Elton John part 1

My serious interest for Pop began at about the same time that Elton John broke out, so I more or less followed his career in real time. (I had his first albums as cassettes, then as vinyl LPs, then as CDs and finally on mp3. It's evolution baby!)

Somehow, I knew that Elton was gay almost from the start. It was the kind of thing than an older school-friend would "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" tell you to impress. So I would "read" his songs through the gay filter from the start. Funny thing is, his lyricist, Bernie Taupin, is straight. So are most of their songs. But there are a few that mirror Elton's pov, even though he didn't write the lyrics himself. There is often a kind of osmosis that happens between well-paired creative partners, where one can authentically express the other's feelings and vice versa.

Elton (born Reginald Dwight, 1947) was no overnight sensation. He was a child prodigy who won a scholarship to the Royal Academy Of Music at 11 and at 15 he became a weekend pub pianist. At that time he and his friends formed Bluesology, who would soon be backing visiting R&B stars such as the Isley Brothers, Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells and Major Lance. In 1966 they became Long John Baldry's backing band (we'll speak of him on a later date).

In 1967 he met Taupin and in a few months he changed his name to Elton John, to honor Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. He and Bernie worked as staff songwriters for the next couple of years. Elton also worked as a session man, as well as providing sound-alike covers to hits of the era for budget-priced collections such as the "Top of the Pops" series. (This was long before the "Now! That's what I call Music" series).

In 1969 he released his first album, "Empty Sky", but it was his 2nd album, titled simply "Elton John", which made him Top 10 material. It was excellent, as were the next two studio albums, "Tumbleweed Connection" and "Madman Across the Water". It was in the later that the song All The Nasties" appears. The song is about all the people who would say nasty things about him. His mind process to prepare himself to come out is evident, especially in the lyrics below:

"If it came to pass that they should ask, what could I tell them?

Would they criticize behind my back? Maybe I should let them."

Here is the song, in a medley with the exquisite Tiny Dancer:

His next album, "Honky Chateau", was his first US #1, while the next one, "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player" was #1 all over (including the US & the UK). In it was Daniel, one of Elton's biggest and most enduring hits. In an interview at the time, in answer to a question whether the song had a gay meaning, Taupin said that the story was about two Spanish Civil War veterans. In another interview, much later, he said that the song was inspired by returning soldiers from Vietnam. In any case, gay people weren't ready to hand the song away to straight culture, especially with lines such as "Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye. God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes." Or "Lord I miss Daniel, oh I miss him so much". Or "Daniel you're a star in the face of the sky". I find it hard to picture straight bros using these expressions to each other. But then again...

Still, here's the video of a great song, that for many of us is a song about gay feelings: