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)
The Legal Boys
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was springtime in his heart
He couldn't wait to tell me
How he'd pulled our lives apart
And the letter from your lawyer
Lies unopened on the tray
I may get around to reading it later today
I see everything the same
But suddenly it matters
What was purchased in my name
Whether this or that was paid for
Belongs to me or you
Can the seven years together be divided by two
It says something for the legal boys
But nothing much for us
That all we had together
Is so quickly ended thus
The legal boys have won again
And you and I have lost
They can't tell us how it happened
But they'll let us know the cost
Oh they'll let us know the cost, oh yeah
There's a lot I'd like to tell you
But I can't get past your guards
I do not speak their language
And they hold all the cards
I would rather call you darling
Than defendant in the case
But lovers left here long ago
And clients took their place
The song "Legal Boys" by Elton John is a reflection on the end of a long-term relationship that has been divided by lawyers and contracts. The lyrics describe a conversation with an accountant who reveals how he has separated their lives and a letter from a lawyer that lies unopened. The singer seems to be struggling to come to terms with the legal division of their life together, wondering whether the things they bought belong to him or her and whether the seven years they spent together can be shared.
The song meditates on the role of the "legal boys" who have won again, dividing their lives and love with cold calculations. The singer, however, remains sentimental and attached to their past relationship which is symbolized by the term "darling" which he would rather call his partner than defendant. The song expresses sadness and frustration at the way love can be turned to a legal matter.
Overall, "Legal Boys" can be seen as a commentary on the dynamics of love and law, and the difficulties of reconciling the two.
Line by Line Meaning
Your accountant called this morning
Elton John's accountant called him to inform him of the financial implications of their separation/breakup.
There was springtime in his heart
Elton perceives his accountant having a sense of jubilance at the expense of his own heartache and turmoil.
He couldn't wait to tell me
Elton's accountant is both indifferent and callous towards him during the separation process.
How he'd pulled our lives apart
Elton's accountant's actions throughout their relationship negatively impacted and effectively separated them.
And the letter from your lawyer
Elton's partner has a lawyer who has sent him a letter pertaining to the legalities surrounding their separation.
Lies unopened on the tray
Elton has yet to read the letter his partner's lawyer sent him.
I may get around to reading it later today
Elton is in no rush to read the letter, indicating a level of apathy towards the legality of their separation.
Walking round the lonely rooms
Elton is wandering aimlessly around their once-shared space, but since their separation there is an overwhelming sense of solitude.
I see everything the same
Elton's memories of their shared space are unchanged in his mind despite their separation.
But suddenly it matters
Every detail of their shared space now holds significance, as they will need to be separated.
What was purchased in my name
Ownership disputes now arise for items that were ostensibly purchased in one person's name or the other's.
Whether this or that was paid for
Items will now be scrutinized and divided as to who paid for them.
Belongs to me or you
The items in question are to be divided between the two of them.
Can the seven years together be divided by two
Elton is heartbroken and questions if all their shared time and memories is now worth halving between them.
It says something for the legal boys
Elton concedes that the legal system is effective at efficiently and fairly dividing their shared assets.
But nothing much for us
Nonetheless, their break up was still not a happy prospect for either him or his partner.
That all we had together
Elton reflects on what they had shared together - all the memories and experiences.
Is so quickly ended thus
Despite the amount of time they shared together, at the end of the day, the relationship was ended in a blink of an eye through the legal process.
The legal boys have won again
Elton is somewhat bitter that his true feelings are overlooked throughout the legal process, and the lawyers have 'won' once again.
And you and I have lost
He and his partner will ultimately both lose, both materially and emotionally as they were once so in love and now they are breaking apart.
They can't tell us how it happened
Elton contends that the legal process can't record the emotions and feelings that a couple feels during the process of separation.
But they'll let us know the cost
The legal process can determine the cost of the process to both individuals financially, but not the emotional cost.
There's a lot I'd like to tell you
Elton realizes that there are unresolved issues between him and his partner and he has much left to say.
But I can't get past your guards
Elton has realized that their separation made him and his partner distant, making it difficult for them to communicate like they once could.
I do not speak their language
There are emotional barriers existing between him and his partner, that he cannot break down due to the legality of their separation.
And they hold all the cards
The lawyers and legal system has control over the entirety of their separation process.
I would rather call you darling
Elton yearns for a time when they were in love and he could call his partner terms of endearment
Than defendant in the case
To force his partner into the title of 'defendant' somehow tarnishes the memory of their relationship.
But lovers left here long ago
It is heartbreaking for Elton to realize that their time as lovers is long gone and they have become embroiled in a legal dispute.
And clients took their place
Elton and his partner are now treated not as a couple who are separating out of lovelessness, but instead solely as clients of the legal system.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELTON JOHN, TIM RICE
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.....