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)
Suzie
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ice skating on the river
With my pretty little black-eyed girl
She'd make your darn toes curl just to see her
I got a fringe front on my buggy
I got a frisky little colt in a hurry
And a pretty little black-eyed Suzie by my side
Well she sure knows how to use me
Pretty little black-eyed Suzie
Playing hooky with my heart all the time
Living with her funky family
In a derelict old alley
Down by the river where we share a little loving in the moonshine
I'm an old hayseed harp player
I'm the hit of the county fair
With my pretty little black-eyed girl
Living proof as she swirls
She's a dancer
These lyrics from Elton John's song Suzie describe a playful and romantic relationship between the singer and a girl named Suzie. In the beginning, the singer remembers skating with Suzie on a frozen river during the winter and being so captivated by her beauty that he got frostbitten. The singer also boasts about his possessions - a fringe front on his buggy and a frisky colt - but asserts that having the lovely Suzie by his side is the best part of his life.
The lyrics imply that Suzie has a mischievous and irresistible personality that keeps the singer constantly enchanted. She "plays hooky" with his heart and knows how to "use" him. Suzie is described as both pretty and funky, living with her family in a rundown alley by the river where they share love "in the moonshine." The final line of the verse reveals that the singer is a hayseed harp player who performs at county fairs, yet despite the attention he receives, Suzie steals the show with her dancing.
Overall, these lyrics convey a sense of carefree love and youthful adventure. The snowy winter landscape, frisky colt, and riverbank setting evoke a bygone era and a simpler, more romantic time. The focus, however, remains on the singer's deep love for Suzie, who lights up his world with her vibrant personality and captivating beauty.
Line by Line Meaning
I got frostbitten in the winter
I experienced frostbite in the cold season
Ice skating on the river
I was ice skating on the frozen river
With my pretty little black-eyed girl
I was doing this activity with my lovely girlfriend who has beautiful black eyes
She'd make your darn toes curl just to see her
She is so stunning that you cannot help but get excited and shiver from seeing her
I got a fringe front on my buggy
There is a decorative decoration on the front part of my horse-drawn vehicle
I got a frisky little colt in a hurry
My colt is energetic and in a rush
And a pretty little black-eyed Suzie by my side
I had my beautiful girlfriend, Suzie, next to me
Well she sure knows how to use me
She is an expert at manipulating me to her advantage
Pretty little black-eyed Suzie
My girlfriend, Suzie, who is so pretty and has beautiful black eyes
Playing hooky with my heart all the time
She constantly plays with my emotions and takes advantage of my feelings for her
Living with her funky family
She resides with her unconventional family
In a derelict old alley
They live in a dilapidated and neglected street
Down by the river where we share a little loving in the moonshine
We come together for some romantic moments under the moonlight, usually accompanied by alcohol
I'm an old hayseed harp player
I am an elder who performs music on a harmonica and comes from a rural area
I'm the hit of the county fair
I am very popular at the local fair amongst the community members
Living proof as she swirls
As she dances, it is evident that she is a living example of grace and elegance
She's a dancer
Suzie is a performer who specializes in dancing and captivates her audiences with her talent
Contributed by Colton G. 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.....