Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, 25 March 1947)[1][2] is an English singer, songwriter, composer, pianist, record producer, and occasional actor. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date.
In his five-decade career Elton John has sold more than 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world.[3][4] He has more than fifty Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums, 58 Billboard Top 40 singles, 27 Top 10, four No. 2 and nine No. 1. For 31 consecutive years (1970–2000) he had at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100.
His single "Something About the Way You Look Tonight"/"Candle in the Wind 1997" sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is "the best-selling single of all time".[5][6][7] He has received six Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards – winning two awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music and the first Brits Icon in 2013 for his "lasting impact on British culture", an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, a Disney Legend award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him Number 49 on its list of 100 influential musicians of the rock and roll era.[8] In 2013, Billboard ranked him the most successful male solo artist on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists" (third overall behind The Beatles and Madonna).[9]
His single "Something About the Way You Look Tonight"/"Candle in the Wind 1997" sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is "the best-selling single of all time".[5][6][7] He has received six Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards – winning two awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music and the first Brits Icon in 2013 for his "lasting impact on British culture", an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, a Disney Legend award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him Number 49 on its list of 100 influential musicians of the rock and roll era.[8] In 2013, Billboard ranked him the most successful male solo artist on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists" (third overall behind The Beatles and Madonna).[9]
Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, is an inductee into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[10][11] Having been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996, John received a knighthood from Elizabeth II for "services to music and charitable services" in 1998.[12] John has performed at a number of royal events, such as the funeral of Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey in 1997, the Party at the Palace in 2002 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace in 2012.
He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s.[13] In 1992, he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation and a year later began hosting the annual Academy Award Party,
which has since become one of the highest-profile Oscar parties in the
Hollywood film industry. Since its inception, the foundation has raised
over $200 million.[14] John, who announced he was bisexual in 1976 and has been openly gay since 1988, entered into a civil partnership with David Furnish
on 21 December 2005, and after gay marriage became legal in England,
wed Furnish on 21 December 2014. He continues to be a champion for LGBT social movements worldwide and same-sex marriage.
Early life
Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, the eldest child of Stanley Dwight and only child of Sheila Eileen (Harris),[15][16][17] and was raised in a council house
of his maternal grandparents, in Pinner. His parents did not marry
until he was 6 years old, when the family moved to a nearby
semi-detached house.[18][19][20] He was educated at Pinner Wood Junior School, Reddiford School and Pinner County Grammar School, until age 17, when he left just prior to his A Level examinations to pursue a career in the music industry.[21][22][23]
When he began to seriously consider a career in music, Elton John's father, who served as a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force, tried to steer him toward a more conventional career, such as banking.[21] John has stated that his wild stage costumes and performances were his way of letting go after such a restrictive childhood.[23]
Both of John's parents were musically inclined, his father having been a
trumpet player with the Bob Millar Band, a semi-professional big band
that played at military dances.[23]
The Dwights were keen record buyers, exposing John to the popular
singers and musicians of the day, and John remembers being immediately
hooked on rock and roll when his mother brought home records by Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & His Comets in 1956.[21][22]
Elton John started playing the piano at the age of 3, and within a year, his mother heard him picking out Winifred Atwell's "The Skater's Waltz" by ear.[21][22]
After performing at parties and family gatherings, at the age of 7 he
