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)
Shakey Ground
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't ease this hurt I feel all over
My life was one special occasion
'Til your leaving dampened the situation
[Chorus:]
Well well well
Standing on shakey ground
Standing on shakey ground
Ever since you put me down
My car got repossessed this morning
Harder times I haven't seen in years
Girl you better throw me a life preserver
'Cause I'm about to drown in my own tears
[Chorus x 2]
Standing on shakey ground
Ever since you put me down
Well well well
Standing on shakey ground
Shaking, shakey ground
Standing, standing
Standing on shakey ground
The lyrics to Elton John and Don Henley's "Shakey Ground" speak about the emotional pain and struggles of a man who has been left by his lover. The opening lines, "Lady luck and four leaf clovers, won't ease this hurt I feel all over," refer to the fact that no matter how lucky or fortunate he might be, nothing can ease his pain. He had always lived his life as a special occasion but now that his lover has left him, it has dampened his spirits significantly. He is now standing on shaky ground as he navigates this sudden change in his life.
The second verse talks about how the man's life has turned for the worse ever since his lover left him. His car got repossessed, and harder times are now his reality. He is overwhelmed by his emotions and is about to drown in his own tears, begging for a life preserver. The repetitive chorus of "Standing on shaky ground ever since you put me down" highlights how his world has been turned upside down as a result of his lover's departure. The song closes with the repetition of the phrase "standing on shaky ground" as a way of emphasizing the major theme of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Lady luck and four leaf clovers
Despite hoping for good luck and good fortune, it doesn't alleviate the immense pain I feel inside.
Won't ease this hurt I feel all over
The hurt from your leaving is so intense that even good luck won't help relieve it.
My life was one special occasion
My life was full of happiness and joy before you left me.
'Til your leaving dampened the situation
Your departure changed the entire atmosphere of my life, making everything seem dull and hopeless.
Well well well
An expression of despair and hopelessness.
Standing on shakey ground
My life has become unstable and uncertain since you left.
Ever since you put me down
Everything has gone downhill for me since you left me.
My car got repossessed this morning
Things have gotten so bad that even basic necessities like transportation are being taken away from me.
Harder times I haven't seen in years
The current situation I'm in is worse than anything I have experienced in a long time.
Girl you better throw me a life preserver
I need someone to help me out of this desperate situation before it's too late.
'Cause I'm about to drown in my own tears
I am so emotionally overwhelmed that I am at risk of losing myself completely.
Shaking, shakey ground
A repetition of the unstable and uncertain state my life is in.
Standing, standing
Reinforcing the fact that I am still hanging on, despite everything.
Standing on shakey ground
A final cry for help as I struggle to keep going in these difficult times.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFFREY BOWEN, ALPHONSO BOYD, EDDIE HAZEL
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.....