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)
White Lady White Powder
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sends a fog drifting to a worn out crowd
I've had my face in a mirror for twenty four hours
Staring at a line of white powder
High-priced madness pays the tab
I've scraped too much of nothing from your plastic bag
I'm a catatonic son of a bitch who's had
And she's a habit I can't handle
For a reason I can't say
I'm in love with a wild white lady
She's as sweet as the stories say
White powder white lady
You're one and the same
Come on down to my house won't you
And hit this boy again
Shock waves to a tired brain
Sends that hungry lady to my door again
She's my shelter from the storm when I feel the rain
Entertaining white powder
I feel I'm dry docked and tongue tied
Heaven sends a stretcher for the kids to ride
I might just escape while the others might die
Riding on a high of white powder
The first verse of Elton John's song White Lady White Powder describes the aftermath of cocaine usage, with dust settling on a thin cloud and sending a fog to a worn-out crowd. The singer, who has been staring at a line of white powder for 24 hours straight, has become addicted to this drug and is caught in high-priced madness that he cannot shake off. The second verse talks about how the white lady (cocaine) has become a habit the singer cannot handle or explain, and how he is in love with her as she is as sweet as the stories say. The chorus repeats the words "White powder white lady, you're one and the same" to highlight the singer's belief that the drug and the woman are interchangeable, and he invites her to his house to hit him with the drug again.
In the third verse, the singer sees the drug as his shelter from the storm of life when he feels the rain and a shock wave to a tired brain brings the lady to his door again. He feels dry docked and tongue-tied and that heaven has sent a stretcher for the other kids to ride while he might escape riding on the high of white powder. The lyrics use vivid images and metaphors to describe the effects and consequences of cocaine addiction, from the physical effects on the body and the mind to the emotional dependency and love-like feelings for the drug. The song showcased Elton John's fascination with the 1970s LA music scene's hedonistic lifestyle, which he often drew inspiration from.
Line by Line Meaning
Dust settles on a thin cloud
The residue of a drug settles onto a thin layer of air that creates a hazy atmosphere.
Sends a fog drifting to a worn out crowd
The dust creates a hazy fog that surrounds people who are exhausted and drained.
I've had my face in a mirror for twenty four hours
The singer has spent an entire day staring at himself in the mirror while under the influence of drugs.
Staring at a line of white powder
The singer is fixated on a line of drugs in front of him.
High-priced madness pays the tab
Using drugs is an expensive and destructive habit that eventually leads to devastation.
I've scraped too much of nothing from your plastic bag
The singer has wasted a lot of money buying and using drugs that ultimately provide him with nothing.
I'm a catatonic son of a bitch who's had
The drugs have made the singer feel emotionless and out of control.
A touch too much of white powder
The singer has overdosed on drugs and had too much.
And she's a habit I can't handle
Using drugs has turned into an addiction that the singer cannot overcome.
For a reason I can't say
The singer cannot explain why he is addicted to drugs.
I'm in love with a wild white lady
The singer has become infatuated with drugs and cannot quit them.
She's as sweet as the stories say
Drugs are addictive because they provide a temporary, euphoric feeling that is difficult to replicate in normal life.
White powder white lady
The singer is referring to drugs as a woman who consumes his thoughts and actions.
You're one and the same
The singer sees no difference between the drug and the woman he loves.
Come on down to my house won't you
The singer is inviting drugs into his life and home.
And hit this boy again
The singer is asking for more drugs to help him escape reality.
Shock waves to a tired brain
The drugs cause intense sensations and vibrations in the singer's exhausted mind.
Sends that hungry lady to my door again
The drug addiction is like a 'hungry lady' who constantly pursues the singer and leads him astray.
She's my shelter from the storm when I feel the rain
Drugs provide the singer with temporary relief from his problems and anxieties.
Entertaining white powder
The singer sees drugs as a form of entertainment and distraction from reality.
I feel I'm dry docked and tongue tied
The singer feels like he is stuck in place and unable to move, with no ability to speak.
Heaven sends a stretcher for the kids to ride
The singer feels like he is on the brink of death and needs a rescue to survive.
I might just escape while the others might die
The singer may be able to overcome his addiction and survive, but others may not be as lucky.
Riding on a high of white powder
The singer is riding the temporary high of drugs and the euphoric feelings they provide.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, ELTON JOHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lucas Lima
Great Song!!!, I Born in 1998 & now i have 19 years, But thanks for my father, I listen Sir. Elton John since i understand myself like Human... Thanks from Brazil Ronnie!!!!
Lucas Lima
@Ronnie Friend Thank you!!! Your job is amazing!!!
Ronnie Friend
UR welcome! Glad U enjoy
gritsnsand
Always loved/hated this song. Coke ruins so many lives, and this song expresses a hopelessness and entrapment that is sad.
But the upbeat tempo, chord progression, and guitar work make it one of my favorites.
Vera Lucia Pinto Rios
Excelente!!!❤
ClassicTVMan1981X
Featuring 3/5 of the Eagles on backing vocals: Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmit. Would've been neat if Joe Walsh also joined, I loved his own vocal and guitar styles!
jimlaregina
Regarding the guitar, Richie Zito gets the job done and then some on this song.
CYNTHIA UHLIG
great song Sir Elton John is the best!
trfesok
I think this is a rare mismatch of music and lyrics from Elton and Bernie. Elton marries this upbeat, cheery pop music to Bernie's lyrics about coke addiction. The song is damn catchy Elton ear candy but...
Anachonred
I don’t know I’ve always liked upbeat songs about dark subjects. Excitable Boy by Warren Zevon is another good one