took up formal piano lessons. He showed musical aptitude at school,
including the ability to compose melodies, and gained some notoriety by
playing like Jerry Lee Lewis at school functions. At the age of 11, he won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. According to one of his instructors, John promptly played back, like a "gramophone record", a four-page piece by Handel that he heard for the first time.[22]
For the next five years he attended Saturday classes at the Academy in central London, and has stated that he enjoyed playing Chopin and Bach and singing in the choir during Saturday classes, but that he was not otherwise a diligent classical student.[22]
"I kind of resented going to the Academy", he says. "I was one of those
children who could just about get away without practising and still
pass, scrape through the grades."[22] He even claims that he would sometimes skip classes and just ride around on the Tube.[22]
However, several instructors have testified that he was a "model
student", and during the last few years he was taking lessons from a
private tutor in addition to his classes at the Academy.[22]
Elton John's mother, though also strict with her son, was more
vivacious than her husband, and something of a free spirit. With Stanley
Dwight uninterested in his son and often physically absent, John was
raised primarily by his mother and maternal grandmother. When his father
was home, the Dwights would have terrible arguments that greatly
distressed their son.[22]
When John was 14, they divorced. His mother then married a local
painter, Fred Farebrother, a caring and supportive stepfather whom John
affectionately referred to as "Derf", his first name in reverse.[22]
They moved into flat No. 1A in an eight-unit apartment building called
Frome Court, not far from both previous homes. It was there that John
would write the songs that would launch his career as a rock star; he
would live there until he had four albums simultaneously in the American
Top 40.[24]
Pub pianist to staff songwriter (1962–1969)
See also: Bluesology
At the age of 15, with the help of his mother and stepfather,
Reginald Dwight became a weekend pianist at a nearby pub, the Northwood
Hills Hotel, playing Thursday to Sunday nights.[25][26] Known simply as "Reggie", he played a range of popular standards, including songs by Jim Reeves and Ray Charles, as well as songs he had written himself.[27][28] A stint with a short-lived group called the Corvettes rounded out his time.[22]
In 1962, Dwight and his friends formed a band called Bluesology.
By day, he ran errands for a music publishing company; he divided his
nights between solo gigs at a London hotel bar and working with
Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring American soul and R&B musicians like The Isley Brothers, Major Lance and Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. In 1966, the band became musician Long John Baldry's supporting band, and played 16 times at The Marquee Club.[29]
In 1967, Dwight answered an advertisement in the British magazine, New Musical Express, placed by Ray Williams, then the A&R manager for Liberty Records.[30] At their first meeting, Williams gave Dwight a stack of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin,
who had answered the same ad. Dwight wrote music for the lyrics, and
then mailed it to Taupin, beginning a partnership that still continues.
When the two first met in 1967 they recorded what would become the first
Elton John/Bernie Taupin song: "Scarecrow". Six months later Dwight was
going by the name "Elton John" in homage to Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.[27]
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, like Roger Cook and Lulu.[31]
Taupin would write a batch of lyrics in under an hour and give it to
John, who would write music for them in half an hour, disposing of the
lyrics if he couldn't come up with anything quickly.[31] For two years, they wrote easy-listening tunes for James to peddle to singers. Their early output included a contender for the UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969, for Lulu, called "I Can't Go On (Living Without You)". It came sixth of six songs. In 1969, John provided piano for Roger Hodgson on his first released single, "Mr. Boyd" by Argosy, a quartet that was completed by Caleb Quaye and Nigel Olsson.[32][33] Elton John was also a session musician for other artists including playing piano on The Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and singing backing vocals for The Scaffold.[34]
Debut album to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1969–1973)
On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John and Taupin started
writing more complex songs for John to record for DJM. The first was
the single "I've Been Loving You" (1968), produced by Caleb Quaye, former Bluesology guitarist. In 1969, with Quaye, drummer Roger Pope, and bassist Tony Murray, John recorded another single, "Lady Samantha", and an album, Empty Sky.
