Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a … Read Full Bio ↴Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist, and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967, John is one of the most successful artists of all time, having sold over 300 million records worldwide in a seven-decade career in music. He is acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s, and his lasting impact on the music industry. John's music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with Taupin is one of the most successful in history.

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)

Variation On Friends
Elton John Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I hear tell some playboy has kidnapped your heart
With his plane and his plans for games after dark
Just a pain in his pocket and the price of a room
Where the second hand sheets smell of stale perfume

If there's sharks in the water, don't swim where it's deep
For the taste of success can be bitter and sweet
It could be alright that I act like a child

But you'll be the loser when the jokers run wild

You're just playing the game but the stakes are too high
What will you do when the chips start to fly?
When the deck's stacked against you and the living gets hard
Oh, it's the four walls of madness in this house of cards

Common you call me but I know there's time
In a handful of diamonds, a heart's hard to find
And your house of cards starts weighing you down
Oh, your nights become restless when the clubs start to pound

You're just playing the game but the stakes are too high
What will you do when the chips start to fly?
When the deck's stacked against you and the living gets hard
Oh, it's the four walls of madness in this house of cards

You're just playing the game but the stakes are too high
What will you do when the chips start to fly?
When the deck's stacked against you and the living gets hard
Oh, it's the four walls of madness in this house of cards

Cards

Overall Meaning

"Variation on Friends" by Elton John is a song that highlights the dangers of playing games of love and the price that one pays when they get into such games. The song talks about a woman who has been lured into a dangerous relationship with a playboy who has taken her heart with his plane and his plans for games after dark. The first verse describes the mundane life that this woman has entered, with only the pain in his pocket and the smell of stale perfume to accompany her. The chorus warns her not to swim where it's deep when there are sharks in the water, and cautions her to be careful with playing games that have too high of stakes.

In the second verse, the song speaks about how tempting it is to indulge in these games, but also how dangerous they can become when the chips start to fly. The game quickly turns into a house of cards, where the stakes are too high and the living becomes hard. In the bridge, Elton John reminds the woman that life is too short to waste playing games, and that she should focus on finding things that truly matter, like a handful of diamonds or a heart that is hard to find. He cautions her about the restless nights she will have if she continues to play such games, and the chorus is repeated twice more, emphasizing the high stakes and the danger of turning a game into a house of cards.

Line by Line Meaning

I hear tell some playboy has kidnapped your heart
I have heard that someone who likes to have many romantic relationships has captured your affections

With his plane and his plans for games after dark
He has resources, like a personal airplane, and is proposing activities that might not be entirely wholesome

Just a pain in his pocket and the price of a room
All he has to offer is money, which is not a guarantee of a good time

Where the second hand sheets smell of stale perfume
The accommodations he offers are cheap and not well-kept

If there's sharks in the water, don't swim where it's deep
If there are dangerous people around, don't get involved in situations that could be harmful

For the taste of success can be bitter and sweet
Success can have a positive and negative side to it

It could be alright that I act like a child
I may come across as immature at times, but that shouldn't be a problem

But you'll be the loser when the jokers run wild
You may think it's okay to hang out with people who act foolishly, but it will ultimately not work out in your favor

You're just playing the game but the stakes are too high
You are participating in something that involves high risks and potential consequences

What will you do when the chips start to fly?
How will you react when things start to get difficult or dangerous?

When the deck's stacked against you and the living gets hard
When things are not going your way and life is challenging

Oh, it's the four walls of madness in this house of cards
The situation feels like being trapped in an unstable and uncertain environment

Common you call me but I know there's time
You may think of me as ordinary, but I know that love takes patience and effort

In a handful of diamonds, a heart's hard to find
Even with wealth and material possessions, it is still difficult to find true love

And your house of cards starts weighing you down
Your unstable situation is becoming a burden on you

Oh, your nights become restless when the clubs start to pound
You have trouble sleeping when you are surrounded by loud and chaotic environments