Sir Elton Hercules John
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Elton John was originally born with the name
Reginald Kenneth Dwight.
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His name change derived from his first band
members’ names: Elton Dean and Long John
Baldry. The “Hercules” was taken from a
character in a British TV show.
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The “Sir” was included
in his title after he was
knighted by Queen
Elizabeth.
Early Years
- Elton John began playing the piano at the age of
four. He had a talent for playing any melody he
heard by ear.
- Affects of drug use caused his voice to become
deeper than it used to be.
- He was married to a woman
for four years before realizing
he was homosexual.
Musical Career
‐
Elton John owes a lot of his success to his
musical partner, Bernie Taupin, whom he met at
an audition at Liberty Records.
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Taupin would write the lyrics, and Elton John
would compose the music. They have worked
together on more than 30 albums.
‐
Elton John didn’t become
popular until his single,
Your Song, made the top
ten in the U.S. in 1970.
Accomplishments
- Elton John was able to collaborate with famous
artists John Lennon and Cher.
- He composed award winning music for the
popular Disney film, The Lion King.
- He also created one of the world’s largest
nonprofit AIDS research foundations, referred to
as the EJAF.
- Elton John is a legendary figure in the Rock n’
Roll Hall of Fame and is in the 2007 Guinness
Book of World Records.
Candle in the Wind
- The original version of this song was about Marilyn
Monroe; he never knew her personally. However, he
was good friends with Princess Diana.
- This song is the best selling in Billboard history and
has sold over 33 million copies worldwide.
Performing at Princess Diana’s funeral
Candle in the Wind (Princess Diana Version)
0:00 Introduction –
The intro consists four measures of a piano playing in a major key. The timing is
in duple meter and at a moderate tempo.
0:08 Verse 1 –
Elton John begins singing in a bass tone. He changes the lyrics in this version to
“Goodbye England’s rose,” from the original as a tribute to Princess Diana. This
version is more touching and emotional by the inflection in his voice and the
way the piano is used as a solo instrument, as opposed to the rock version. The
candles in the wind are symbolic of her short but well-lived life. The verse has a
rough rhyme scheme.
0:39 Chorus –
The verse eases smoothly into the chorus. At 0:54, Elton John overlays his own
voice and harmony as a background vocal in the phrase, “And your footsteps will
always fall here along England’s greenest hills.” There is a half rest for both
vocals and instruments after “hills.” Once the chorus is complete, the piano
improvises using trills and conjunct between notes before beginning the next
verse.
1:23 Verse 2 –
A cello and flute play an accompaniment with the piano throughout. The
melody is consistent with the previous verse.
1:54 Chorus –
The lyrics do not vary from previous chorus, nor does the music or way it is
sung. Strings and a flute accompany the chorus. The improvisation is the same
as previously noted, but with additional accompaniment.
2:37 Verse 3 –
The beginning of this verse is a repetition of the beginning of verse 1. The full
string quartet accompanies this verse.
3:08 Chorus –
The lyrics do not vary. All instruments become present as the chorus progresses.
There is a small improvisation, then Elton John repeats at “Your footsteps…will”
for added emphasis and emotion, but doesn’t complete the entire chorus. The
string quartet and piano come to a ritardando, playing the lasting chords as the
song fades to a close.
Your Song
0:00 Introduction –
The song begins with a piano introduction played in a major key. The song has a
simple, duple meter, as do most pop songs. These four measures state the
melody in which the piano will play throughout the song.
0:08 Verse 1 –
An acoustic guitar enters and plays an accompaniment with the piano, playing
the same time and similar melody. Elton John starts singing in a tenor voice,
being his range before his health circumstances made it lower. His rhyme
scheme is AABB, ending the first few sentences with “inside” and “hide,” as well
as “did” and “live.” The bass guitar enters in this first verse. This pattern
continues until the chorus. At 0:40, strings enter.
1:12 Chorus –
The rhyme scheme used in the verse changes to that of no particular rhyme.
Elton John uses repetition with the phrase “I hope you don’t mind” as a creative
emphasis. At 1:35 a flute enters.
At 1:45, once the chorus is complete, the instruments improvise before the second
verse enters. At 1:51, drums enter and continue throughout the rest of the song.
1:54 Verse 2 –
The AABB rhyme scheme is used again. A harp enters at 2:26 and plays a
repetitive series of plucking patterns.
2:57 Chorus –
The lyrics to the chorus are the same as the previous. The full medley of
orchestral and band instruments play together.
3:30 Chorus with adjustment –
This time, he starts with the repetition, “I hope you don’t mind” rather than the
beginning of the previous choruses which started with “And you can tell
everybody.” He varies the way this part is sung.
3:46- Outro
The bass, drums, and harp end after four and half measures, leaving the violins
to hold and fade out a note until the song ends in silence.
Rocket Man
0:00 Verse 1 –
This song doesn’t begin with a musical introduction as do most other songs.
Elton John begins singing in tenor after one chord is played on the piano in a
jazzy beat. The song is in a slow 2/2 time (duple meter.) There is no rhyme
scheme to this verse. The drums enter in 0:42.
0:56 Chorus –
The music picks up into an easily countable, steady beat. Background vocals
sing “Oooh” and “aaah,” as well as an emphasis on Elton John’s phrase “rocket
man.” An acoustic guitar also begins playing a harmony with the other
instruments. At 0:56, 1:10, and 1:24 an electric guitar slides a note in order to
create the sound as if a rocket ship were traveling through space. The chorus
then repeats.
1:52 Verse 2 –
The second verse continues without a rhyme scheme. The drum stops and the
melody is back to just the piano and vocals until 2:15 where a synthesizer enters
and the drums build back up to a varied verse or a type of bridge (2:20) The
instruments then build up once more to the chorus.
2:49 Chorus –
There are no variations to the lyrics of the chorus this time around. It is sung twice
like previously. Elton John repeatedly sings, “And I think it’s going to be a long,
long time,” varying the tone in 4:01, until the song fades out.