Elton John, The #3 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Ten

 

(Continued from Part Nine)

 

In 1996, John released the album Love Songs.  The lead single, the nostalgic "You Can Make History (Young Again") hit #4 on the Adult chart.

 

Elton recorded "Live Like Horses" with Luciano Pavarotti in 1996, a #9 U.K. hit.  

After Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash, Elton asked Taupin to rework the lyrics of "Candle In The Wind" to honor Diana.  On September 6, 1997, Elton performed "Candle In The Wind 1997" at Diana's funeral.

 

A single of the recording was released and it quickly became the #1-seller of all-time, topping 11 million copies in the United States and 33 million copies worldwide.  Proceeds were donated to Diana's charities through the work of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.

"Candle In The Wind 1997" captured the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Elton won an American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.  The flip side of this historic single achieved considerable airplay in its own right--"Something About The Way You Look Tonight".  

Elton joined other artists for "Perfect Day", a #1 U.K. song that benefitted Children in Need.  EJ appeared in the movie Spice World in 1997 and released the album The Big Picture that same year. 

John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on February 24, 1998.  Later that year, Elton's music for "The Lion King" received further recognition when it was nominated for Best Original Score at the Tony Awards, as the Broadway play became one of the most successful in history. 

"Wake Up Wendy" is from Chef Aid: The South Park Album.

 

Sir Elton and Rice collaborated again for the Disney production of Aida in 1999, a partnership that won them the Grammy for Best Musical Show Album and the Tony Award for Best Original Score.

Elton released the live compilation album Elton John One Night Only - The Greatest Hits, including songs recorded at a concert in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

Sir Elton received the Legend Award at the Grammys and released the album of songs from the musical called Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, which included EJ's duet with LeAnn Rimes, "Written In The Stars", a #1 smash on the Adult Contemporary chart that also found its way to #10 in the U.K.

 

EJ picked up the award for Best Musical Show Album for Aida at the Grammys and won a Tony for Best Musical Score.  In 2000, John was named the MusiCares Person of the Year "for his artistic achievement in the music industry and dedication to philanthropy."  He recorded "Someday Out Of The Blue" for "The Road to El Dorado" Soundtrack, a #5 Adult hit.  

"16th Century Man" is another standout song from the film.

 

EJ released one of his best albums in years, Songs from the West Coast in 2001, which featured the great song "I Want Love", #6 AC in the United States, #7 in Canada and #9 in the U.K.

 

The follow-up is one of Sir Elton's career best, but with a #10 AC peak and virtually no airplay on Top 40 stations, is another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*--"This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore". Elton brought in an old friend, Paul Buckmaster, to arrange the gorgeous strings, and EJ received a nomination for Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Songs from the West Coast was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys.  Bernie used the title from the popular Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen as the inspiration for this song--"The Emperor's New Clothes".

 

Elton achieved the improbable feat of recapturing the early magic--he and Bernie were together writing songs again, and the result was some of Elton's best music in decades. "Look Ma, No Hands" is another solid song on the album.

 

Elton picked up two more Grammy nominations for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in the same year for "I Want Love" and this song, "Original Sin".

Music for the ages, and we have one more segment for you to enjoy!

Elton John, The #3 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Nine

 

(Continued from Part Eight)

 

Elton also released the four-CD box set To Be Continued... which featured music from his Bluesology days to 1990 and included the new song "I Swear I Heard The Night Talking".

 

Sir Elton and George Michael's collaboration "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" was featured on the album Duets and rose to #1 in nearly every country in the world.

After the death of friends Ryan White in 1990 and Freddie Mercury of Queen in 1991, and considering he himself had been lucky having unprotected sex in years before, Sir Elton began raising money for AIDS research and using his public position to raise awareness about the disease.

In 1992, EJ founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation to fund prevention and research, to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against those who had HIV or AIDS, and to help people living with or at risk of contracting either.

Sir Elton began hosting an Academy Awards party in 1993 as a further effort to raise money for his Foundation.  It became one of the most popular parties in Hollywood and has now raised over $200 million for this purpose.

 

John released the album The One in 1992.  The title song stormed to #1 in Canada and on the Adult chart in the United States (#9 overall) and earned Elton a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

 

Elton won an ASCAP Pop Award for Songwriter of the Year.  "Runaway Train" (from the movie Lethal Weapon 3) features the guitar work of Eric Clapton.  It was a #10 song among adults.

 

The heart-wrenching "The Last Song" achieved a #2 peak on the AC chart.  Unbelievably, the single peaked at #23 on the Popular chart, which by this time was losing relevance and credibility.  The masterpiece is another of Sir Elton's in The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

John and Taupin were inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1992.  Although Taupin only occasionally wrote lyrics hinting at parts of life for Elton, but this one is specifically written for his songwriting partner.  "Simple Life" is Sir Elton's statement that he was determined to enter a new phase of his life after beating alcoholism, drug use and bulimia.  It gave John four Top 10 Adult hits from one album in this, his 23rd year recording.

When "A Simple Life" reached the Top 40, Sir Elton broke Elvis Presley's Rock Era record by achieving a Top 40 hit in 24 consecutive years. 

The One was recorded at Studio Guillame Tell in Paris and was produced by Chris Thomas.  Elton's biggest album since 1975 was a two-million seller which yielded this great track--"The North".

 

The One topped Album charts in Germany, France and Austria and reached #2 in the U.K., Australia and Norway.  Here is another solid song--"Understanding Women".

