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)
Rock Me When He's Gone
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just a rolling stone who needs a drop of rain
And to taste your honey, Mona is like licking on the sun
My truck's hid in the back yard so come here and give me some
Said lady, that's the way
You've gotta rock me when he's gone
You make me feel like a diesel train going home
And we've only just begun
So take me baby, break me lady
Gotta rock me when he's gone
Break the bread in two and you can give me half
I've ridden hard and fast just to make you laugh
To make you laugh I've stood knee-deep in mud outside your door
Clutching in my hand a border rose from Baltimore
The lyrics of Elton John's song Rock Me When He's Gone depict a man who is craving for the attention and affection of a woman, who he calls Mona. He describes himself as a "rolling stone who needs a drop of rain", indicating that he is a wanderer who has been searching for something or someone to fill the emptiness in his heart. The woman, on the other hand, makes him feel alive and wanted again, like he is a "diesel train going home". He speaks of her as if she is his only hope in a world that is constantly changing and uncertain.
The lines "Warm the wine and give it to me one more time again" and "Break the bread in two and you can give me half" suggest a sense of intimacy and sharing between the two persons. They are sharing moments that are precious to them- wine, bread, and laughter. The man has had to endure a lot of hardships in order to be with the woman, including standing "knee-deep in mud outside (her) door". However, he does not regret any of it, and is willing to go to any lengths to have her.
The chorus "You've gotta rock me when he's gone" is a plea. Mona is the only one who can make the man feel loved and alive again, but she can only do so when he is gone. The song is a testament to the power of love and intimacy, and how it can bring people together, even in the bleakest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
Warm the wine and give it to me one more time again
I need another drink, so please give me more wine to warm me up
I'm just a rolling stone who needs a drop of rain
I'm a wanderer who needs some love and affection to survive
And to taste your honey, Mona is like licking on the sun
Being with you, Mona, is sweet like honey and feels as warm and bright as the sun
My truck's hid in the back yard so come here and give me some
I have to park my truck in the back yard so nobody sees it, but please come over and be with me
Said lady, that's the way
I'm telling you, woman, this is how it has to be
You've gotta rock me when he's gone
You have to give me love and attention when my partner is not around
You make me feel like a diesel train going home
Being with you makes me feel powerful and unstoppable, like a train heading home
We got so much to give each other
We have a lot of love and affection to share with each other
And we've only just begun
We have a lot of potential and things are just getting started between us
So take me baby, break me lady
Please dominate me, woman, and make me your own
Gotta rock me when he's gone
You have to give me love and attention when my partner is not around
Break the bread in two and you can give me half
Let's share the food together by breaking the bread and giving me half
I've ridden hard and fast just to make you laugh
I've gone through a lot of trouble just to see you happy and smiling
To make you laugh I've stood knee-deep in mud outside your door
I've gone through extreme measures, even standing in the mud, just to make you laugh
Clutching in my hand a border rose from Baltimore
I'm holding a special rose that I picked just for you from the border of Baltimore
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.....