Elton John

Welcome all of you music lovers to another episode of Rock and Roll Flashback!  This episode will attempt to generally summarize the career of the great Sir Elton Hercules John!  It goes without saying that Elton John has been a major force in the music and entertainment industry for decades and his catalog of work is extensive.  Often when one envisions Elton John you see the flamboyant, ostentatious, over-the-top showman.  However, Elton's musical talent cannot be denied.  His career achievements to date are unsurpassed in their breadth and longevity, and he has left a lasting impact on the music industry.  

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott.  The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John.  It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then. 
Multiple promo videos and photos for Rock and Roll Flashback Podcasts are available on the following social media sites:

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Bill and John welcome your feedback and comments, and they can be emailed to rockandrollflashback@outlook.com.
Thank you for listening to Rock and Roll Flashback Podcasts!
Until next time...
Rock On!

Transcript

[Bill Price] Thank you for that introduction.  Welcome all of you music lovers to another episode of Rock and Roll Flashback!  This episode will attempt to generally summarize the career of the great Sir Elton Hercules John!  It goes without saying that Elton John has been a major force in the music and entertainment industry for decades and his catalog of work is extensive.  Therefore, Jumpin' John and I have decided to sit together in the same recording studio, tag-team this episode, and try to do some justice to Elton John's body of work.  I am one of your co-hosts, Bill Price...

[Jumpin' John] ...and I am your other co-host, Jumpin' John McDermott!  Often when one envisions Elton John you see the flamboyant, ostentatious, over-the-top showman.  However, Elton's musical talent cannot be denied.  His career achievements to date are unsurpassed in their breadth and longevity, and he has left a lasting impact on the music industry.  So Bill, how did this shy pub-pianist from Pinner become the undisputed King of Pop-Rock?

[BP] Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born on March 25th, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England.   Both of his parents were musically inclined.  The Dwights owned a large record collection, exposing Reggie to the popular singers and musicians of the day.  He started playing his grandmother's piano as a young boy, and at age seven began taking formal piano lessons.  He showed musical aptitude at school, including the ability to compose melodies, and garnered attention for playing like Jerry Lee Lewis at school functions.  At age 11, musical prodigy Reggie won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.  

[JJ]  When Reggie was 14, his parents divorced, and his mother remarried.  At age 15, with his mother's and stepfather's help, he was hired as a pianist at the Northwood Hills Hotel Pub, close to the family's suburban London apartment building.  Although his eyesight was fine as a teenager, Reggie began wearing horn-rimmed glasses to imitate Buddy Holly.  In 1962, Reggie and some friends formed a band named Bluesology.  By the mid-1960's, Bluesology were backing touring American soul and R&B musicians such as the Isley Brothers and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles.  In 1966 the band became Long John Baldry's supporting band and played 16 times at the Marquee Club. 

[BP] In 1967 Reggie answered an advertisement in the British music paper New Musical Express.   Ray Williams, the A&R manager for Liberty Records, gave Reggie an unopened envelope of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who had answered the same ad.   Reggie then wrote music for the lyrics and then sent it back to Taupin.  This began their decades-long partnership that still continues.  Around the time that they met, Reggie began going by the name "Elton John" in homage to two men:  Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and the vocalist Long John Baldry.  He would later legally change his name to Elton Hercules John on January 7th, 1972.  "Hercules" came from the name of a horse in the British sitcom Steptoe and Son.

[JJ] The team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin joined Dick James's DJM Records as staff songwriters in 1968, and over the next two years wrote material for various artists.  In 1968 John scored his first British recording success with “Lady Samantha.”  His first American album, Elton John, was a mixture of gospel-chorded rockers and poignant ballads.  The Elton John LP was released in April 1970 and would establish him as a major international star.  The album reached #4 on the US Billboard 200 and #5 on the UK Albums Chart.  In the U.S. the Elton John album was certified Gold in February 1971 by the RIAA.  In the same year, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards.  In 2003, the album was ranked #468 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.  On November 27th, 2012 the LP was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as an album cited as exhibiting "qualitative or historical significance".  The album's first single, "Border Song", peaked at #92 in late 1970 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

