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)
Understanding Women
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And understanding women
Thinking of you out there somewhere
Looking for a new beginning
Just let me be the final word
In the book we haven't written
I won't be another page
I could drive to Mexico
On understanding women
Throw myself against the waves
And answer up to heaven
How come her heart's so stubborn
And what's so wrong with giving
Ask the big sky talking
About understanding women
And I'm not just anyone who ever stood outside your door
And I'm not any man you've ever known before
Don't judge this picture by the frame
Every man is not the same
Some men reach beyond the pain
Of understanding women
Elton John's song "Understanding Women" is a ballad about a man who is trying to comprehend the complexity of women. The lyrics convey his frustration and bewilderment in trying to understand women. The opening lines are about his inability to sleep and his thoughts which are consumed with the idea of understanding women. Elton is inquisitive about where his lady is and what's she doing. He pleads to be the final word in the book that they haven't written, to have an exclusive place in her life, but not as a page in the book titled Understanding Women.
In the second verse, Elton takes an extended metaphor describing how he could drive to Mexico to fathom the workings of every woman's heart. He finds himself a victim of his own insecurities, the stubbornness of his lady's heart, and his own thoughts of guilt. He raises questions about what's wrong with giving, and the significance of understanding our partners. However, in the end, he points out that not all men are the same. Some go beyond the pain of understanding women, implying that he's one of them.
Line by Line Meaning
Rolling over trying to sleep
Struggling to sleep due to thoughts about women
And understanding women
The topic of understanding women is causing restless thoughts
Thinking of you out there somewhere
Contemplating someone special who may be seeking a new beginning
Looking for a new beginning
A desire to start fresh and leave past troubles behind
Just let me be the final word
Requesting to have the last say in a relationship that has yet to be fully written
In the book we haven't written
Referring to a story that has yet to unfold and be written
I won't be another page
Ensuring that the singer's contribution will not simply be a small part in a larger story
In understanding women
The artist does not want to only be known for their ability to understand women
I could drive to Mexico
Hyperbole used to express extreme frustration over trying to understand women
On understanding women
Continuation of the aforementioned exaggeration
Throw myself against the waves
An equally extreme expression of frustration and confusion
And answer up to heaven
Looking for a divine answer, something beyond human comprehension
How come her heart's so stubborn
Questioning why someone could be so resistant to opening up emotionally
And what's so wrong with giving
Asking why someone may be hesitant to reciprocate emotions
Ask the big sky talking
A call for divine intervention, as the sky is often associated with an idea of a higher power
About understanding women
Continuation of the theme of grappling with the complexity of understanding women
And I'm not just anyone who ever stood outside your door
Highlighting the artist's unique perspective and relationship with the woman in question
And I'm not any man you've ever known before
Emphasizing that the singer is not just another person, but someone with unique qualities and experiences
Don't judge this picture by the frame
A warning to not judge based on appearances, as there may be more to the situation than initially meets the eye
Every man is not the same
Acknowledging that each person has their own unique qualities and experiences
Some men reach beyond the pain
Not everyone is held back by their past or by their emotions
Of understanding women
Despite the difficulties in doing so, some men are able to understand and connect with women on a deeper level
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.....