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)

Sails
Elton John Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I viewed in my presence
My hand on my forehead
And sighting the liners
Of mad merchant seamen
In search of the living
Or the spices of China

Lucy walked gently

Between the damp barrels
And shut out my eyes
With the width of her fingers
Said she´d guessed the number
Of bales in the back room

While the seagulls were screaming
Lucy was eating
Then we hauled up our colors
The way the mother had told us
And together we just watched the sails

Lucy I said
In a passage of cotton kegs
Can we hold hands
I´m sure that it´s warmer

Then the gulls ate the crumbs
Of Lucy´s sandwich

Overall Meaning

The stanza talks about the singer's experience of watching the ships and liners of mad merchant seamen from where he stood. He had his hand on his forehead, and he was searching for something - either for the living or the spices of China. In other words, It seems like the singer is looking for something essential, something he can't seem to find. Lucy enters the picture, and she walks gently between the damp barrels. She shut out the singer's eyes with the width of her fingers - this might signify the willingness to understand and connect with someone. Then she guessed the number of bales in the back room, which means she is observant enough to notice things that others might not. While the seagulls were screaming, Lucy ate her sandwich, and the singers joined her. They hauled up their colors, the way their mother had told them, and together they watched the sails. This stanza might suggest a hopeful and companionable experience, as though they were both taking some sort of journey together, watching the ships and experiencing beautiful moments. It seems like Lucy is a support figure in the singer's life, helping him through challenging times.

This song is open to interpretation, with many fans speculate that it is about lost love or death. Considering the context of the entire album, it is more fitting to suggest that it is part of a larger themes of the depression and the fear of the future. The lyrics clearly evoke images of melancholy and searching, with lines like "in search of the living." The boats and ships in this song suggest escape, the only way to escape the agony and misery of whatever the singer is currently facing. It is a song of hope, a song of finding solace and connection, but it also is a song of loss and sadness.

Line by Line Meaning

I viewed in my presence
I looked around me

My hand on my forehead
I shielded my eyes with my hand

And sighting the liners
And I saw the ships

Of mad merchant seamen
Of crazy sailors

In search of the living
Looking for a better life

Or the spices of China
Or exotic goods to trade

Lucy walked gently
Lucy moved gracefully

Between the damp barrels
Walking among the wet barrels

And shut out my eyes
And blocked my view

With the width of her fingers
Using her fingers to cover my eyes

Said she´d guessed the number
Said she had figured out how many