[BP]  In October 1970 the single "Your Song" was released in the United States as the B-side to "Take Me to the Pilot".  Both sides received airplay, but "Your Song" was preferred by disc jockeys and replaced "Take Me to the Pilot" as the A-side.  On January 23rd, 1971 it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.  No doubt "Your Song" played a major role in the sales success of the debut Elton John album.  On a personal note, in 1971 I was working at an FM radio station.  We often played Elton's first hit song, “Your Song”.  I’ve always thought that was one of his best, if not the best single.  In one of the Billboard magazines that the station received, I remember reading an article about the British artist named Elton John.  The article also had a photograph of Elton, wearing what appeared to be a leather jacket, certainly way before the various costumes that became the standard in his on stage performances.  Let's have a listen to Elton John's version of "Your Song". 

[JJ] "Your Song" also peaked at #7 on the UK singles chart, as well as charting in the top 10 in several other countries.  In 1998, "Your Song" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  In 2021, the song was placed at #202 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".  The song is also listed among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.  Bill, it seems that the Brits certainly must agree with you!  In 2017, in a UK-wide poll for ITV, the song was voted by the British public as The Nation's Favourite Elton John Song.  In 2024, the song was certified Three Times Platinum by the RIAA.

[BP] In 1972 Elton John released several popular singles, including "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man", "Honky Cat", and "Crocodile Rock".  "Tiny Dancer" was released as a single in February 1972, but only reached #41 on the US Billboard Hot 100.  However, it has continued to sell and by 2024 it has been certified Five-Times Platinum for sales by the RIAA.  "Rocket Man" came out on March 31st, 1972 and became a major hit single.  On the singles charts, it rose to #2 in the UK and #6 in the Billboard Hot 100.  "Rocket Man" is considered by many to be John's signature song.   With sales of five million in the U.S., the song was certified Five Times Platinum by the RIAA.  Rolling Stone lists it at #149 of its 500 greatest songs of all time.  Here is an excerpt from Elton John's version of "Rocket Man". 

[JJ] "Honky Cat" was used as the opening track on John's fifth studio album,1972's Honky Château.  The single "Honky Cat" was released on July 31st, 1972, and it reached #31 in the UK and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.  "Crocodile Rock" was released on October 27th, 1972 in the UK and November 20th in the U.S.  It became Elton John's first U.S. #1 single, reaching the top spot on February 3rd, 1973, and staying there for three consecutive weeks.  In the U.S. "Crocodile Rock"  was certified Platinum in 1995 by the RIAA.  In Canada, it topped the chart as well, remaining at #1 there for four weeks in early 1973.  Here is an excerpt from Elton John's version of "Crocodile Rock".

[BP] So, by 1973 Elton John clearly had become one of the world’s best-selling pop performers.  He would rise to even greater heights when his next two albums were released in 1973.  On January 26th the LP Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player was released.  Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player would be Elton's second straight #1 album on the US Billboard 200 and his  first #1 album in the UK Albums Chart.  Not only did it include the popular "Crocodile Rock", but it's opening track, "Daniel", would also prove to be a successful single.  "Daniel" reached #4 in the UK, #2 on the US Pop Chart, and #1 on the US Adult Contemporary Chart.  

[JJ] Then on October 5th, 1973, DJM Records released the double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  Among the 17 tracks, the album contains the hits "Candle in the Wind", the U.S. #1 "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting".  The album was a strong commercial success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, as well as also topping album charts in the UK, Australia, and Canada.  It has since sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and is widely regarded as John's best LP.  The "Bennie and the Jets" recording has an interesting back story.  Despite sounding like a live recording, the song was recorded in studio with live effects added later.  The song's producer, Gus Dudgeon, faked a live recording by mixing in sounds from 3 separate concerts along with added hand claps and shouts.  The Goodbye Yellow Brick Road LP was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003 and continues to be highly regarded in various rankings.  It was ranked #112 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".  In 2025 the U.S. Library of Congress added Goodbye Yellow Brick Road to the National Recording Registry, a list of audio recordings deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”  Here is an excerpt from Elton John's version of "Bennie and the Jets".

