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)
Please
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've chalked on the walls a slogan or two about life
Stood dazed in the doorway, the king and queen of clowns
We've been flipped like a coin, both of us landing face-down
So please, please, let me grow old with you
After everything we've been through, what's left to prove
so please, please, please, oh please let me grow old with you
We've been living with sorrow, been up, down and all around
We've buried our feelings a little too deep in the ground
Stood dazed in the doorway, the king and queen of clowns
We've been flipped like a coin, both of us landing face-down
So please, please, let me grow old with you
After everything we've been through, what's left to prove
so please, please, please, oh please let me grow old with you
But tied to the same track, the two of us look back
At oncoming trains ahead
How many more times can we lay on the line
Watching our love hang by a thread
So please, please, let me grow old with you
After everything we've been through, what's left to prove
so please, please, please, oh please let me grow old with you
Please, please, oh please let me grow old with you
"Please" is a song by Elton John that describes a relationship that has been through a lot of hardships, but still headstrong for the continuation of it. The song starts by describing how both the partners have been 'crippled in love' and how it feels like they have been 'hung out to dry.' The lyrics express a sense of frustration with the ups and downs of life that they've faced so far. Despite this despair, they cling to each other and still believe that they have enough reasons to grow old together. The chorus is an appeal from one partner to the other to stay together and grow old.
The second verse further emphasises the fact that they've been through a lot of tough times - they've been living with sorrow, and their feelings have been buried deep in the ground. The two partners are likened to the king and queen of clowns, which means that they've been making light of their situation, pretending things are better than they are. The metaphor of the flipped coin, both landing face-down, gets a repetition from the first verse, implying that there has been no improvement in their situation, and they're still feeling helpless.
The bridge section compares their relationship to a dangerously tied train track, where they might be hit by oncoming trains. It's almost as if the lack of certainty in the future of the relationship doesn't bother them, and they're willing to risk everything just to keep the love alive. The song ends with another repetition of the chorus, an intense plea to the partner to stay together for the rest of their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
We've been crippled in love, short changed, hung out to dry
We have faced emotional difficulties, been treated unfairly, and left alone to deal with our problems.
We've chalked on the walls a slogan or two about life
We have expressed our feelings and opinions about life in creative ways, perhaps as a way to cope with our struggles.
Stood dazed in the doorway, the king and queen of clowns
We have felt lost and confused like fools, unsure of where we are going or how to move forward.
We've been flipped like a coin, both of us landing face-down
We have been through difficult times that left us feeling defeated.
So please, please, let me grow old with you
Despite everything, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
After everything we've been through, what's left to prove
We have been through so much together, what more do we need to prove our love?
We've been living with sorrow, been up, down and all around
We have experienced a range of emotions, including sadness and uncertainty.
We've buried our feelings a little too deep in the ground
We may have hidden our emotions or brushed them aside to avoid dealing with them.
But tied to the same track, the two of us look back
We have been on this journey together, and now we look back at the challenges we have overcome.
At oncoming trains ahead
We are aware of the potential difficulties and obstacles that may lie ahead.
How many more times can we lay on the line
We have put our love on the line many times, and we wonder how much more we can take.
Watching our love hang by a thread
We have been in situations where our love seems to be in danger of falling apart.
Please, please, oh please let me grow old with you
I am pleading with you to stay with me for the rest of our lives, through thick and thin.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ELTON JOHN, BERNIE 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.....