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)
Tonight
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Threw some dead wood on the fire
Tuned the radio to silence
Watched the evening sun expire
Should have called you up this morning
But I'm such a fool at times
I still search my shaving mirror
And I can't stay alone tonight
Can't let another day go by
Why is it always this way?
Time never seems to really fly
And time is never really on my side
And I can't stay alone tonight
Things have to change and they might
But I can't stay alone tonight
Chalk up one more crazy notion
Imagination running wild
But if I needed confirmation
I would have gone that extra mile
You're the last chance on the highway
I'm that open stretch of road
You're the diner in my rear-view
A cup of coffee getting cold
And I can't stay alone tonight
Can't let another day go by
Why is it always this way?
Time never seems to really fly
And time is never really on my side
And I can't stay alone tonight
Things have to change and they might
But I can't stay alone tonight
Bruised in this cold war of words
We've come undone two loose ends alone
Possessed by that curse you've endured
The spell that I cast couldn't make you come home
And I can't stay alone tonight
Can't let another day go by
Why is it always this way?
Time never seems to really fly
And time is never really on my side
And I can't stay alone tonight
Things have to change and they might
But I can't stay alone tonight
Things have to change and they might
But I can't stay alone tonight
The lyrics of "Tonight" by Elton John seem to be about the singer's longing for his lover. He sets the mood by blowing dust out of the corners and throwing dead wood on the fire, before tuning the radio to silence and watching the evening sun expire. He regrets not calling his lover that morning, but still searches his shaving mirror for their faces together.
He can't stay alone tonight and can't let another day go by, because time never seems to really fly and is never really on his side. He acknowledges that things have to change and they might, but he still can't stay alone tonight.
There seems to be some tension and hurt between the singer and his lover as indicated by the line "bruised in this cold war of words, we've come undone two loose ends alone." Despite this, the singer still hopes for reconciliation as he sings "the spell that I cast couldn't make you come home."
Overall, the song portrays a sense of longing and desire for love, but also an acknowledgement of the difficulties and uncertainties of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I blew the dust out of the corners
I cleaned my space from top to bottom
Threw some dead wood on the fire
I added fuel to the fire to keep it going
Tuned the radio to silence
I turned off the radio and enjoyed the quiet
Watched the evening sun expire
I watched the sunset
Should have called you up this morning
I regret not having called you earlier
But I'm such a fool at times
I acknowledge that I can be foolish
I still search my shaving mirror
I look for your reflection in my mirror
Looking for your face with mine
I yearn for us to be together
And I can't stay alone tonight
I am lonely and need companionship tonight
Can't let another day go by
I don't want to waste any more time alone
Why is it always this way?
I wonder why I always feel this lonely
Time never seems to really fly
Time seems to pass slowly when you're alone
And time is never really on my side
Time always seems to work against me
Things have to change and they might
I hope that things will change soon
But I can't stay alone tonight
I can't bear the thought of being alone tonight
Chalk up one more crazy notion
I have another crazy idea
Imagination running wild
My imagination is running away with me
But if I needed confirmation
If I needed proof
I would have gone that extra mile
I would have done everything I could
You're the last chance on the highway
You're my last hope
I'm that open stretch of road
I am open and available
You're the diner in my rear-view
You're in my past, but still on my mind
A cup of coffee getting cold
Something that was once warm and comforting has gone stale
Bruised in this cold war of words
We have been hurt by our arguments
We've come undone two loose ends alone
We are both alone and drifting apart
Possessed by that curse you've endured
You are weighed down by a curse
The spell that I cast couldn't make you come home
I tried to bring you back but failed
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.....