Elton John: biography, best songs, interesting facts, listen

Elton John

Elton John recorded his first song back in 1965. Since then, a little more than half a century has passed. During this period, the talented musician released 30 studio albums, pleased the audience with 130 singles, won numerous awards and received worldwide recognition. A shocking, bright and extravagant artist known in almost any country. Yes, some of his life values ​​are far from common. But this does not prevent fans and music lovers from enjoying his songs. We offer to follow the creative path of Sir Elton John from the very beginning and listen to his best compositions.

short biography

March 25, 1947 in the family of Stanley and Shayley Dwight there was quite an ordinary and at the same time exciting event: the couple had a son, Reginald Kenneth Dwight. That is the name given to the musician at birth. He was born in England, in the historic county of Middlesex, in the district of London.

For many people, childhood is a pleasant time for memories. But not for Elton John. His early years were overshadowed by the quarrels of his parents and a despotic father, an officer in the air force. He was always dissatisfied: his wife, home and ... the only son whom he saw as a sportsman on a pedestal. Well, what about little Reggie? This cute, tender and gentle child was a little like the ideal of his father, which caused his anger.

Salvation for the boy was the grandmother, Quince. She put the crying child on her knees and reassured as she could. At one of those moments, Quince allowed her grandson to press the keys of an old piano. This was the beginning of the birth of a new star in the music world. Little Reggie found an outlet in the music and literally a week later began to pick up famous songs by ear. At that time he was only 3 years old.

Sheila was shocked by her son's talent. Yes, his game was imperfect, but it felt something more. And she began to develop and promote the abilities of Reggie, for whom the living room of his home was the first scene. He played the piano in the hope of winning the love of his father, but to no avail.

Underexposed by his father, Reginald filled the gap at the Royal Academy of Music in London. As an 11-year-old boy, he struck the selection committee playing the piano and received a scholarship. For six years he will diligently attend classes and receive encouraging feedback from teachers. But his studies did not care much. In the first place was rock'n'roll and its own appearance, which did not satisfy the teenager.

While studying at the Academy goes on, Reggie decides to create a group called Bluesology. At the time of the founding of the team he was only 13 years old. He even finds an agent to promote his creativity. The guys started with the songs of Ray Charles and Jim Reeves, a famous country music artist. The group gained some fame and even toured the USA in the mid-60s as musical accompaniment of various artists.

The second half of the 60s was not the most successful for the musician. The first, self-written song did not impress the public, private life collapsed, prevented gaining weight of self-confidence ... To top off the sale of the debut album "Empty Sky" made only 400 copies, although the reviews were encouraging.

Success came after 2 years with the album, called his pseudonym, "Elton John". The track "Your Song", which became a hit on both sides of the ocean, gained particular popularity. The name of the musician began to sound around the world: not only European cities, but also American ones were included in the tours.

In the wake of popularity, Elton John records the anthem of the UK football team. At the same time releases the third studio album, which occupies the first line in the charts. Glory, money - all this falls on a talented musician. What else can you dream? On his own record company, where he, accompanied by his team (Elton John Band), listens to hundreds of demo recordings in search of talent. The label "Rocket Records" was created in 1973 and existed until 2007. Work in the company took time and effort. Despite this, the popular composer did not forget about his own musical career: his singles and albums, one after another, occupy the highest lines in the ratings and reach platinum status.

At some point, the identity of the artist himself began to attract more attention than his work. The society was interested in the personal life of the artist and all that was connected with him. Elton John himself actively enjoys his popularity and hassle-free time.

In the late 70s, troubled times flooded the world. In England, shocking and personal freedom began to be promoted - the work of Elton turned out to be unnecessary to society. Depressed mood artist dissolved in drug and alcohol ecstasy. He went into the shadows, and in order to somehow rehabilitate himself in his eyes, he began touring in countries where he had not been before. Among them was the USSR.

The revival of the British star belongs to the beginning of the 90s. By this time, Elton John radically changed his life: got rid of bad habits, changed British apartments to American ones, and decided to regain his former glory. He succeeded. Grammy, Oscar and other awards, including the knight’s title, are beginning to fall on the artist as if from a cornucopia.

