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)
Planes
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One of those men upon the screen
With an elegant lady and a cafe in Paris
Serving Pernot and Kalua with cream
You can see it I know
All the doors have been closed in my face
And the drinks at the Casbah
And oh Jessie won't you look at the planes
Tell me, oh Jessie, is it true what they
That there's a capital G in the name of the game
And the runway's a home for my silver-red plane
And won't you look at the planes
Riding down the skyway
Jessie ain't those wings just fine
Don't it make you want to fly someday
Why friend am I so still
Tied to my job with time to kill
Do I still bear the traces of old Don Quixote
Tilting giants on imaginary hills
The first verse of Elton John's song "Planes" speaks to a fantastical desire to be a movie star in a luxurious setting with a beautiful partner. The setting is a chic café in Paris serving premium drinks, including Pernot and Kalua with cream. The singer, Jessie, can see the yearning in the singer's desires because he's experienced the same closed doors and exclusive environments. The Casbah's drinks are miles away from his reality, coupled with the chorus of planes soaring overhead taunting his dreams. But there's a specific detail in that chorus, the "capital G in the name of the game." It's unclear precisely what this means, but it could refer to the high stakes and cutthroat competition in the entertainment industry or life in general. The runway with the silver-red plane he desires then becomes a metaphor for not just a physical runway but also a runway for life success.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's frustrations with his current life. He's "tied to his job" and feels like the fictional Don Quixote. A character in a Spanish novel, Don Quixote is famous for his grandiose delusions of tilting at windmills, i.e., taking on impossible quests. The singer feels like he's been chasing unrealistic goals, like Don Quixote, and is wasting time that he could be using to pursue new dreams.
Interestingly, this song doesn't follow a traditional verse-chorus-verse structure like most of Elton John's songs. Instead, it jumps right into the narrative, with only one brief intro line. According to Elton John himself, the song's melody inspired him to try a different lyrical structure. "Planes" was composed under severe weather conditions while on a plane, trying to land in a storm. It was then recorded in 1971 as part of Elton John's "Madman Across the Water" album.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Jessie I'd like to be
The singer wants to escape reality and live a luxurious life.
One of those men upon the screen
The singer desires to be one of the men he sees on TV.
With an elegant lady and a cafe in Paris
The singer imagines himself in the company of a sophisticated woman in a charming cafe in Paris.
Serving Pernot and Kalua with cream
The artist dreams of sipping exotic alcoholic beverages with his companion.
You can see it I know
The artist acknowledges that his dreams are unrealistic, but still hopes to attain them.
All the doors have been closed in my face
The singer has faced multiple rejections and failures in his endeavors.
And the drinks at the Casbah
The singer conveys his distance from luxury by highlighting how even the drinks at a luxurious place are not accessible to him.
Run a mile or more from this place
The artist feels like he is far away from whatever he desires.
And oh Jessie won't you look at the planes
The artist requests Jessie to look at the airplanes, symbolizing his yearning to escape from everyday life.
Tell me, oh Jessie, is it true what they
The artist is curious about a rumor or a dream that he has heard about.
That there's a capital G in the name of the game
The singer describes the game of life wherein one must attain great success designated by the capital 'G'.
And the runway's a home for my silver-red plane
The artist's aspiration is to own an expensive and luxurious airplane.
And won't you look at the planes
The singer continues to request Jessie to look at the planes as he gets lost in his imagination.
Riding down the skyway
The singer imagines airplanes soaring through the sky.
Jessie ain't those wings just fine
The singer admires the wings of the airplane and longs for the freedom it represents.
Don't it make you want to fly someday
The artist is inspired by the image of airplanes flying and hopes to experience the same.
Why friend am I so still
The artist questions why he hasn't yet attained his dreams.
Tied to my job with time to kill
The singer is unsatisfied with his monotonous job that wastes his time.
Do I still bear the traces of old Don Quixote
The singer refers to the famous book protagonist who chased after an impractical dream, highlighting his own impossible aspirations.
Tilting giants on imaginary hills
The artist's aspirations are also impractical and unfeasible, like Don Quixote's illusions of grandeur.
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.....