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)
Suit Of Wolves
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On this dirty little town
It stained your dress carved up my face
Put a wedge between our state of grace
Somethings so young and pretty
Should never be released
We place our bets we take our pick
And when you can't get what you want
You take anything you can
So I wear this suit of wolves at night
I slip it on how come it feels so right
I get a hungry man
When I can't get what I want
I take anything I can
I wear a suit of wolves
Just across from Friday
The weekend circus rolls
I cross my heart turn on the charm
I say my prayers between two hungry arms
There's a string of dangerous flowers
All around my bed
There's some want rings and some just want
And those who'd like to see me dead
Elton John's song "Suit of Wolves" speaks of the regret and loss of innocence that someone feels after the choices they make. The first verse creates a vivid image of a small, corrupted town where the singer and their lover have lost their sense of grace due to destructive forces such as violence and betrayal. The next verse further emphasizes the corruption around them and how younger, more innocent people often suffer the most. The chorus reflects on how the singer has turned to wearing a figurative "suit of wolves" - something predatory that helps them succeed in an unforgiving world.
In the second verse, the singer is depicted as being lost within a world of shallow pleasure and amusement, with the weekend circus often serving as the backdrop for it all. They feel as if they must constantly hide behind a charming facade while acknowledging the danger they are in due to the "dangerous flowers" and people surrounding them. Overall, "Suit of Wolves" is a cautionary tale about the sometimes destructive forces in our world and the actions we take to survive it, often at the cost of our own innocence.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking back in anger
Reflecting on the past with resentment and frustration
On this dirty little town
On this small, unpleasant place
It stained your dress carved up my face
Our relationship was ruined and violent
Put a wedge between our state of grace
Caused a division that separated us from our virtuous state
Somethings so young and pretty
Something pure and beautiful
Should never be released
Should never be exposed to the harsh reality of the world
We place our bets we take our pick
We make choices and take chances in life
They wind up in the belly of the beast
They often end up in the grasp of something destructive
And when you can't get what you want
When you're unable to obtain what you desire
You take anything you can
You settle for anything available to you
So I wear this suit of wolves at night
I put on a persona of aggression and danger when alone
I slip it on how come it feels so right
I feel comfortable when I take on this persona
I get a hungry man
I become desperate in my desires
When I can't get what I want
When my desires go unfulfilled
I take anything I can
I settle for anything available to me
I wear a suit of wolves
I adopt an aggressive and dangerous persona
Just across from Friday
On the brink of the weekend
The weekend circus rolls
The partying and debauchery of the weekend commence
I cross my heart turn on the charm
I become disingenuous and manipulative
I say my prayers between two hungry arms
I seek comfort in the arms of others while maintaining my selfish desires
There's a string of dangerous flowers
There are dangerous individuals in my life
All around my bed
Surrounding me in my personal life
There's some want rings and some just want
Some want material possessions, others just want me
And those who'd like to see me dead
And some wish for my harm, or even my death
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNARD J.P. TAUPIN, 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.....