something about distance that gets to us all
Dark clouds above me, little people below
All walk with a purpose with someplace to go
It's my place to paint my own selfish scene
it's just the weather and me
And latitude
Fold back the morning and bring on the night
There's an alien moon
That hangs between darkness and light
Latitude between me and you
You're a straight line of distance
A cold stretch of black across blue
Latitude
Cracks in the sidewalks, dogs on the run
An old poster reading "Give us your sons"
Window frames capture moments in time
But latitude captures the heart and the mind
And latitude
Fold back the morning and bring on the night
There's an alien moon
That hangs between darkness and light
Latitude between me and you
You're a straight line of distance
A cold stretch of black across blue
Latitude
Elton John's song "Latitude" is a melancholy portrayal of a rainy London morning that the singer is experiencing as he sits down to write. He is struck by the distance between him and his loved ones, who are represented in the song by a "straight line of distance" stretching across the blue of the horizon, signifying the emotional separation between them. The lyrics evoke a sense of isolation and loneliness as the singer views the world out of his window, watching people walk by with purpose while he is lost in thought, trying to figure out how to bridge the gap between himself and the people he cares about.
The song's title, "Latitude," serves as a metaphor for the emotional and physical distance between people, and the difficulty of overcoming that distance. The chorus highlights the sense of separation, with the singer calling out for a way to "fold back the morning and bring on the night," suggesting that he would like to escape the loneliness of daylight and retreat into nighttime, where the alien moon represents the distance between himself and his loved ones.
In short, "Latitude" is a poignant reflection on the emotional separation that can exist between people, particularly when they are physically distant from one another in different parts of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Grey London morning, wet London streets
The dreary weather in London sets a sad tone in his mind.
Rain on the window, wind in the trees
He hears and sees the rain and wind outside his window, which puts him in a melancholy state of mind.
It's my time to write, it's your time to call
He has time to write, while the other person has time to call him.
There's something about distance that gets to us all
The separation between people creates a feeling of longing for connection and closeness.
Dark clouds above me, little people below
He feels isolated in his own world, as if he is above all the other people and their lives.
All walk with a purpose with someplace to go
Everyone around him seems to have a destination or goal in mind, while he is unsure of his own path.
It's my place to paint my own selfish scene
He is taking control of his own life, but acknowledges that it is for his own benefit.
On this cold lonely canvas it's just the weather and me
He feels alone and isolated as he tries to create something new in his life.
And latitude
The distance between two places or people becomes important.
Fold back the morning and bring on the night
Wishing to escape the dullness of reality and dive into the darkness of fantasy.
There's an alien moon that hangs between darkness and light
A strange and foreign world exists between the known and the unknown.
Latitude between me and you
The physical distance between two people is significant.
You're a straight line of distance a cold stretch of black across blue
The person he is separated from is represented as a cold and unforgiving distance between them.
Cracks in the sidewalks, dogs on the run
The little details of life that he observes while feeling disconnected from it all.
An old poster reading "Give us your sons"
Seeing social turmoil and conflict in the world around him.
Window frames capture moments in time
The snapshots of life that we remember and hold on to.
But latitude captures the heart and the mind
The physical distance between two people leaves a lasting emotional impact.
And latitude
The physical distance between two people remains at the forefront of his thoughts.
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.....