For their follow-up album, Elton John, Elton John and Bernie Taupin enlisted Gus Dudgeon as producer and Paul Buckmaster as musical arranger. Elton John was released in April 1970 on DJM Records/Pye Records in the UK and Uni Records
in the US, and established the formula for subsequent albums –
gospel-chorded rockers and poignant ballads. The first single from the
album, "Border Song", made into the US Top 100, peaking at Number 92. The second single, "Your Song", reached number seven in the UK Singles Chart and number eight in the US, becoming John's first hit single as a singer.[35] The album soon became his first hit album, reaching number four on the US Billboard 200 and number five on the UK Albums Chart.[35][36]
Backed by ex-Spencer Davis Group drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray, Elton John's first American concert took place at The Troubadour in Los Angeles in August 1970, and was a success.[37] The concept album Tumbleweed Connection was released in October 1970, and reached number two in the UK and number five in the US.[35] The live album 17-11-70 (11–17–70 in the US) was recorded at a live show aired from A&R Studios on WABC-FM in New York City. Sales of the live album were heavily hit in the US when an east coast bootlegger
released the performance several weeks before the official album,
including all 60 minutes of the aircast, not just the 40 minutes
selected by Dick James Music.[38]
John and Taupin then wrote the soundtrack to the obscure film Friends and then the album Madman Across the Water, the latter reaching number eight in the US and producing the hit songs, "Levon", and the album's opening track "Tiny Dancer". In 1972, Davey Johnstone joined the Elton John Band on guitar and backing vocals. Released in 1972, Honky Château became John's first US number one album, spending five weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, and began a streak of seven consecutive US number one albums.[39] The album reached number two in the UK, and spawned the hit singles "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)" (which is often compared to David Bowie's "Space Oddity") and "Honky Cat".[40] both of which were recorded at Trident Studios in London.
The pop album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player came out at the start of 1973, and reached number one in the UK, the US, Australia among others.[35] The album produced the hits "Crocodile Rock", his first US Billboard Hot 100 number one, and "Daniel"; number two US, number four UK.[35][41] Both the album and "Crocodile Rock" were the first album and single, respectively on the consolidated MCA Records label in the US, replacing MCA's other labels including Uni.[42]
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,
released in October 1973, gained instant critical acclaim and topped
the chart on both sides of the Atlantic, remaining at number one for two
months.[43] It also temporarily established John as a glam rock star. It contained the US number 1 "Bennie and the Jets", along with other hits, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Candle in the Wind", "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding". Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is included in the VH1 Classic Albums
series, discussing the making, recording, and popularity of the album
through concert and home video footage including interviews.[44]
The Rocket Record Company to 21 at 33 (1974–1979)
John formed his own MCA-distributed label named The Rocket Record Company and signed acts to it – notably Neil Sedaka ("Bad Blood", on which he sang background vocals) and Kiki Dee
– in which he took a personal interest. Instead of releasing his own
records on Rocket, he opted for $8 million offered by MCA. When the
contract was signed in 1974, MCA reportedly took out a $25 million
insurance policy on John's life.[45] In 1974 MCA released his Greatest Hits album, a UK and US number one which is certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales of 16 million copies in the US.[35][46]
In 1974 a collaboration with John Lennon took place, resulting in Lennon appearing on Elton John's single cover of The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", the b-side of which was Lennon's "One Day at a Time." In return, John was featured on "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" on Lennon's Walls and Bridges
album. Later that year in what would be Lennon's last major live
performance, the pair performed these two number 1 hits along with the
Beatles classic "I Saw Her Standing There" at Madison Square Garden
in New York. Lennon made the rare stage appearance with John and his
band to keep the promise he made that he would appear on stage with him
if "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" became a US number one single.[47]
Caribou was released in 1974 and became John's third number one in the UK, and topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia.[35][48] Reportedly recorded in two weeks between live appearances, it featured "The Bitch Is Back" and the orchestrated "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".[48] "Step into Christmas" was released as a stand-alone single in November 1973, and appears in the album's 1995 remastered re-issue.[49]
Pete Townshend of The Who asked John to play a character called the "Local Lad" in the film of the rock opera Tommy, and to perform the song "Pinball Wizard". Drawing on power chords,
John's version was recorded and used for the movie release in 1975 and
the single came out in 1976 (1975 in the US). The song charted at
number 7 in the UK.[35] Bally subsequently released a "Captain Fantastic" pinball machine featuring an illustration of John in his movie guise.[50]