Now Elton John is 70 years old. Age makes itself felt - concerts began to take place less frequently. But this does not mean that he disappeared from the scene. He continues to sing, act in films, produce and still to shock the audience. But creativity is not the only meaning of his life at the present time. Children - this is what he endlessly values. The eldest son even accompanies the famous dad on tour. Life for Elton John does not lose color and saturation. And in this he can only envy.

Interesting Facts

• The nickname Elton John appeared in 1967 as the desire to end the old life and start a new one. The first part of the pseudonym was borrowed from Elton Dean (British jazz singer), and John from Long John Baldry (blues musician in the UK). In 1972, the pseudonym was supplemented with the name Hercules. The ideological inspiration was ... horse. That was the name of the horse in the sitcom "Stepto and Son", which the musician liked to watch. In the same year, the pseudonym became a passport name.
• The famous detail of the image of Elton John - glasses - nothing more than an attempt to copy the American singer Buddy Holly. The decision to add something original to my image led to myopia. Now glasses for an artist are a must-have grown into a collection totaling more than 20,000 pairs.
• The musician tried to imitate Jerry Lee Lewis, another American singer and pianist. True, it was in adolescence.
• When Elton turned 15, his parents divorced. It was a blow for a teenager. But most of all he was excited not by the departure of his father from the family, but by his quick marriage. Less than a week later, Stanley Dwight married a new woman and in the next 4 years became the father of four babies. And this is after many years of assurances that he can not tolerate children.
• Reggie was educated mainly by her mother and stepfather Fred Fairbrother. The musician himself speaks warmly of Fred. Thanks to his stepfather, he got his first job - a pianist in a nearby hotel pub on weekends. He made a man and a more significant contribution to the development of the stepson, assuring that success does not depend on appearance.
• Elton John calls himself a dropout. And for good reason: he dropped out of high school, although it remained to be patient for a couple of months before the final exams. The same fate touched the conservatory.
• The musical career of the singer began with the position of an ordinary messenger. He got a job in a music publishing house and during the daytime he carried out various assignments, devoting evenings to music. So he wanted to make money on the piano.
• The debut song, recorded in 1965, failed. Despite the deplorable result, Elton did not despair - for the first time he had learned what it was like to be a singer.

• There was also a suicide attempt in the life of a popular artist. He wanted to commit suicide by turning on the gas burner. But, fortunately I forgot to close the windows. What prompted a man to such an extreme act? Constant quarrels with her lover, who saw him as a bank clerk and sometimes even beat her up. He wanted a real normal family, with a big house and children.
• Elton is actively involved in society, donating money to the fight against AIDS. Freddie Mercury pushed him to create his own fund.
• It’s hard to imagine, but Sir Elton John was in some way a fan of the British boy band "Take That" and even managed to kidnap Robbie Williams with the help of his guards. What for? To send a young man to rehabilitation for drug addicts. But the cheeky young man ran away in a couple of days and only after a while he estimated the rightness of his colleague's intentions.
• Flowers - a special passion of the musician. In the late 90s, the press even reported that Elton spent about 300,000 pounds to buy flowers. And this is for 9 months. One of the points of the singer is also associated with the floral "disease" - the dressing room must be decorated with fresh flowers.

• Drug addiction is a past stage in the life of an artist. Yes, he used cocaine and in 1975 almost even died from an overdose. Despite the case, Elton decided to get rid of dependence only in the late 80s. Now he helps other celebrities to resist addiction. So, Eminem is grateful to his colleague for moral support and guidance on this difficult path.
• The artist was also treated for bulimia: the extra weight never gave him rest.
• Elton John considers himself an atheist. In his opinion, religion in general should be banned so that conflicts between countries with different religions disappear and that persecution of people with non-traditional sexual orientation cease.
• Despite the atheistic views, Elton John had to ignore them for the idol and friend John Lennon. He appeared on the funeral procession and said goodbye to the musical genius. By the way, it was Elton who received the offer from John Lennon and Yoko Ono to become the godfather of their son.
• In 2005, Elton John was married to David Furnish, a Canadian film director. The ceremony itself was closed and modest, and a banquet in honor of such an event was solemn and pompous: 700 people were invited to it.