[BP] 1974 saw the June release of the album Caribou.  It was Elton's fourth chart-topping album in the United States and his third in the United Kingdom.  The album contains the singles "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which reached #16 on the UK Singles Chart and #2 in the US, and "The Bitch Is Back", which reached #15 in the UK and #4 in the US.  Both singles reached #1 in Canada, as did the album itself.  The album would eventually be certified Double-Platinum in the US, as well as receiving a Gold certification in the UK.  The album was nominated for the Grammy Award at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards.  On February 8th, 1975 the song "Philadelphia Freedom" was released and credited to the Elton John Band.  The song was the fourth of John's six #1 singles in the U.S. during the early and mid-1970's.  In Canada it was his eighth single to reach #1.  The song was written by John and Taupin as a favor to John's friend, tennis star Billie Jean King, who was part of the Philadelphia Freedoms professional tennis team.  

[JJ] On September 29th, 1975 "Island Girl" was released as the first single from the album Rock of the Westies.  It reached #1 for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and sold over one million copies.  It also reached the top five in Canada and New Zealand, as well as the top twenty in Australia and the UK.  Then on June 25th, 1976 The Rocket Record Company released Elton John's duet with Kiki Dee called "Don't Go Breaking My Heart".   "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" became the first #1 single in the UK for both Elton John and for Kiki Dee.  It topped the UK chart for six weeks and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks.  Billboard ranked it as the #2 song for 1976, and it has been certified Two-Times platinum by the RIAA.

[BP] Not only did the 1970's find Elton John leading the pop transition to singer-songwriter dominance, but he also brought into the pop arena an old-fashioned, gaudily-costumed flamboyance.  Reminiscent of Las Vegas entertainers, he frequently appeared onstage in elaborate wigs and rhinestone-encrusted sunglasses.  His flair for showmanship and the outlandish made him a great concert draw.  Beginning in 1976 with the album Blue Moves, his rock influences became less pronounced.  A more churchlike English pop style emerged in ballads such as “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”.  In the late 1970's and early 1980's, as he experimented with other collaborators, his music lost some of its freshness and his popularity dipped a bit.  However, Elton John remained an extremely popular mainstream entertainer, recognized as a natural showman in his own right.  John, how did his career continue into the 1980's?

[JJ] Well, in April 1980 the single "Little Jeannie" was released.  While it only reached #33 in the United Kingdom, it rose to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.  In Canada, it hit #1.  "Little Jeannie" became John's fifth #1 on the US Adult Contemporary Chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA.  March 1982 saw the single release of my favorite Elton John song:  "Blue Eyes".  It was the closing track on Side 1 of John's 16th studio album, Jump Up!.  "Blue Eyes reached #8 in the UK, and in the US it spent three weeks at #10 on the Cash Box chart, went to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.  John performed this song often in his concerts until 2012.  The song and its accompanying video were in dedication to actress Elizabeth Taylor.  

[BP] The 1983 album Too Low for Zero marked a comeback for Elton John.  His previous four albums had failed to yield many enduring international hit singles, and had disappointing sales compared to his string of hit records released during the first half of the 1970's.  The Too Low for Zero LP fared much better.  It spent over a year on the Billboard album chart and eventually earned Platinum certification for sales by both the RIAA and the BPI.  It produced two notable hit songs, both accompanied by successful MTV music videos.  The single "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" became one of John's biggest hits of the 1980's in the United States, holding at #2 for four weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart, and reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It also reached the top ten in five countries, including peaking at #5 in the UK.  Another single, "I'm Still Standing", became a big hit for John on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at #1 in Canada and Switzerland, #4 in the UK, and #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100.  Here is an excerpt from Elton John's version of "I'm Still Standing ".

[JJ] "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" was the closing track on Elton's eighteenth studio album Breaking Hearts.  The "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" single was released in 1984, reaching #7 on the UK chart and #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.  In October 1985 the single "Nikita" was released.  "Nikita" charted at #3 on the UK singles chart, peaked at #7 in the United States, and topped the charts of eight other countries.  In the 1990's John was the first male pop star to declare his homosexuality.  Despite coming out as gay, he suffered no noticeable career damage.  With lyricist Tim Rice, Elton wrote songs for the 1994 film The Lion King, and the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” won the Academy Award for best original song.  Three years later The Lion King movie was adapted into a Broadway musical.  

