We only have today to cover Elton John's career from
1976 till now, so we'll speed through it and probably miss a few songs. In that
case, you can complete the list in the comments.
In an interview in "Rolling Stone" in 1976,
Elton came out as bisexual. Now he felt free to express himself as he chose.
Elton's Song was written in the period when he worked
without Taupin. The lyrics were by fellow out English musician Tom Robinson.
(They had also written Sartorial Eloquence together). It's a beautiful ballad,
dealing with the love of a gay schoolboy for another boy. "But I would give
my life for a single night beside you" is the closing line, so typical of
the intensity, to the point of hyperbole, of young love.
The video made for the song, a gay-themed short film
directed by Russell Mulcahy (Queer as Folk, Teen Wolf), caused a big controversy,
inspiring such tabloid headlines as "Elton's gay video shocker". It
was never shown on television. The song itself was banned in several countries,
for promoting homosexual values. Ha!
Here is the video in question:
His best album in the 80s was "Too Low For
Zero" (1983) and my favorite song from this album is a beautiful romantic
ballad, called One More Arrow, about a young man gone too soon. Allow me to
give you the complete lyrics, for they are lovely:
He said: I want to grow up
And look like Robert Mitchum
And I hope that when I'm gone
There'll be some say that I miss him.
He must have been romantic
He must have sensed adventure
And I feel the steel of his strong will
In the frame around his picture
And he's one more arrow flying through the air
One more arrow landing in a shady spot somewhere
Where the days and nights blend into one
And he can always feel the sun
Through the soft brown earth that holds him
Forever always young
He could have been a boxer
But the fight game seemed so dirty
We argued once he knocked me down
And he cried when he thought he'd hurt me
Strictly from the old school
He was quiet about his pain
And if one in ten could be that brave
I would never hate again
Nikita (1985), is about the singer's infatuation with a
border guard "with eyes that looked like ice on fire" in an Iron
Curtain country, most probably Russia. Everybody and Khrushchev knows that Nikita is a male name, mostly found in Russia and
in Greece. But Ken Russell, the Oscar-nominated director who was directing the
video, wanted to make it about a male/female relationship, so the soldier
became a blond woman. Elton, not wanting to have the Elton's Song video
problems once again, acquiesced to the decision, et voila, the song was a big
hit all over the world. Luc Besson was inspired from the video to name his
female assassin Nikita in the film of the same name, which had a US remake and
a TV series and soon everybody were naming their daughters Nikita. Sometime in
the future we need to talk about cultural appropriation, otherwise known as
straightwashing. Throughout my research, I came across it quite frequently.
Last, but certainly not least, is The Last Song (1992),
a very touching song, about an estranged father coming to terms with the
sexuality of his gay son, who is dying of an AIDS-related illness. The money
generated from the single went to Elton's AIDS foundation. The vdeo was
directed by Gus Van Sant.
The lyrics by Bernie Taupin are beautiful:
Yesterday you came to lift me up
As light as straw and brittle as a bird
Today I weigh less than a shadow on the wall
Just one more whisper of a voice unheard
Tomorrow leave the windows open
As fear grows please hold me in your arms
Won't you help me if you can to shake this anger
I need your gentle hands to keep me calm
`Cause I never thought I'd lose
I only thought I'd win
I never dreamed I'd feel
This fire beneath my skin
I can't believe you love me
I never thought you'd come
I guess I misjudged love
Between a father and his son
Things we never said come together
The hidden truth no longer haunting me
Tonight we touched on the things that were never spoken
That kind of understanding sets me free
The 80s Elton is more of a mixed bag for me. While he resurfaced in the new decade and had many hits into the 90s, the highs were just a little less high and mediocrity reared it's head one two many times. Elton's Song is indeed one of those highs and funnily enough was on the last Elton album I bought for a good chunk of the 80s - The Fox which I bought for Nobody Wins, a frantic single I liked. I never saw that video and it is an effective portrayal of a universal truth every young gay boy goes through. Sigh. I enjoyed many of his singles here and there during the decade but the song that made me interested again was Sacrifice, his first single of the 90s. It's a rather simple ballad that really doesn't go anywhere but it's melody and Elton's lovely vocal give the song it's beauty. His next album The One was probably his best in years and I'm particularly fond of Simple Life with it's great harmonica riff and of course, the devastating The Last Song. Featuring his most emotional, gut-wrenching vocal, this is a difficult song to listen to on a regular basis. I revisit many of his songs on a regular basis but I save this one for special occasions when I feel like a good cry. Same goes for the video which had me bawling the first time I saw it and still elicits the same reaction today.