The 1975 autobiographical album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy debuted at number one in the US, the first album ever to do so, and stayed at the top for seven weeks.[51]
Elton John revealed his previously ambiguous personality on the album,
with Taupin's lyrics describing their early days as struggling
songwriters and musicians in London. The lyrics and accompanying photo
booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that is
otherwise rare in his music. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight"
was the hit single from this album and captured an early turning point
in Elton John's life. The album's release signalled the end of the Elton
John Band, as an unhappy and overworked John dismissed Olsson and
Murray, two people who had contributed much of the band's signature
sound and who had helped build his live following since the beginning.[50]
According to Circus Magazine, a spokesman for John Reid said the decision was reached mutually via phone while John was in Australia promoting Tommy.[52]
She said there was no way Reid could have fired them "because the band
are not employed by John Reid, they're employed by Elton John."[52] She went on to say Nigel would be going back to his solo work and Dee would do session work "and possibly cut a solo album".[52]
Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper were retained, Quaye and Roger Pope
returned, and the new bassist was Kenny Passarelli; this rhythm section
provided a heavier-sounding backbeat. James Newton Howard joined to arrange in the studio and to play keyboards.[53] In June 1975, John introduced the line-up before a crowd of 75,000 in London's Wembley Stadium.[53]
The rock-oriented Rock of the Westies entered the US albums chart at number 1 like Captain Fantastic, a previously unattained feat.[51] Elton John's stage wardrobe now included ostrich feathers, $5,000 spectacles that spelled his name in lights, and dressing up like the Statue of Liberty, Donald Duck, or Mozart, among others, at his concerts.[54][55] In 1975, Elton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[56]
To celebrate five years since he first appeared at the venue, in 1975 Elton John played a two-night, four-show stand at The Troubadour.
With seating limited to under 500 per show, the chance to purchase
tickets was determined by a postcard lottery, with each winner allowed
two tickets. Everyone who attended the performances received a hardbound
"yearbook" of the band's history. That year he also played piano on Kevin Ayers' Sweet Deceiver, and was among the first and few white artists to appear on the black music series Soul Train on American television.[43]
On 9 August 1975, John was named the outstanding rock personality of
the year at the first annual Rock Music Awards at ceremonies held in
Santa Monica, California.[57]
In 1976, the live album Here and There was released in May, followed by the Blue Moves album in October, which contained the single "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". His biggest success in 1976 was "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", a duet with Kiki Dee that topped both the UK and US charts.[35][58] Finally, in an interview with Rolling Stone that year entitled "Elton's Frank Talk", John stated that he was bisexual.[59]
Besides being the most commercially successful period, 1970–1976 is
also held in the most regard critically. Within only a three-year span,
between 1972 and 1975 John saw seven consecutive albums reach number one
in the US, which had not been accomplished before.[43] Of the six Elton John albums to make Rolling Stone 's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003, all are from this period, with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ranked highest at number 91; similarly, the three Elton John albums given five stars by Allmusic (Tumbleweed Connection, Honky Château, and Captain Fantastic) are all from this period.[60]
During the same period, he made a guest appearance on the popular Morecambe and Wise Show
on the BBC. The two comics spent the episode pointing him in the
direction of everywhere except the stage in order to prevent him
singing.[61]
In November 1977 Elton John announced he was retiring from
performing; Taupin began collaborating with others. Now only producing
one album a year, John issued A Single Man in 1978, employing a new lyricist, Gary Osborne; the album produced no singles that made the top 20 in the US but the two singles from the album released in the UK, "Part-Time Love" and "Song for Guy", both made the top 20 in the UK with the latter reaching the top 5.[35] In 1979, accompanied by Ray Cooper, Elton John became one of the first Western artists to tour the Soviet Union, as well as one of the first in Israel.[62] John returned to the US top ten with "Mama Can't Buy You Love" (number 9), a song originally rejected in 1977 by MCA before being released, recorded in 1977 with Philadelphia soul producer Thom Bell.[63]
John reported that Thom Bell was the first person to give him voice
lessons; Bell encouraged John to sing in a lower register. A disco-influenced album, Victim of Love, was poorly received. In 1979, John and Taupin reunited, though they did not collaborate on a full album until 1983's Too Low For Zero. 21 at 33, released the following year, was a significant career boost, aided by his biggest hit in four years, "Little Jeannie" (number 3 US), with the lyrics written by Gary Osborne.[64]
1980s: The Fox to Sleeping with the Past (1980–1989)
His 1981 album, The Fox, was recorded in part during the same sessions as 21 at 33, and also included collaborations with Tom Robinson and Judie Tzuke.
