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 Retreat
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They were drunk with home and mama as they brushed away the flies
In an instant before the sunrise they had gunned the rebels down
As their flags were torn at half mast in the ruins of the town
There were white sails on the water for the crippled on the beach
There was a lack of ammunition so the cause was incomplete
When the bugle blew at breakfast and they knew their ships were in
Take it home, take it low, take responsibilities
Came the message from the front
For the captains, captains quarters must retreat
Pack the compass, pack the tents, take the bunks
They just chalked it down in history but they kept their uniforms
They put their medals on the sideboards and they went back to their farms
For it was just a mere reminder that they stood beside the best
That God had saved the chosen few and the devil took the rest
So take it home, take it low, take responsibilities
Came the message from the front
For the captains, captains quarters must retreat
Pack the compass, pack the tents, take the bunks
On the planes above the rock face where the sculptured eagles swoop
There's a haunted yell for action among the specters of his troops
It was silent on the coastline as the crazy angels danced
With the sound of retreating footfall from his military camp
So take it home, take it low, take responsibilities
Came the message from the front
For the captains, captains quarters must retreat
Pack the compass, pack the tents, take the bunks
Take it home
Take it low
Take responsibilities
Take it home
Elton John's song "The Retreat" is a haunting ballad that tells the story of soldiers who have returned home after fighting in a war. The opening verse describes the soldiers laying beneath the pine trees, drunk with memories of home and family, as they brush away the flies. However, the scene quickly turns dark as the soldiers recall how they gunned down the rebels right before sunrise, with their flags now at half-mast in the ruins of the town. The imagery is vivid and haunting, depicting the lasting wounds of war and the lingering guilt that many soldiers must carry with them.
The chorus of the song delivers a message from the front, instructing the captains quarters to retreat and pack up their equipment. The soldiers must take responsibility for their actions and return to civilian life. The second verse continues with the nostalgic theme, noting the white sails on the water and the lack of ammunition that prevented the cause from being complete. But the bugle sounded, and the soldiers knew it was time to go home. The song concludes with a reference to the "specters of his troops," suggesting that the soldiers carried the ghosts of their fallen comrades with them long after the war was over.
Overall, "The Retreat" is a poignant and insightful reflection on the experiences of soldiers returning from war. The vivid imagery and haunting melody make it a powerful tribute to the sacrifices that many have made in the name of freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
They laid beneath the pine trees with their caps over their eyes
The soldiers lay down under pine trees, exhausted but unable to rest with their eyes open.
They were drunk with home and mama as they brushed away the flies
Despite being physically present, these soldiers were lost in thoughts of their homeland and mothers as they tried to avoid pesky flies.
In an instant before the sunrise they had gunned the rebels down
Just before sunrise, the soldiers opened fire and killed the enemy rebels in a moment of intense action.
As their flags were torn at half mast in the ruins of the town
After the battle, the enemy's flags were found lowered to half-mast in the devastated and destroyed town.
There were white sails on the water for the crippled on the beach
Aid was provided to the wounded and disabled people on the beach in the form of white sails on boats.
There was a lack of ammunition so the cause was incomplete
The soldiers didn't have enough ammo, and so they couldn't complete their mission effectively.
When the bugle blew at breakfast and they knew their ships were in
At breakfast, upon hearing the bugle, the soldiers knew that their ships had arrived to take them back home.
Signs of grand assurance were carried on the wind
There was an unshakable feeling of confidence as this news was shared among the soldiers.
For the captains, captains quarters must retreat, Pack the compass, pack the tents, take the bunks
The leaders were instructed to retreat from the front lines, they were asked to gather their camping gear and head back to base.
They just chalked it down in history but they kept their uniforms
Although the war was over for the soldiers, they kept their uniforms and memories of it to make it a part of their lives.
They put their medals on the sideboards and they went back to their farms
After the war, the soldiers hung their medals on the board, returning to their homes and farms.
That God had saved the chosen few and the devil took the rest
The soldiers believed that God had a hand in saving only a select few of them, and that the rest had been taken by the devil.
On the planes above the rock face where the sculptured eagles swoop
The planes flew over rocky terrain along sculpted eagle figures.
There's a haunted yell for action among the specters of his troops
The spirits of soldiers yelled for action as their ghosts haunt the same location where they fought.
It was silent on the coastline as the crazy angels danced
Even as some soldiers lost their mental stability after the war while likening their comrades to angels, the post-war coastal atmosphere remained silent.
With the sound of retreating footfall from his military camp
The soldiers' departing footsteps marked their retreating movement from the military camp.
Take it low
Stay humble and grounded.
Take responsibilities
Accept the duty of taking care of the aftermath of war.
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.....