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)
Velvet Fountain
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the children's rhymes are in my mind
Seen through the colours of my eyes
A rainbow in the sky
With the flowers of seed
Taken by the beautiful people who have gone
Where have they gone
They're throwing coins in a velvet fountain
Wishing on stars and floating on air
Can somebody catch me if I stranger
And the mystery beleives me a velvet fountain
In 'Velvet Fountain,' Elton John sings about his belief in the mystical and fantastical elements of life. He asks if the listeners believe in faeries and children's rhymes, setting a whimsical and playful tone for the song. Throughout the song, he mentions the beauty of the natural world, describing it as being "seen through the colours of [his] eyes," likening it to a "rainbow in the sky."
The singer then goes on to mention the concept of death, wondering where the "beautiful people" have gone. He expresses a desire to reach out to them and connects this yearning to the act of throwing coins into a velvet fountain and making wishes upon a star. He seems to believe that these kinds of rituals and beliefs can help people cope with the mysteries of the world and the unknown.
Overall, 'Velvet Fountain' is a whimsical and fantastical song that speaks to the belief in magic and the supernatural that many people hold dear.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you believe in faeries
Do you have faith in the existence of magical beings?
For the children's rhymes are in my mind
For I am reminded of nursery rhymes that depict these mystical creatures.
Seen through the colours of my eyes
I imagine them as multi-colored beings captured by my eyes.
A rainbow in the sky
Just like a colourful rainbow formed in the sky.
With the flowers of seed
While holding onto the seeds of the plants,
Taken by the beautiful people who have gone
that once possessed them are now held by the gorgeous folk who left this world.
Where have they gone
Where have they moved on to?
Where have they all gone
Where did everyone go?
They're throwing coins in a velvet fountain
People are tossing money into a soft, luxurious fountain.
Wishing on stars and floating on air
Individuals make hopeful wishes on stars, seeming to levitate through the air.
Can somebody catch me if I stranger
Can someone save me if I become lost in?
And the mystery beleives me a velvet fountain
I perceive an enigma that trusts me in this charming fountain.
Contributed by Jordyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.....