On 13 September 1980, Elton John, with Olsson and Murray back in the
Elton John Band, performed a free concert to an estimated 400,000 fans
on The Great Lawn in Central Park in New York.[65] His 1982 hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)", came from his Jump Up! album, his second under a new US recording contract with Geffen Records.
With original band members Johnstone, Murray and Olsson together
again, he was able to return to the charts with the 1983 hit album Too Low for Zero, which included "I'm Still Standing" (No. 4 UK) and "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues", the latter of which featured Stevie Wonder on harmonica and reached No. 4 in the US and No. 5 in the UK.[35][58] In October 1983, Elton John caused controversy when he broke the United Nations' cultural boycott on apartheid South Africa by performing at the Sun City venue.[66] He married his close friend and sound engineer, Renate Blauel, on Valentine's Day 1984 – the marriage lasted three years.[67]
In 1985, he was one of the many performers at Live Aid held at Wembley Stadium.[68]
John played "Bennie and the Jets" and "Rocket Man"; then "Don't Go
Breaking My Heart" with Kiki Dee for the first time since the Hammersmith Odeon on 24 December 1982; and introduced his friend George Michael, still then of Wham!, to sing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".[68] In 1985 he released Breaking Hearts which featured the hit song "Sad Songs (Say So Much)", No. 5 in the US and No. 7 in the UK.[35] Elton John also recorded material with Millie Jackson in 1985. In 1986, he played the piano on two tracks on the heavy metal band Saxon's album Rock the Nations.[69]
A Biography
channel special detailed the loss of Elton's voice in 1986 while on
tour in Australia. Shortly thereafter he underwent throat surgery, which
permanently altered his voice. Several non-cancerous polyps were
removed from his vocal cords, resulting in a change in his singing
voice.[70] In 1987 he won a libel case against The Sun which published false allegations of sex with rent boys.[71] In 1988, he performed five sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York, giving him 26 for his career.[72] Netting over $20 million, 2,000 items of Elton John's memorabilia were auctioned off at Sotheby's in London.[73]
He placed other hits throughout the 1980s, including "Nikita" which featured in a music video directed by Ken Russell, No. 3 in the UK and No. 7 in the US in 1986, a live orchestral version of "Candle in the Wind", No. 6 in the US, and "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That", No. 2 in the US in 1988.[35][58] His highest-charting single was a collaboration with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder on "That's What Friends Are For" which reached No. 1 in the US in 1985; credited as Dionne and Friends, the song raised funds for AIDS research.[58] His albums continued to sell, but of those released in the latter half of the 1980s, only Reg Strikes Back (number 16, 1988) placed in the top 20 in the US.[58]
1990s: "Sacrifice" to Aida (1990–1999)
In 1990, he achieved his first solo UK number one hit single, with "Sacrifice" (coupled with "Healing Hands") from the previous year's album Sleeping with the Past; it would stay at the top spot for six weeks.[74] The following year, John's "Basque" won the Grammy for Best Instrumental, and a guest concert appearance at Wembley Arena he had made on George Michael's cover of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was released as a single and topped the charts in both the UK and the US.[75] At the 1991 Brit Awards in London, Elton John won the award for Best British Male.[76]
In 1992 he released the US number 8 album The One, featuring the hit song "The One".[77][78]
John and Taupin then signed a music publishing deal with
Warner/Chappell Music for an estimated $39 million over 12 years, giving
