Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a … Read Full Bio ↴Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist, and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967, John is one of the most successful artists of all time, having sold over 300 million records worldwide in a seven-decade career in music. He is acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s, and his lasting impact on the music industry. John's music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with Taupin is one of the most successful in history.

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)

Restless
Elton John Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's a hot summer night in the blackboard jungle
Crime sits heavy on the city shoulder
Can't get no work, I can't get a job
I just sit and play my radio in the parking lot

Well, they're breaking down doors in foreign countries
Everybody thinks somebody's hiding something
There's talk on the street and the nation is worried

But you can't talk back when you're dead, when you're dead and
Buried

And everybody's restless
Everybody's scared
Everybody's looking for something that just ain't there
Everybody's restless

Everybody's scared - they think we're all in danger
Everyone's taking cover from someone else's anger
The walls have ears, Big Brother's watching
They tell us that we're poisoned from everything that we're
Touching

Well, we could be children from the way we're acting
We feed ourselves lies and then we scream for action

We just breed, and we lose our nerve
And there's bombs going off in every corner of the world

Overall Meaning

The Elton John song “Restless” is a commentary on the disturbing state of society, painting a picture of a city rife with crime and angst. The song begins by describing a hot summer night in the city where the weight of crime looms heavily, and unemployment runs rife. The singer of the song explains that he can't get work, so he sits in a parking lot and listens to his radio. Elton John creates an air of instability that runs throughout the song with vivid imagery, and phrases such as “breaking down doors in foreign countries”, “the nation is worried”, and “everybody’s restless.” He uses these phrases to reference the vulnerability and transience of society.

The song's verses are filled with people's fears: fear of persecution, fear of death, fear of each other. It becomes quite apparent that Elton John is offering up a commentary on the times, where Big Brother is watching, and nobody knows who they can trust. Whether it's the government coming after its citizens, or citizens turning on each other, there's a great sense of fear and restlessness built into every verse of the song. What is most telling about “Restless” is that despite its somewhat bleak outlook on society, there is a sense that something can be done. The final verse speaks to this, as the song's narrator describes a people who can act like children, breeds fear, and ultimately loses its nerve. But, as John reminds us in the song's conclusion, there's always a reason to hope.

Line by Line Meaning

It's a hot summer night in the blackboard jungle
The setting is an urban area that feels like a jungle with a hot and heavy atmosphere.

Crime sits heavy on the city shoulder
There is a prevalent sense of criminal activity that weighs heavily on the community.

Can't get no work, I can't get a job
The singer is unable to find employment despite trying.

I just sit and play my radio in the parking lot
The artist spends their free time listening to music in a public place.

Well, they're breaking down doors in foreign countries
Military forces are entering other nations with force.

Everybody thinks somebody's hiding something
The public is suspicious and paranoid of others keeping secrets.

There's talk on the street and the nation is worried
Rumors and concerns circulate throughout the community and country.

But you can't talk back when you're dead, when you're dead and Buried
It is too late to speak out when you are already dead and gone.

And everybody's restless
Everyone is anxious and uneasy.

Everybody's scared
Fear is a prevalent emotion among the population.

Everybody's looking for something that just ain't there
People are searching for something that does not exist, perhaps a solution to their problems.

Everybody's restless
Once again, everyone is feeling agitated and uneasy.

They think we're all in danger
The public perceives a sense of threat and peril.

Everyone's taking cover from someone else's anger
People are seeking refuge from hostility and aggression.

The walls have ears, Big Brother's watching
There is a sense of surveillance and lack of privacy.

They tell us that we're poisoned from everything that we're Touching
A sense of contamination and harm is felt in everything people come in contact with.

Well, we could be children from the way we're acting
The behavior of the population is immature and childish.

We feed ourselves lies and then we scream for action
People believe in falsehoods and demand change despite a lack of understanding of the true issues.

We just breed, and we lose our nerve
The population continues to multiply, but their confidence and willpower dwindles.

And there's bombs going off in every corner of the world
Violence and destruction are widespread across the globe.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, ELTON JOHN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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