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)
Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way
Elton John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Snow in the park and skaters on the ice
Long black cars standing side-by-side
Loading up the boys at night
Turned up our collars to the chill of the wind
Caught an innocent smile from a taxi at the lights
Not something you'd see on a New York street
[Chorus]
But I wouldn't have it any other way
This city's got a thing about it, don't try to understand it
New York City I'd really like to stay
New York City I wouldn't have you
I wouldn't have you any other way
Oh the subway rumbled underneath
Italian lights where Joey Gallo died
And the man on the door down at 54's
Letting only the pretty inside
I'd wake with a stranger under the covers
Late in the day and longing for the night
Just like the snowfall there's so many bodies
But somehow it feels so right
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Elton John's song "Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way" recount the singer's memories of a wintertime night in New York City. The singer observes the city's unique quirks, like skaters on the ice in the park and long black cars loading up people. They also note an unusual moment of friendliness between strangers, as the singer catches an innocent smile from a taxi. In the next verse, the singer references the darker side of New York City, with the subway rumbling and reminders of Joey Gallo's death. Despite these associations, the singer expresses a fondness for the city, saying "I wouldn't have you any other way."
The chorus cements the singer's feelings about the city, acknowledging its idiosyncrasies and mysteries. The line "This city's got a thing about it, dont try to understand it" speaks to New York's reputation for being difficult to pin down or explain, and the rest of the chorus reiterates the singer's love for the city.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember it like it was yesterday
The memories of that day are still fresh and vivid
Snow in the park and skaters on the ice
The parks were covered in snow, and people were skating on the ice
Long black cars standing side-by-side
Luxury cars were parked next to each other
Loading up the boys at night
The cars were being loaded with people at night
Turned up our collars to the chill of the wind
We pulled up our collars to protect ourselves from the cold wind
Caught an innocent smile from a taxi at the lights
We saw a taxi driver smile innocently at the stop lights
Not something you'd see on a New York street
It's not very common to see such things on a New York street
It's such an uncommon sight
This is something you don't see every day
But I wouldn't have it any other way
Despite being uncommon, we love it just the same
This city's got a thing about it, don't try to understand it
New York City has its own charm that cannot be easily explained or understood
New York City I'd really like to stay
I would love to stay in this city
New York City I wouldn't have you
I wouldn't want any other city in your place
I wouldn't have you any other way
I love everything about you, just the way you are
Oh the subway rumbled underneath
The subway made a loud rumbling noise beneath our feet
Italian lights where Joey Gallo died
We saw the lights of Little Italy where Joey Gallo was killed
And the man on the door down at 54's
The doorman at Studio 54 only let attractive people inside
Letting only the pretty inside
He allowed only good-looking people to enter
I'd wake with a stranger under the covers
I woke up next to someone I didn't know
Late in the day and longing for the night
It was already late in the day, and I was eager for the night to come
Just like the snowfall there's so many bodies
Just like the falling snow, there were numerous bodies around
But somehow it feels so right
Despite everything, it all feels good and right
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.....