them the largest cash advance in music publishing history.[79] In April 1992, John appeared at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, performing "The Show Must Go On" with the remaining members of Queen, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" with Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses and Queen.[80] In September, John performed "The One" at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, and also closed the ceremony performing "November Rain" with Guns N' Roses.[81] The following year, he released Duets, a collaboration with 15 artists including Tammy Wynette and RuPaul. This also included a new collaboration with Kiki Dee, entitled "True Love", which reached the Top 10 of the UK charts.[82]
"For myself as well as for many others no-one has been there more for
inspiration than Elton John. When we talk of great rock duos like Jimmy
Page and Robert Plant, John [Lennon] and Paul [McCartney], Mick
[Jagger] and Keith [Richards], I like to think of Elton John and Bernie
Taupin. Also tonight I think that Elton should be honoured for his great
work and contribution in the fight against AIDS. And also his bravery
in exposing all the triumphs and tragedies of his personal life. "
Along with Tim Rice, Elton John wrote the songs for the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. At the 67th Academy Awards ceremony, The Lion King soundtrack provided three of the five nominees for the Academy Award for Best Song, which he won with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".[84] Both that and "Circle of Life" became hit songs for John.[85][86] "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" would also win Elton John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 37th Grammy Awards.[84] After the release of the The Lion King soundtrack, the album remained at the top of Billboard 200 for nine weeks. On 10 November 1999, the RIAA certified The Lion King "Diamond" for selling 15 million copies.[87]
In 1994, Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose.[11] In 1995 he released Made in England (number 3, 1995), which featured the single "Believe".[88] John performed "Believe" at the 1995 Brit Awards, and picked up the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music.[89] A duet with Luciano Pavarotti, "Live Like Horses", reached number nine in the UK in December 1996.[35] A compilation album called Love Songs was released in 1996.[90]
Early in 1997 he held a 50th birthday party, costumed as Louis XIV, for 500 friends. He also performed with the surviving members of Queen in Paris at the opening night (17 January 1997) of Le Presbytère N'a Rien Perdu De Son Charme Ni Le Jardin De Son Éclat, a work by French ballet legend Maurice Béjart which draws upon AIDS and the deaths of Freddie Mercury and the company's principal dancer Jorge Donn. Later in 1997, two close friends died: designer Gianni Versace was murdered; Diana, Princess of Wales died in a Paris car crash on 31 August.[91]
In early September, he contacted his writing partner Bernie Taupin,
asking him to revise the lyrics of his 1973 song "Candle in the Wind"
to honour Diana, and Taupin rewrote the song accordingly.[92] On 6 September 1997, John performed "Candle in the Wind 1997" at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey.[93] The song became the fastest and biggest-selling single of all time, eventually selling over 33 million copies worldwide,[87][94] the best-selling single in UK Chart history,[95] the best-selling single in Billboard history and the only single ever certified Diamond in the United States – the single sold over 11 million copies in the U.S.[6][87][96] Also the Guinness World Records
2009 states that the song is "the biggest-selling single since UK and
US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales
of 33 million copies".[7] The song proceeds of approximately £55 million were donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. It would win Elton John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998.[94] "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" was released as a double A-side.
