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 ChΓ’teau (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 Β£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 ChΓ’teau (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 New Fever Waltz
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too much war, too little love
Beneath the fault-line truth to burn
Within the page so much to learn
Wounded birds look to us
Who can heal? Who to trust
Bring down the giants old and new
I was shaking with a fever
When the last good horse went down
We were just a couple dancing
Where a thousand kings were crowned
Shaking with a fever
Before the white flag flew
And the ballroom opened up to us
And the dancers danced on through
Love in ruins, torn apart
Victims of the careless heart
Skating on the cold grey ice
Before the flood toward the light
Muddy boots to shiny shoes
Headlines screaming out the news
From dirt and damp to hardwood floors
Beyond the burned out broken walls
I was shaking with a fever
When the last good horse went down
We were just a couple dancing
Where a thousand kings were crowned
Shaking with a fever
Before the white flag flew
And the ballroom opened up to us
And the dancers danced on through
I was shaking with a fever
When the last good horse went down
We were just a couple dancing
Where a thousand kings were crowned
Shaking with a fever
Before the white flag flew
And the ballroom opened up to us
And the dancers danced on through
And the dancers danced on through
The lyrics of Elton Johnβs song The New Fever Waltz speaks of the aftermath of war and love, and how we should move on and heal from it. The first stanza mentions forgotten scars and the lack of love during times of war. The fault-line truth represents the underlying issues that cause these wars and how we must burn them to learn from our past. The second stanza talks about wounded birds, which symbolize the victims of war, and how it is upon us to heal them. The giants old and new refer to the wrongdoers of war that must be ousted, and the only way we can do this is by holding hands and dancing together. The lines "strike up the band and waltz on through" suggests that we must celebrate life and move ahead happily.
The second verse mentions love in ruins and the casualties of the careless heart. The singer sings about how the world was on the edge before peace came, as if they were skating on ice before things got better. The lyrics tell of how dirty muddy boots are now shiny shoes, indicating that peopleβs lives have improved. But, the headlines still scream out the news, and thereβs a long way to go before everything is back to its former glory.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the song's title, βThe New Fever Waltzβ and the imagery of dancing through challenging times, βI was shaking with a fever when the last good horse went down/ We were just a couple dancing where a thousand kings were crowned." The songβs lyrics indicate that while we may shake with terror and uncertainty, we must continue to move forward and dance through life.
Line by Line Meaning
Forgotten scars remind us of
The scars left behind remind us of the hurt that has been caused
Too much war, too little love
There's too much conflict and not enough love in the world
Beneath the fault-line truth to burn
The truth often lies beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered
Within the page so much to learn
There's always more to discover and learn within the pages of life
Wounded birds look to us
The vulnerable look to us for help and guidance
Who can heal? Who to trust
It's hard to know who to trust and who can truly heal our wounds
Bring down the giants old and new
We must overcome the obstacles, old and new, that stand in our way
Strike up the band and waltz on through
We must keep moving forward and enjoying the present moment
Love in ruins, torn apart
Love can crumble and fall apart
Victims of the careless heart
Sometimes love can be hurtful and careless
Skating on the cold grey ice
We're on thin ice and we must be cautious
Before the flood toward the light
Before the flood of emotions and chaos, find the light that guides you
Muddy boots to shiny shoes
We can evolve from modest beginnings to a polished state
Headlines screaming out the news
The news can be overwhelming and terrifying
From dirt and damp to hardwood floors
From humble beginnings to grandiose accomplishments
Beyond the burned out broken walls
We must break down the walls that constrain us and look beyond them
I was shaking with a fever
I was restless and anxious
When the last good horse went down
When something we valued and relied on disappeared
We were just a couple dancing
We were simply enjoying each other's company
Where a thousand kings were crowned
In a place where many have succeeded and achieved greatness
Before the white flag flew
Before we surrendered and gave up
And the ballroom opened up to us
And a new opportunity presented itself
And the dancers danced on through
And we kept moving forward, dancing through life
Lyrics Β© 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.....