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)
Whispers
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Promise me everything
Except a blue night
Shudder like ice in cut crystal glass
Melt in embraces
Of crazy eyed past
And whisper, whisper, whispering whispers
Walking fingers run
Hungry scratches left
Dull chimes ringing like an empty voice
A distant smile framed
Her lips are soft and moist
With whisper, whisper, whispering whispers
[Chorus]
And whisper in a rhythm your lies
Keep comfort for others
Hurt me with the night
Whisper like cold winds
Close to the bone
Save heaven for lovers
Leave me alone
With your whisper, whisper, whispering whispers
Whisper, whisper, whispering whispers
And whisper in rhythm your lies
Keep comfort for others
Hurt me with the night
Whisper like cold winds
Close to the bone
Save heaven for lovers
Leave me alone
With your whisper, whisper, whisperin'
Whisper in a rhythm your lies
Keep comfort for others
Hurt me with the night
Whisper like cold winds
Close to the bone
Save heaven for lovers
Leave me alone
With your whisper, whisper, whispering whispers
With your whispers
With your whispers
Oh oh oh
Whispering whispers
In Elton John's song "Whispers," the lyrics capture the feelings of a turbulent relationship where one partner tries to keep the other in their life through seductive whispers, despite the hurt and pain caused by the lies and deceit in the relationship. The partner being whispered to is aware of the other's falsehood but still longs for their comfort and warmth. The song describes the push and pull, the love and hurt, and the sweet seduction and lies that often characterize toxic relationships.
The lyrics use a lot of visual imagery to describe the emotions and physical sensations experienced in the relationship. The lines "Shudder like ice in cut crystal glass melt in embraces of crazy-eyed past" show how the partner is drawn in by memories and past experiences which seem so perfect yet insane, and how they tremble with desire and anticipation.
In the chorus, the lies, hurt, and coldness in the relationship are emphasized by the line, "Whisper like cold winds close to the bone, save heaven for lovers leave me alone with your whisper, whisper, whispering whispers." The contrast between the "cold winds" and the "heaven for lovers" is a poignant reminder of the pain and emptiness that come with trying to hold onto a love that is not genuine.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at me twice with wildcat eyes
Gaze at me with intense desire
Promise me everything
Make grandiose promises
Except a blue night
Except for a lonely and sad night
Shudder like ice in cut crystal glass
Tremble in fear or excitement
Melt in embraces
Succumb to passionate embraces
Of crazy eyed past
Of wild and tumultuous memories
And whisper, whisper, whispering whispers
Repeating the act of whispering
Tantamount to a lie with lingering breath
Almost a lie that's still hanging in the air
Walking fingers run
Fingers move quickly and restlessly
Hungry scratches left
Leaving marks of need and desire
Dull chimes ringing like an empty voice
Hollow and unfulfilling sounds
A distant smile framed
A faraway and unattainable smile
Her lips are soft and moist
Her kiss is sensual and desirable
With whisper, whisper, whispering whispers
With the act of whispering repeated
And whisper in a rhythm your lies
Tell lies in a smooth and consistent manner
Keep comfort for others
Provide comfort to others
Hurt me with the night
Cause pain and suffering in the dark
Whisper like cold winds
Speak in a chilly and unsettling manner
Close to the bone
Deeply affecting and personal
Save heaven for lovers
Keep love and intimacy sacred
Leave me alone
Abandon me to my own emotions
With your whisper, whisper, whispering whispers
With the continuous act of whispering
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.....