Elton John has publicly performed "Candle in the Wind 1997" only once,
at Diana's funeral, vowing never to perform it again unless asked by
Diana's sons.[97]
On 15 September 1997, John appeared at the Music for Montserrat charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, performing "Your Song", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "Live Like Horses" solo before finishing with "Hey Jude" alongside fellow English artists Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Mark Knopfler and Sting.[98] In November 1997, John performed in the BBC's Children in Need charity single "Perfect Day", which reached number one in the UK.[99]
In the musical theatre world, in addition to a 1998 adaptation of The Lion King for Broadway, he also composed music for a Disney production of Aida in 1999 with lyricist Tim Rice, for which they received the Tony Award for Best Original Score at the 54th Tony Awards,[100] and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album at the 43rd Grammy Awards.[101][102]
The musical was given its world premiere in the Alliance Theatre in
Atlanta. It went on to Chicago and eventually Broadway. He also released
a live compilation album called Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits from the show he did at Madison Square Garden in New York City that same year. A concept album from the musical titled Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida was also released and featured the duets, "Written in the Stars" with LeAnn Rimes, and "I Know the Truth" with Janet Jackson.[103]
2000s: Are You Ready for Love and 60th birthday (2000–2009)
In 2000, he and Tim Rice teamed again to create songs for DreamWorks' animated film The Road to El Dorado. he released his 27th album, Songs from the West Coast, in October 2001. At this point, Elton John disliked appearing in his own music videos; "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" featured Justin Timberlake portraying a young Elton, and "I Want Love" featured Robert Downey, Jr. lip-syncing the song.[104] At the 2001 Grammy Awards, Elton performed "Stan" with Eminem.[105] One month after the September 11 attacks, Elton John appeared at the Concert for New York City, performing "I Want Love" as well as "Your Song" in a duet with Billy Joel.[106]
In August 2003 Elton scored his fifth UK number one single when "Are You Ready for Love" topped the charts.[107] Returning to musical theatre, John composed music for a West End theatre production of Billy Elliot the Musical in 2005 with playwright Lee Hall. Opening to strong reviews, the West End production is still running as of 2014.[108] His only theatrical project with Bernie Taupin is Lestat: The Musical, based on the Anne Rice vampire novels. However it received harsh reviews from critics and closed in May 2006 after 39 performances.[109] Elton featured on rapper Tupac Shakur's posthumous single "Ghetto Gospel", which topped the UK charts in July 2005.[35]
In October 2003, he announced that he had signed an exclusive agreement to perform 75 shows over three years at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. The show, entitled The Red Piano, was a multimedia concert featuring massive props and video montages created by David LaChapelle. Effectively, he and Celine Dion
share performances at Caesars Palace throughout the year – while one
performs, one rests. The first of these shows took place on 13 February
2004.[110]
In February 2006, Elton and Dion sang together at the venue to raise
money for Harrah's Entertainment Inc. workers affected by the 2005
hurricanes, performing "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" and
"Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)."[111]
Elton John was named a Disney Legend for his contributions to Disney's films and theatrical works on 9 October 2006, by The Walt Disney Company.[112] In 2006 he told Rolling Stone that he plans for his next record to be in the R&B/hip-hop genre. "I want to work with Pharrell [Williams], Timbaland, Snoop [Lion], Kanye [West], Eminem and just see what happens."[113]
In March 2007 he performed at Madison Square Garden for a record
breaking 60th time for his 60th birthday, the concert was broadcast live
and a DVD recording was released as Elton 60 – Live at Madison Square Garden;[114] a greatest-hits compilation CD, Rocket Man – Number Ones,
was released in 17 different versions worldwide, including a CD/DVD
combo; and his back catalogue – almost 500 songs from 32 albums – became
available for legal paid download.[115]
On 1 July 2007, Elton John appeared at the Concert for Diana held at Wembley Stadium in London, in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales, on what would have been her 46th birthday.[116]
John opened the concert with "Your Song", and then closed the concert
with his second performance, with "Saturday Night's Alright For
Fighting", "Tiny Dancer", and "Are You Ready For Love".[116]