[BP] Back in 1973 "Candle in the Wind" was originally written in honor of actress Marilyn Monroe.  In 1997 a new version of “Candle in the Wind,” was revised by Taupin to mourn the death of Diana, princess of Wales.  The new version became one of the most successful pop singles in history, selling more than 30 million copies.  In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine listed the original version of the song "Candle in the Wind" at #347 of the 500 Greatest songs of all time.  Here is an excerpt from Elton John's original 1973 version of "Candle in the Wind".

[JJ] In 1998 John re-teamed with Tim Rice to write the stage musical Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida, a loose adaptation of the Giuseppe Verdi opera.  In 2005 John and Taupin wrote the musical Lestat, based on a series of vampire novels by Anne Rice.  Then John composed the score for Billy Elliot, a stage adaptation of the popular 2000 film.  That musical premiered in London’s West End in 2005 and made its Broadway debut in 2008.  The following year Billy Elliot won 10 Tony Awards, including best musical.  From 2003 to 2009 Elton John had an open engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The show, titled Elton John and the Red Piano, was a multimedia retrospective of his career, with visuals provided by photographer David LaChapelle.  John began a second Las Vegas residency, titled The Million Dollar Piano, which ran from 2011 to 2018.  Also in the 21st Century, Elton John has continued to occasionally release solo recordings and to collaborate on recordings with various artists.

[BP] After more than 50 years on the road, in January 2018 Elton John embarked on what he announced as his final tour.  He called the tour "Farewell Yellow Brick Road".  Over the span of 5 years, Elton John ended up playing 330 shows in 16 different Gucci suits.  The tour reached over six and a quarter million fans across the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and Australia.  In 2019 that tour was named Billboard's Top Rock Tour and Pollstar’s Major Tour Of The Year.  On July 8th, 2023, with glitz, glam, and golden confetti, Elton John performed on the tour for the last time in Stockholm, Sweden. At the tour's conclusion it was considered the highest-grossing in Billboard Boxscore history, and was the first tour to make more than 900 million dollars.  

[JJ] During this time Rocketman, a film based on Elton John's life, was released in 2019.  John and Taupin wrote the single “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” for the biopic, and it won an Academy Award for best original song.  One event of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour was live streamed for the special Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium.  In 2024 it won an Emmy Award for outstanding variety special.  The win made Elton John one of a very small number of EGOT winners, people who have won all four of the major performing-arts awards in North America:  Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (also known by the acronym E-G-O-T or EGOT).  Recently Elton John made a cameo appearance on Rob Reiner's final movie, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.

[BP] In 1992 Elton John established the Elton John AIDS Foundation and has since donated all royalties from his singles sales to AIDS research.  An exception was the 1997 version of “Candle in the Wind,” the proceeds for which went to Princess Diana’s favorite charities.  Elton John’s autobiography, Me, was published in 2019.  Among Elton John's numerous awards are a Primetime Emmy Award, five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Laurence Olivier Award.  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 appointed Knight Bachelor for services to music and charity by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998.  In 2004 he received a Kennedy Center Honor.  Elton was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2020.  In 2022 John received a National Humanities Medal from U.S. President Joe Biden.  Two years later John and Taupin were honored with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.  

[JJ] Throughout his career Elton John has demonstrated a supreme talent for assimilating and blending  diverse pop and rock styles into an energetic sound.  Elton John's music and showmanship have had a significant impact on the music industry.  His songwriting partnership with the lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history.  He has cemented his status as a cultural icon, selling more than 300 million records worldwide.  Elton had seven consecutive #1 albums in the U.S., and he is the most successful solo artist in the history of the US Billboard charts.  Of his 32 studio albums, sales have resulted in 2 Diamond, 43 Platinum or Multi-Platinum, and 26 Gold album status.  John has had more than 50 Top-40 hits in the UK singles chart and over 85 U. S. Top 40 hits.  He also has had 9 #1 singles in both countries.  In 2021 he became the first solo artist with United Kingdom Top Ten singles across six decades.

[BP] Thank you for listening to another episode of Rock and Roll Flashback, where we reviewed the highlights of the career and extensive catalog of Sir Elton John!  We will close out this podcast with Elton John's version of the song "Blue Eyes".  

[JJ] So, fellow time travelers, may your path be smooth and your music always be rockin'!  And until next time...Rock On!