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)
Who Wears These Shoes?
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a shadow on the street
Two silhouettes tell me it's over
The shadow knows the shadow's me
I won't crawl or cause you trouble
Well that's the last thing I'll ever do
But before I leave your life completely
Lord knows the days just get longer
The nights grow cold with you on my mind
And I feel like an old jukebox
Playing the same song all the time
If these crazy dreams don't kill me
It's more than I can take from you
Not knowing where or when I'll see you
Not knowing darling who wears these shoes
My friends all say don't got to pieces
I say that's fine but if I lose
I want to know who's in my foot steps
I want to know who wears these shoes
My friends all think I must be crazy
I see the facts but if it's true
I want to know who's in my footsteps
I want to know who wears these shoes, darling
Oh and it's a chilling feeling
When I can't see him
What do I do
When I face the two of you
In Elton John's song "Who Wears These Shoes?", the lyrics describe a situation where the singer is heartbroken and trying to move on from a relationship. He sees two silhouettes in the window and realizes that it is over between him and his lover. The shadow reminds him of his own shadow, symbolizing his loneliness and pain. The singer tries to be mature about the break-up and promises not to cause any trouble. However, before leaving completely, he asks his lover to tell him who wears the shoes he left behind, indicating that he is not ready to let go of his feelings just yet.
The song depicts the singer going through a difficult time, where the days seem longer and the nights are filled with thoughts of his lover. He compares his situation to that of an old jukebox, playing the same song repeatedly. He is overwhelmed by the intense emotions he is feeling, which are further aggravated by not knowing when or where he will see his lover again. Despite his friends' advice, he can't help but wonder who his lover is moving on with.
The song ends on a cliffhanger, with the singer facing the two new silhouettes in the window, wondering what he should do next. The lyrics capture the pain and confusion of moving on from a relationship and the difficulty in letting go of past feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a light on in your window
I see a light shining in your window
There's a shadow on the street
I see a shadow on the street
Two silhouettes tell me it's over
Seeing the two shadows, I realize that our relationship is over
The shadow knows the shadow's me
I feel like the shadow is a representation of me
I won't crawl or cause you trouble
I won't grovel to try and keep you or be a burden to you
Well that's the last thing I'll ever do
I'm making a final decision to leave you alone
But before I leave your life completely
Before I say goodbye for good
Tell me who wears these shoes, darling
I want to know who has been with you, who has taken my place
Lord knows the days just get longer
I feel like the days are dragging on without you
The nights grow cold with you on my mind
Thinking of you makes me feel lonely at night
And I feel like an old jukebox
I feel repetitive, like a broken record
Playing the same song all the time
Saying and doing the same things over and over again
If these crazy dreams don't kill me
If my unrealistic hopes and dreams don't ruin me
It's more than I can take from you
Your absence is too much for me to handle
Not knowing where or when I'll see you
Being unsure of when or if I'll ever see you again
Not knowing darling who wears these shoes
I'm left wondering who is with you instead of me
My friends all say don't got to pieces
My friends tell me not to fall apart
I say that's fine but if I lose
I agree but if I do fall apart
I want to know who's in my foot steps
I want to know who has taken my place in your life
I want to know who wears these shoes
I'm obsessed with finding out who has replaced me
Oh and it's a chilling feeling
It's scary and unsettling
When I can't see him
When I don't know who you're with
What do I do
I don't know what to do
When I face the two of you
When I come face to face with you and the person who has replaced me
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.....