On 21 June 2008, Elton performed his 200th show in Caesars Palace. A DVD/CD package of The Red Piano was released through Best Buy in November 2008. A two-year global tour was sandwiched between commitments in Las Vegas, Nevada, some of the venues of which were new to John. The Red Piano Tour closed in Las Vegas in April 2009.[117]
In a September 2008 interview with GQ magazine, John said: "I'm going on the road again with Billy Joel
again next year," referring to "Face to Face," a series of concerts
featuring both musicians. The tour began in March and will continue for
at least two more years.[118]
2010–present
Elton John performed a piano duet with Lady Gaga at the 52nd Grammy Awards.[119] On 6 June 2010, John performed at the fourth wedding of conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh for a reported US$1 million fee.[120] Eleven days later, and 17 years to the day after his last previous performance in Israel, he performed at the Ramat Gan Stadium; this was significant because of other then-recent cancellations by other performers in the fallout surrounding an Israeli raid on Gaza Flotilla
the month before. In his introduction to that concert, Elton John noted
he and other musicians should not "cherry-pick our conscience", in
reference to Elvis Costello,
who was to have performed in Israel two weeks after John did, but
cancelled in the wake of the aforementioned raid, citing his
[Costello's] conscience.[121][122]
He released The Union on 19 October 2010. John says his collaboration with American singer, songwriter and sideman Leon Russell marks a new chapter in his recording career, saying: "I don't have to make pop records any more."[123]
He began his new show The Million Dollar Piano at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas on 28 September 2011.[124]
John performed the show at Caesars for the next three years. He
performed his 3000th concert on Saturday 8 October 2011 at Caesars.[125] In 2011, John performed vocals on Snowed in at Wheeler Street with Kate Bush for her 50 Words for Snow album.[126] On 3 February 2012, Elton John visited Costa Rica for the first time when he performed at the recently built National Stadium.[127]
On 4 June 2012, he performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, performing a repertoire including "Your Song", "Crocodile Rock" and "I'm Still Standing".[128] On 30 June, John performed in Kiev, Ukraine at a joint concert with Queen + Adam Lambert for the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation.[129]
An album containing remixes of songs that he recorded in the 1970s called Good Morning to the Night was released in July 2012. The remixes were conducted by Australian group Pnau and the album reached No. 1 in the UK.[130] At the 2012 Pride of Britain Awards on 30 October, Elton John, along with Michael Caine, Richard Branson, Simon Cowell and Stephen Fry, recited Rudyard Kipling's poem "If—" in tribute to the 2012 British Olympic and Paralympics athletes.[131]
In February 2013, Elton performed a duet with singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran at the 55th Grammy Awards.[132] Later in 2013 he collaborated with rock band Queens of the Stone Age on their sixth studio album ...Like Clockwork, contributing piano and vocals on the song "Fairweather Friends". He stated that he was a fan of frontman Josh Homme's side project, Them Crooked Vultures, and had contacted Homme via phone call, asking if he could perform on the album.[133]
In September 2013, Elton received the first Brits Icon Award for his "lasting impact" on UK Culture.[134] Rod Stewart presented him the award on stage at the London Palladium before the two performed a duet of "Sad Songs (Say So Much)".[135] It had been announced in March 2012 that John had completed work on his thirty-first album, The Diving Board. The album was produced by T-Bone Burnett and was originally set for release in autumn 2012.[136][137]
The album's release date was pushed back multiple times, but on its
release in September 2013 it reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 4 in the
US.[35][138]
Songwriting
John has written with his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin since 1967 when he answered an advertisement for talent placed in the popular UK music publication, New Musical Express, by Liberty records A&R man Ray Williams.[139] The pair have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date.[140]
The 1991 film documentary Two Rooms
described the writing style that Elton John and Bernie Taupin use,
which involves Taupin writing the lyrics on his own, and John then
putting them to music, with the two never in the same room during the
process. Taupin would write a set of lyrics, then mail them to John,
wherever he was in the world, who would then lay down the music, arrange
it, and record.[141] In 1992 he was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. John is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).[10]
Musical style
Elton John's voice was once classed as tenor; it is now baritone.[22] His piano playing is influenced by classical and gospel music.[142] He used Paul Buckmaster to arrange the music on his studio albums during the 1970s.[143]
0 comments:
Post a Comment