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)
Steal Away Child
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where nothing is ever the way that it seems
I gave you your life, you gave me your trust
I've no wish to hurt you but hurt you I must
Steal away child, turn down your light
Steal away into the night
Steal away child to the land of the lies
Sit safe for a place peaceful and calm
Where no one and nothing can harm you
Steal away child, you'll be alright
Steal away into the night
Once more goodnight, one last goodbye
Trying hard not to show how I'm making what it's taking not to cry
Steal away child, sleeping so still
Our love is too precious for distance to kill
But when you awake, morning has come
I won't be the one you turn to
I'll do what I must before it gets light
I'll steal away into the night
Steal away child
is a poignant song by Elton John that is about the difficult decision of a father to leave his child behind. The lyrics are heart-wrenching and emotional, invoking a sense of sadness and longing in the listener. The father in the song tells his child to steal away into their dreams, where nothing is ever the way it seems, as he has to do something that will hurt the child, but it cannot be avoided.
The father acknowledges the trust that the child has put in him, but he has to hurt the child in some way, and the child should steal away into the night while he does what he must do. The father urges the child to go to a place of lies, where hope never dies, and no one can harm them. He promises the child that he will be alright, and it is okay to steal away into the night, and they will say goodbye one last time.
However, the father also knows that when the child wakes up, he won't be the one the child turns to, and he has to do what he must before it gets light. These lyrics suggest that the father is making a tough decision here, and despite his love for his child, he cannot go on as things are. The song is a beautiful portrayal of a father's love, sacrifice, and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Steal away child into your dreams
Escape to your dreams to find solace and comfort from the harsh realities of life
Where nothing is ever the way that it seems
In the dream world, things are not always what they appear to be on the surface
I gave you your life, you gave me your trust
The singer has been responsible for the life of the person he is addressing and they have put their faith in him
I've no wish to hurt you but hurt you I must
Despite not wanting to cause harm, the situation demands it
Steal away child, turn down your light
Diminish yourself and your presence, to reduce the risk of detection and possible harm
Steal away into the night
Escape under the cover of darkness to avoid confrontation or negative consequences
Steal away child to the land of the lies
Enter a world of illusions and false promises to find comfort and happiness
Where love lasts forever and hope never dies
In this world, love and hope are eternal and neverending
Sit safe for a place peaceful and calm
Find sanctuary in a place that is safe, tranquil and secure
Where no one and nothing can harm you
In this place, you are protected and invulnerable to any outside threats
Steal away child, you'll be alright
Encouragement to remain strong and reassurance that everything will be okay
Once more goodnight, one last goodbye
A final farewell and good wishes before leaving for good
Trying hard not to show how I'm making what it's taking not to cry
Struggling to hold back tears and emotions as they depart
Steal away child, sleeping so still
Leaving while the person is sleeping peacefully
Our love is too precious for distance to kill
Despite the physical separation, their love remains strong and unbreakable
But when you awake, morning has come
When the person wakes up, a new day has begun
I won't be the one you turn to
The singer will no longer be there for the person to rely on
I'll do what I must before it gets light
The singer must depart before daylight to avoid being caught or discovered
I'll steal away into the night
The singer will leave quietly and discreetly under the cover of darkness
Contributed by Hunter Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.....