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)
Mandalay Again
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And real estate are things I've left behind
Fights are always leaving
Silver wings unfolding on a dime
But I won't foget to tell you
If I could only reconnect the line
I really never knew you, but come back I'd like to find the time
And ferris wheels just took us up and down
Fights were always brewing
Two perfect understudies for a clown
If I could piece it all together
Or maybe find you through a friend
Last I heard it was St. Louis
But I wish that it was Mandalay Again
Come back I'd like to find the time
Plant a seed and raise a little Cain
Come back we'll throw a rope around the moon
And pretend that we're in Mandalay Again
Fuel and information
Are Siamese twins who poison everything
Lies that left us drowing
Rumor that burned like gasoline
I could have read you like a book
Instead I acted dumb and blind
I was younger then and foolish
Come back I'd like to find the time
Come back I'd like to find the time
Plant a seed and raise a little Cain
Come back we'll throw a rope around the moon
And pretend that we're in Mandalay again
It it wasn't in the afterglow of wine
Or the chatter of some European girl
I'd have understood that after all these years
There were those who chose to separate our worlds
Separate our worlds
Come back I'd like to find the time
Plant a seed and raise a little Cain
Come back we'll throw a rope around the moon
And pretend that we're in Mandalay again
And pretend that we're in Mandalay again
We'll pretend that we're in Madalay again
In Elton John's song Mandalay Again, the lyrics speak of a longing for connection and the desire to return to a simpler time. The opening lines suggest that the singer has left behind a life that is controlled by rules and regulations, and has embraced a more carefree existence. The image of silver wings unfolding on a dime suggests a sense of freedom and spontaneity. However, despite this new way of living, the singer still feels a sense of disconnect and regrets not having had the opportunity to know a certain person better. The lines "I really never knew you, but come back I'd like to find the time" express a desire for a deeper connection that has been lost.
The next verse contains references to drugs and the damaging impact of lies and rumors. The line "Fuel and information are Siamese twins who poison everything" suggests that the constant need for fuel (money, success, power) and information (gossip, media) can have a toxic effect on people's lives. The singer acknowledges that they were "younger then and foolish" and wishes for a chance to make things right. The repetition of the refrain "Come back I'd like to find the time" throughout the song highlights the singer's longing for connection and the hope of being reunited with this person.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the passage of time, the choices we make, and the importance of human connection. The sense of nostalgia and the longing for a simpler, more innocent time is conveyed through the repeated references to Mandalay, a city in Myanmar that is associated with beauty, romance, and exoticism.
Line by Line Meaning
Rules and regulations,
And real estate are things I've left behind
I've moved on from the constraints of society and the materialistic world
Fights are always leaving
Silver wings unfolding on a dime
Life is constantly changing and taking off like unfolding wings
But I won't foget to tell you
If I could only reconnect the line
I really never knew you, but come back I'd like to find the time
I may not know you well, but I want to reconnect and make amends
Drug and consequences
And ferris wheels just took us up and down
Fights were always brewing
Two perfect understudies for a clown
Our reckless behavior and constant fighting made us the perfect duo for comedy
If I could piece it all together
Or maybe find you through a friend
Last I heard it was St. Louis
But I wish that it was Mandalay Again
I'm searching for a way to reconnect with you, even if it means going to the ends of the earth
Come back I'd like to find the time
Plant a seed and raise a little Cain
Come back we'll throw a rope around the moon
And pretend that we're in Mandalay Again
Let's forget about the past and start anew, living in a place where anything is possible
Fuel and information
Are Siamese twins who poison everything
Lies that left us drowing
Rumor that burned like gasoline
The constant flow of knowledge and lies can be toxic to relationships and individuals
I could have read you like a book
Instead I acted dumb and blind
I was younger then and foolish
Come back I'd like to find the time
I regret not understanding you better and want to make up for it now
It it wasn't in the afterglow of wine
Or the chatter of some European girl
I'd have understood that after all these years
There were those who chose to separate our worlds
Separate our worlds
If not for distractions, I should have realized that people were trying to pull us apart all along
And pretend that we're in Mandalay again
We'll pretend that we're in Madalay again
We can create a new reality and live as if we're back in Mandalay, a place where anything can happen
Contributed by Caleb W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.....