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)
Love Builds a Garden
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once upon a time they say
Once upon a time in this place
I looked and saw on your face
A smile that spoke to me
In oh so many ways
The Sunday morning bells
Rang out that all was well
We'd rest when we worked hard
We take a little time off
To appreciate the day
And love builds a garden
Grew it from the ground up
Each one of us knowing
Every inch of it was us
We pulled it all together
Hoping and believing
That love built this garden
For the two of us to dream in
We'd get a little rain
Then the sun came out again
But a frost it's hard to fight
Once it takes hold flowers die
There's only so much you can do
To keep some things alive
And love builds a garden
Grew it from the ground up
Each one of us knowing
Every inch of it was us
We pulled it all together
Hoping and believing
That love built this garden
For the two of us to dream in
Sad to say, it's true
Without a lover who
Cares as much
Well I guess, I guess it goes to prove
That love built a garden
Growed it from the ground up
Each one of you knowing
Every inch of it is trust
Pulled it all together
Hoping and believing
That love builds a garden
In "Love Builds a Garden," Elton John speaks of the beauty of love, and how it can be the foundation for a beautiful life. The song opens with the phrase “You hear it every day,” which suggests that the idea of love is something common in our lives. The phrase “Once upon a time” is a device used to create a fairy tale-like feeling, emphasizing the idea that love can be magical. Elton describes how he saw a smile on his lover’s face, which spoke to him in numerous ways. The Sunday morning bells ring out that all is well, brightening up the day. He talks about how they worked together to build a beautiful garden, representing the love that they have for each other.
However, the garden is not without its challenges. They encounter rain, frost, and other difficulties, as well as the inevitability of death. Despite these obstacles, they continue to look after their garden and keep it thriving, which is again a metaphor for their love. Elton acknowledges that without a lover, who cares as much as they do, the garden (their love) will not grow. In the end, when love is present, it has the power to create a beautiful world.
Line by Line Meaning
You hear it every day
Love is a common topic that people talk about frequently
Once upon a time they say
This story begins in the past, as many stories do
Once upon a time in this place
The story takes place in a specific location in the past
I looked and saw on your face
I saw an expression on your face
A smile that spoke to me
The smile conveyed a message or feeling to me
In oh so many ways
There were many aspects of the smile that were meaningful
The Sunday morning bells
On Sunday morning, the bells rang as they often do in some places of worship
Rang out that all was well
The sound of the bells indicated that everything was good or okay
Sunshine across the yard
The yard was filled with sunlight
We'd rest when we worked hard
After working hard, we would take a break
We take a little time off
We would take a brief pause to rest or enjoy the moment
To appreciate the day
We would take time to enjoy or be thankful for the day
And love builds a garden
Love can create something beautiful and meaningful, like a garden
Grew it from the ground up
We built this beautiful thing from the very beginning
Each one of us knowing
All of us involved were aware of and invested in this project
Every inch of it was us
Every part of this garden represented our hard work and our love for each other
We pulled it all together
We worked together to make this beautiful thing
Hoping and believing
We were optimistic and had faith in our project
That love built this garden
Our love for each other was the foundation and inspiration for this garden
For the two of us to dream in
This garden was created as a place for us to dream, relax, and enjoy each other's company
We'd get a little rain
Sometimes there were challenges, like rain
Then the sun came out again
But eventually things got better
But a frost it's hard to fight
There are some problems that are difficult to overcome
Once it takes hold flowers die
Once a problem becomes too big, the beautiful things it affects can also be destroyed
There's only so much you can do
Sometimes you can't fix things, no matter how much you try
Sad to say, it's true
Unfortunately, this is the reality
Without a lover who
Without someone who loves you and cares about you
Cares as much
Who loves you as much as you love them
Well I guess, I guess it goes to prove
This just proves that love is important and necessary
Growed it from the ground up
We built this beautiful thing from the very beginning
Each one of you knowing
All of you involved were aware of and invested in this project
Every inch of it is trust
Every part of this garden represents the trust and love between both people
That love builds a garden
Love can create something beautiful and meaningful, like a garden
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ELTON JOHN, BERNARD J.P. TAUPIN
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.....