• For the first time to become a father, Elton was 63 years old. The son of Zechariah was born a surrogate mother. Two years later, another boy appeared in the family in the same way, Elijah. The "young" father preferred to change diapers on his own, bottle-feed the children and stay awake at night. In children, he sees the meaning of life.
• In the personal life of the artist is listed and marriage with Renata Blial. This woman was able to win the heart of the singer, but not for long - after 4 years the couple broke up.

The best songs of Elton John

Here it is a list of the most memorable and popular songs of this artist.

• "Your song"- a song that brought success. Bernie Topin, the author of the words, admits that he wrote the text on dirty paper so simply, without being tied to a particular artist. It’s said that it took only 10 minutes for Elton to record the musical accompaniment. The result was romantic a single that never ceases to appeal to many music lovers.
• "Rocket man"was released in 1972 and almost immediately got to the second line of the chart of Britain. The history of the song creation is also remarkable. The most common version is that the author, the same Bernie Topin, was inspired by the stories of science fiction Ray Bradbury. Another one says that Bernie saw a shooting star. The undisclosed mystery of origin makes the composition even more attractive, doesn't it?

"Rocket Man" (listen)

• "Tinny dancer"This song can hardly be called commercially successful: it did not occupy high positions in the ratings. Her fame is due to the appearance of the sound of the movie" Almost Famous. "The single was waiting 30 minutes after the release. What is it? About Californian women attractive and sexy.

"Tiny Dancer" (listen)

• "Bennie and the Jets"In addition to the catchy rhythm, the track is remembered with a light text. The composer himself did not believe in the success of the song and was against its release as a single. But his intuition let him down: in the USA, it took the top line and sold out multimillion copies.
• "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". Another composition, in the history of which there are two waves of success. The first falls on 1976, when the song appeared in rotation. The second was for 2002, when the band "Blue" took over and performed it together with Sir Elton John. It is noteworthy that this single he sang and a duet with Ray Charles.

"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (listen)

Films about Elton John and his participation

The talent of this person is many-sided. And it's not just about the live video recordings that every self-respecting artist produces. Elton is actively filmed in various TV shows and television series. His hand-drawn image can be found in "The Simpsons", "South Park". In total, in the film career of the famous Englishman, there are more than 100 TV shows, where he played himself. What to do - Elton's love for television series is limitless.

In addition to concert DVDs, Elton John is dedicated to documentary films. In 2002, the “The Elton John Story” was broadcast on one music channel. The film tells about the artist's creative path from the first concert to the onset of the new millennium. Connoisseurs of piano music will like the film "Million Dollar Piano" dedicated to the concert activities of the artist and the main instrument of his life.

Among the paintings in which the composer tried himself as an actor, can be called:

• "Tommy" (1975), where Elton appeared as a wizard blessing Tommy's boy on the road to becoming a rock star;
• "Village Bears" (2002). Here the composer played a cameo role dedicated to himself.

Elton John's music in films

The film industry could not do without the musical abilities of this composer. The most famous soundtrack of his is "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", written specifically for the animated film "The Lion King" (1994). By the way, the cartoon is also the most commercially successful in its genre.

As for the other soundtracks, their number has long exceeded 400. This includes not only full-length films, but also TV shows and TV shows. Here is our modest selection of films, the creation of which was used by the musician.

"Benny Hil's Show", "Top Gear", "First Aid", "Clinic", "How I Met Your Mother" ... - the list of talk shows and TV shows where you can hear the voice of a talented Englishman is endless.

Features creativity Elton John

The creative heritage of this Englishman is truly wide. Over 50 years of work in the music field, he has released more than 30 studio albums, more than 10 compilations, and the number of songs written by him is enough for continuous listening for a month and even more. But his career is not over yet!

The tenor is the original voice of the singer. But after the operation in 1987, which passed on his throat, his range changed. Since then, Elton has sang baritone. If we talk about the musical style, then his work is difficult to attribute to any particular genre. In his songs there are fatal rhythms, academic motifs, soul, reggae. Lyric ballads brought him great popularity, which still make the heart shrink.

Sir Elton John ... It is enough to pronounce this name so that the image of a man with glasses and a shiny jacket appears in front of his eyes. He is sitting at the piano, masterfully turning over the keys and giving others the pleasure of listening to great music. There were ups and downs in his life. And despite the various criticisms and social debates, the name of this artist will always be accompanied by the word "very."