Magazine

Monday night's still all right

Conrad Astley
26/ 5/2006

ELTON John has always made good headlines. The singer's frequent public spats with pop star George Michael, his flamboyant fashion sense, $70,000 florist bills, and the unkind chants made about him by rival fans while director at Watford FC have all meant that Elton has rarely been out of the tabloids.

But fans who visit the MEN Arena on Monday will realise one thing that is often forgotten - he has also written some pretty good songs.

Elton, who is currently combining a two-year world tour with frequent gigs at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, has had a career spanning more than four decades, has had 10 consecutive albums reach number one in the US charts and even had an Oscar under his belt.

It may be a well-known fact that Sir Elton Hercules John was born with the more humble moniker of Reginald Kenneth Dwight.

But although Elton would have us believe he grew up on the mean streets of the East End, his rags to riches story actually started in the leafy north west London suburb of Pinner, which has also been home over the years to Simon Le Bon, Patrick Moore, Ronnie Barker - not to mention Nazi ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop.

Young Reginald, an RAF Squadron Leader's son, was a child prodigy, who won a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Academy of Music by the age of 11, and had turned pro by 17.

He played piano for R&B groups, supporting American bands, including the Isley Brothers, during the early 60s, before hooking up with British blues pioneer Long John Baldry - who was better known to a younger generation as the voice of the evil Dr Robotnik in the Sonic The Hedgehog games.

But the big break came after Reg - humiliated after failing auditions to join prog rockers King Crimson - answered an advert in the NME.

The ad had been placed by a boss from Liberty Records who gave Reg lyrics written by Bernie Taupin. This started a partnership which still exists to this day - despite frequent fights between the pair - and their unique songwriting method has now been responsible for 30 hit albums.

They famously never sit in the same room while penning songs and are rarely on the same continent as Bernie now writes the lyrics from his Californian ranch.

Around this time, Reg decided to shred his past and adopt the names of two musicians he had previously worked with - Long John Baldry and saxophonist Elton Dean. While working prolifically with Bernie - the pair claimed to knock off songs in an hour-and-a-half while writing for artists such as Lulu - they also begun recording tunes of their own.

And although Elton John's first album went largely unnoticed, his self-titled second LP contained a little number called Your Song.

It is claimed that Bernie wrote the lyrics over breakfast and Elton took 20 minutes to write the music, but it became the singer's first and, arguably most-loved, hit.

It featured in the film Moulin Rouge, is still a favourite at karaoke nights and weddings, regularly appears in lists of the greatest songs ever written and has never been dropped by Elton at any of his concerts.

More hits followed, such as Rocket Man, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Candle In The Wind - which went on to become the best selling single of all time when its subject was changed from Marilyn Monroe to Princess Diana.

And, thanks to an appearance in The Who's rock opera Tommy and a collaboration with John Lennon, the early 70s have come to be regarded as Elton's classic period.

But his career suffered a brief knock in 1976 - thought by some to have been kicked off after he told Rolling Stone magazine he was bisexual - leading to a break from touring before a comeback in the early 80s.

But although he has occasionally fallen out of favour with critics, Elton has remained far more popular than most artists from his era - managing to chart a top 40 single every year from 1970 to 1996.

Elton John performs at MEN Arena on Monday.


Have your say
 
Have your say Got an opinion you want to share?
Register now and have your comments heard.

Register now


 
Personal Finance
 

Customers with a 'good' credit profile
Company Typical APR
Platinum Exclusive Loan 7.8%
Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) 8.6%
Halifax (Semi-exclusive) 8.6%
Alliance & Leicester 8.7%
Lloyds TSB 8.9%
HASH(0x2abf215d2500)
Provider AER*
ICICI BANK
HiSAVE Savings Account 		5.50%
PRINCIPALITY BS
e-SAVER 		5.35%
ANGLO IRISH BANK
Easy Access Account Issue 2 		5.25%
FIRST DIRECT
Everyday e-Saver 		2.75%
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER
Online Tracker 		4.75%
BRADFORD & BINGLEY
eSavings 6 		4.60%
SAINSBURYS FINANCE
Internet Saver 		4.00%
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER
eSaver - Issue 2 		5.00%
POST OFFICE
Instant Saver 		3.75%
Fees may apply