“A Candle in the Wind” by Elton John
and Bernie Taupin
A presentation by Mike Cline
“A Candle in the Wind” by Elton John
pt. 1
 Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
“A Candle in the Wind” by Elton John
pt. 2
 Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
Goodbye Norma Jean
From the young man in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something as more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe
 Literary Significance
 The entire song is an extended metaphor referring to the life of Marilyn
Monroe and the events that happened before and after it.
 Historical Significance
 The song was released in 1974 as a British Single, and was number 11 in
the charts. Typically, it was used as a farewell encore for concerts.
Originally the song was written as a farewell tribute to Marilyn Monroe,
but at the death of his friend Princess Diane he changed the lyrics and
dedicated it to her.
 back
Elton John
 Elton John is the singer of the song, he originally wrote it for
Marilyn Monroe. Elton John was born on March 25, 1947 in
Pinner, Middlesex, England. He has written and performed
many infamous songs and albums, originally he wrote this
song for Norma Jeane but after the death of Princess Dianne
he changed the lyrics and dedicated it to her.
 back
Norma Jean
 Norma Jean is the real name of Marilyn Monroe; she was born on
June 1 1926 in Los Angeles, California. Her mother had
psychological issues and her father was not around and has yet to
be identified. She spent most of her childhood as an orphan until
she lived with a family friend Grace McKee Goddard. When she
was 16 she married her next door neighbor 21-year old Jimmy
Dougherty. In 1946 Norma Jeane began modeling for different
magazines and started to become popular. She then started taking
drama classes and signed her first studio contract with Twentieth
Century Fox on August 26, 1946 right after divorcing her husband
Jimmy. Marilyn Monroe stared in many infamous movies and on
August 5, 1962 at 36 years old she was found dead in her sleep.
 back
 This is referring to when she signed a contract with
Twentieth Century Fox on August 26, 1946. Its talking about
how she started her career as an actress which lead to the
dying of her hair blonde.
 back
 This is a metaphor which is comparing her life like a candle
in the wind. He’s saying that her life was eventful but like a
candle in the wind it ended suddenly and spontaneously.
 back
 This is a metaphor saying that Marilyn Monroe died but her
accomplishments and famous roles she played were still
popular and well known.
 back
 This is a metaphor talking about how Marilyn Monroe wasn’t
really seen for her acting or personality she was seen more as
a sex figure of the 1950’s.
 back
Hollywood
 Hollywood is a city that was and still is considered the center
of American Cinema. Many aspiring actors such as Marilyn
Monroe and anyone who wished to participate in the field of
cinema production would generally move to Hollywood to
seek fame and fortune.
 back
This is a metaphor saying that even though she died she was
stilled hounded by the paparazzi and they were still trying to
make her look bad, he’s saying that that’s the price for
becoming a celebrity.
back
Citations
 Elton John c/o. "Elton John - A biography." EltonJohn.com. elton
john c/o, 2010.
Web. 17 May 2010.
<http://www.eltonjohn.com/about/bio.jsp>.
 Howard, Patrick, dir. "Biography." MarilynMonroe.com. Ed.
Barbara Haberman. CMG
Worldwide, 1 June 2004. Web. 17 May 2010.
<http://www.marilynmonroe.com/
about/bio.html>.