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 North
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That cold grey place
Don't want its shadow anymore
On my face
A man grows bitter
We're a bitter race
Some of us never get to see
A better place
In the Northern Skies
There was a steel cloud
It used to follow me around
But I don't see it now
There's a farm in the rain
And a little farmhouse
There were a young man's eyes
Looking south
The North was my mother
But I no longer need her
You trade your roots and your dust
For a face in the river
And a driven rain that washes you
To a different shore
There's a North in us all
But my North can't hold me anymore
In Elton John's song, "The North," the lyrics explore the theme of leaving one's hometown or roots for new opportunities, even if it means leaving behind a piece of who you are. The opening line, "Have you seen the North, that cold grey place," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The North is a metaphor for the memories and experiences that have shaped the singer but also hold him back. He doesn't want the "shadow" of the North on his face anymore, indicating a desire to move on and start anew.
The singer reflects on how bitterness can grow within people when they feel trapped or unable to escape their circumstances. He acknowledges that some people never get a chance to leave the North and find a better place for themselves. The steel cloud in the Northern Skies represents the burden that the North can place on someone, always looming over them, reminding them of their past.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more hopeful as the singer describes a farm in the rain and a little farmhouse. He reminisces about his young man's eyes looking south, indicating a longing to explore the world outside of the North. Eventually, the singer realizes that he no longer needs the North, that he can trade his roots and dust for a face in the river and a new life on a different shore. Although the North is a part of who he is, it's not holding him back anymore.
Overall, "The North" is a poignant, reflective song about growing up and moving on from one's past, even if it means leaving behind a part of yourself.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you seen the North
Have you ever been to the cold, grey northern region?
That cold grey place
A region with a lack of warmth and color.
Don't want its shadow anymore
I'm tired of its negative influence on me.
On my face
Visible in my demeanor and expressions.
A man grows bitter
The environment can cause one to become resentful and unhappy.
We're a bitter race
People from this region tend to be unhappy and discontent.
Some of us never get to see
Not everyone gets to experience better circumstances.
A better place
A more pleasant environment with better opportunities.
In the Northern Skies
In the sky above the northern region.
There was a steel cloud
A metaphor for a persistent feeling of anxiety or depression that follows someone around.
It used to follow me around
I used to experience this feeling on a regular basis.
But I don't see it now
I no longer feel this way.
There's a farm in the rain
A farm in a region with a lot of precipitation.
And a little farmhouse
A small and humble dwelling.
There were a young man's eyes
The eyes of someone young and hopeful.
Looking south
Looking towards a more promising region.
The North was my mother
The northern region played an important, nurturing role in my life.
But I no longer need her
I no longer require this environment's support or guidance.
You trade your roots and your dust
You exchange your history and identity for new experiences and a fresh start.
For a face in the river
For an opportunity to start anew and make a better life for oneself.
And a driven rain that washes you
A forceful and persistent rain that symbolizes change.
To a different shore
To a new environment or lifestyle.
There's a North in us all
Everyone has an influence or experience that shapes their character.
But my North can't hold me anymore
This environment no longer has a hold on me or my identity.
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.....