ReplyDeleteYes, Reginald Dwight will go down in musical history as one of it's singular talents among the likes of the Beatles, Elvis, Dylan, Sinatra and a handful of other stars who affected modern culture.
Thanks for that, RM! I kept buying his records - still do - and although the creative heights of the 70s were never reached again, he had a couple of good Pop albums in the 80s, Too Low For Zero in particular stands out. The next one to definitely stand out was, indeed, The One. Even his mediocre albums, though, always had a couple of very good moments to focus on. Same with Paul McCartney - he never managed to top Band On The Run, but he never made an indifferent album. Fully agree with your last paragraph, this handful of stars affected more than the musical landscape of their times, they affected the history of music culture. Once again, thanks for your contribution!
DeleteErratum: replace "music culture" with "modern culture"
DeleteI'm a little bit late but wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed your focus on Elton John. I am not as big a fan of him as you and Recordman, but I definitely love your passion and enthusiasm for him.
ReplyDeleteI have grown to appreciate Elton over the years and your series of articles has aided this appreciation. I remember Daniel so clearly as a sad song but one that, in my mind, involved 2 guys in love. It has withstood the test of time. My other favorites included Song For Guy and Philadelphia Freedom. As a tennis enthusiast, I love that it's a tribute/dedication to Billie Jean King.
A further part to my awakening to Elton was very recent just before your focus on him. I want to relate the story as it's very relevant to your blog. I will tease that it involves a music triangle of Dusty Springfield, Pet Shop Boys and, of course, Elton John -- all gay music icons!!
As I'm sure you know LK, PSB wrote and produced a CD for DS in 1990 called Reputation -- underrated but great CD! One hit (lost hit ?!) from it was called In Private. It was about a secret love affair which I always interpreted in my mind, being that it was Dusty, as a gay affair even though the word 'wife' is mentioned halfway through the song. Consider these lyrics:
Take your time and tell me did you lie?
I realize that we've been found out
...
What you're gonna say in private ...
And what you're gonna do in private
Say you were never in love that you can remember
These are interesting but not earth shattering but they always resonated with me as a gay man. Fast forward to now. I recently uploaded PSB CD Fundamental and bonus CD Fundamentalism to my iTunes library and rediscovered PSB own updated version of In Private. I immediately noticed a second vocalist that sounded so familiar. I checked the liner notes and lo and behold it was indeed Elton John as I had suspected. I had never enjoyed Elton's vocals as much as I did on this song as they played so well with Neil Tennant's.
Now with PSB and EJ singing In Private, it took on another very gay meaning. Originally Dusty sang:
What you gonna say when you run back to your wife?
I guess it's just the story of your life.
Now it was sung like this:
NT: What you gonna say when you run back to your wife?
EJ: I guess it's just the story of MY life
They were singing the roles of the couple having the affair! A great original song with gay subtext to a fantastic remake with overt gay text. Just brilliant!!
Lyrics should be And what you gonna do in PUBLIC - sorry!
DeleteMartini421, thanks for your very interesting comment. In Private is one of my favorite songs too, (the Dusty version), but I don't think that I ever heard the PSB/EJ version. I will certainly look out for it. I will have a day for the Pet Shop Boys when I deal with the 80s and Dusty S will certainly be included when I do lesbian singers. There's so much good stuff out there, that this list can go on for a while, especially with people like RM and you adding to the experience with your comments.
DeleteAs you're a big EJ fan and I'm assuming a PSB fan, I think you will love their version. Not to take anything away from Dusty Springfield version (which I also love), it's just another take.
DeleteI'm so happy I introduced you to something new about one of your favorite artists. And onwards to more great insights and surprises!
With you all the way, M421!
Delete