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)
Texan Love Song
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a cute little thing I'd been dating uptown
Well I don't know if I like that idea much
Well you'd better stay clear I might start acting rough
You out of town guys sure think you're real keen
Think all of us boys here are homespun and green
But that's wrong my friend so get this through your head
So it's ki yi yippie yi yi
You long hairs are sure gonna die
Our American home was clean till you came
And kids still respected the president's name
And the eagle still flew in the sky
Hearts filled with national pride
Then you came along with your drug crazy songs
Goddamit you're all gonna die
How dare you sit there and drink all our beer
Oh it's made for us workers who sweat, spit and swear
The minds of our daughters are poisoned by you
With your communistic politics and them negro blues
Well I'm gonna quit talking and take action now
Run all of you fairies clean out of this town
Oh I'm dog tired of watching you mess up our lives
Spending the summertime naturally high
And it's ki yi yippie yi yi
You long hairs are sure gonna die
Our American home was clean till you came
And kids still respected the president's name
And the eagle still flew in the sky
Hearts filled with national pride
Then you came along with your drug crazy songs
Goddamit you're all gonna die
Goddamit you're all gonna die
Oh lord, goddamit you're all gonna die, listen now
Elton John's song "Texan Love Song" tells the story of a man responding to rumors that his girlfriend has been seeing someone else. The man warns the rumored individual to stay away and not try to mess with him. He then goes on to criticize the person's lifestyle and beliefs, declaring that Texan men are tough and patriotic, unlike the rumored individual and their friends who are "drug crazy" and have "communistic politics." The song ends with a chilling refrain, "Goddamit you're all gonna die," emphasizing the man's anger and frustration towards the rumored love rival and others he perceives as outsiders.
On one level, the song can be read as a commentary on the cultural divide between rural Texas and the counterculture movement of the 1960s, which was seen as a threat to traditional social values in many parts of the United States. The man's anger towards long-haired hippies, drug use, and so-called "negro blues" music reflects a conservative worldview and a deep-seated distrust of outsiders. At the same time, the song can also be seen as a critique of toxic masculinity and violent behavior, as the man threatens physical harm to the person he believes is threatening his relationship.
Overall, "Texan Love Song" is a complex and emotionally charged song that touches on themes of power, jealousy, and identity. It speaks to the tensions and conflicts that arise when different cultures and values clash, and the often-violent consequences that can arise from these clashes.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard from a friend you'd been messing around
Someone told me that you were having an affair
With a cute little thing I'd been dating uptown
You were having an affair with someone I was dating
Well I don't know if I like that idea much
I am not happy about it
Well you'd better stay clear I might start acting rough
Stay away from me or I might become aggressive
You out of town guys sure think you're real keen
You guys from out of town think you are better than us
Think all of us boys here are homespun and green
You believe that we are naive and inexperienced
But that's wrong my friend so get this through your head
You are mistaken, and you need to understand the truth
We're tough and we're Texan with necks good and red
We are strong and proud Texans with necks that are sunburnt
So it's ki yi yippie yi yi
This is a traditional Texan yell
You long hairs are sure gonna die
You guys with long hair are in trouble
Our American home was clean till you came
Our country was better before your arrival
And kids still respected the president's name
Children had more respect for the President before your influence
And the eagle still flew in the sky
We still had national pride and patriotism
Hearts filled with national pride
We were all proud to be Americans
Then you came along with your drug crazy songs
Your music and lifestyle are associated with drug use and are unacceptable
Goddamit you're all gonna die
We are angry and want you gone
How dare you sit there and drink all our beer
We are offended that you are consuming all of our beer
Oh it's made for us workers who sweat, spit and swear
Our beer is intended for hard-working people
The minds of our daughters are poisoned by you
Your influence is negatively affecting our daughters
With your communistic politics and them negro blues
We disagree with your politics and your taste in music
Well I'm gonna quit talking and take action now
I am going to stop talking and start doing something about it
Run all of you fairies clean out of this town
I want all of you to leave this town immediately
Oh I'm dog tired of watching you mess up our lives
I am tired of seeing you negatively impact our community
Spending the summertime naturally high
Your drug use is ruining the summer for everyone else
Oh lord, goddamit you're all gonna die, listen now
I am angry and want to make sure you understand the severity of the situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: 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.....