Elton and Taupin signed a $39 million, 12-year publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music.  Sir Elton and Tim Rice teamed up to write songs for the Disney classic movie The Lion King in 1994.  Elton had a voice in how the songs were used in the film and The Lion King represented a key moment for him--just a few years out of rehab, the project announced that he was back in a big way and it led to other musicals (Aida and Billy Elliot among them) in the future.  

 

Rice had written the lyrics to Andrew Lloyd Webber's music on shows such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" was a runaway hit, rocketing to #1 in Canada and among adults in the U.S. and selling over two million copies.

 

"The Lion King" Soundtrack dominated the Album chart for nine weeks and has now sold over 15 million copies in the U.S. alone.  "Circle Of Life" hit #2 in Switzerland, #3 in Canada, and #2 on the AC chart.

Three of the five nominees for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards were from the soundtrack album, with Sir Elton winning for "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (John's songs "Circle Of Life" and "Hakuna Matada" also nominated).  EJ also picked up Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop (Rock) Album.

Sir Elton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.  Axl Rose, lead singer of Guns N' Roses, introduced EJ:

      For myself as well as for many others 

      no one has been there more for inspiration

     than Elton John.We talk of great 

     rock duos like Jimmy Page and Robert

     Plant, John Lennon and Paul McCartney,

     Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.  I also

     like to think of Elton John and Bernie

     Taupin.  Also tonight, I think that Elton

     should be honored for his great work

     and contribution in the fight against AIDS.

     And also his bravery in exposing all the

     triumphs and tragedies of his personal

     life.

Elton was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995. 

  

John released the album Made in England in 1995, which contained "Believe", a #1 Adult smash that also reached #1 in Canada.  It was John's 15th career #1 among adults.

 

Elton received yet another Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his work on "Believe" and also received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Male Video.  Bernie was inspired to write this because of his love of children.  "Your eyes open up," he said.  "I love getting up and taking kids to school.  It's a great feeling."  "Blessed" gave EJ another #1 AC smash, his 16th career #1 among adults.

 

John was nominated for Favorite Male Pop (Rock) Artist at the American Music Awards.  "Latitude" is a great travel song, very Beatles-esque from Elton.

Radio has shielded you from many of the great Elton songs of the last 20 years, and we are sorry they have deprived you.  But you can hear them here on Inside The Rock Era!

Elton John, The #3 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Eight

 

(Continued from Part Seven)

John performed at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium in 1985.  Elton brought George Michael on stage to sing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".

 

John released the album Ice On Fire in 1985.  This was a revolutionary song in the time of the Cold War, when the ridiculous Berlin Wall divided East and West Germany.  Most on the Eastern side listened to Free Europe and identified with the sentiments of not being able to see people they cared about because they couldn't cross the wall.  "Nikita" was another of Elton's strongest songs, reaching the Top 5 in every civilized nation in the world except the U.S., where it reached #7.

 

"Cry To Heaven" is another worthy song.

 

Elton joined Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight for the #1 smash "That's What Friends Are For" in 1986, which raised money for HIV and AIDS research.  It won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.  

Sir Elton was granted a coat of arms in 1987.  The shield above includes piano keys and records.  The Spanish motto, el tono es bueno,  includes a pun on his name, translated it means "the tone is good".  The steel helmet faced forward and with its visor open indicates that John is a knight.

 

Sir Elton's live version of "Candle In The Wind" reached #2 on the AC chart and #6 overall in the United States and #5 in the U.K.  He was once again nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammys.

EJ ran his total to 26 sold-out performances at Madison Square Garden in New York City with five more in 1988.  Ever the collector, 2,000 of Sir Elton's memorabilia netted $20 million at a Sotheby's auction in London.

In 1988, John released the album Reg Strikes Back.  "I Don't Wanna' Go On With You Like That' rose to #1 in Canada and #1 on the Adult chart and #2 Popular in the U.S.

"A Word In Spanish" was a strong follow-up, holding down #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart.  It was recorded early in 1988 at producer James Newton-Howard's house in Los Angeles and features the multi-talented Johnstone playing a Spanish-flavored acoustic guitar.  The protagonist is in an imagined movie scene with a would-be lover, but he doesn't know how to tell the woman how he feels.  He is reminded of a movie he once saw and although he doesn't understand the Spanish words, he mimics the actor hoping it will work for him too.

 

The following year, John released the album Sleeping with the Past, which yielded the #1 Adult smash "Healing Hands".

Unbelievably, Sir Elton recorded his first #1 in his native country with "Sacrifice" in 1990.  When it was finished, Elton and Bernie were both confident it would be big, as Bernie revealed to Music Connection before the song was released:

              It's a simple lyric, but it's an intelligent adult

              lyric.  It's basically about the rigors of adult

              love, and it's a million miles away from 

              "Your Song".  Elton came up with a brilliant

              melody, and his performance on it gives it a

              lot of integrity and meaning.  It's not a 

              surface song, and I think you'll probably see

              that one in the coming months becoming a 

              big, big hit.

Although "Sacrifice" achieved a peak of #3 on the Adult chart, it's #13 ranking overall makes it another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  Listeners in Ireland and Norway had much better ears, taking the song to #2, while it reached #3 in the Netherlands.

 

"Club At The End Of The Street" was another solid effort with adults, reaching #2.  Taupin told Music Connection in 1989 how he came up with the song:

               What I would do is I'd take a song like a

               Drifters song and I'd try to write a

               Drifters-type lyric.  There's a song on the

               album called "Club At The End Of The 

               Street", which is probably the straightest

                emulation of one of those songs.  When

                you hear it, it has the feel of a song like

                "Under The Boardwalk".  It's a real

                 Drifters-style song.  So what I would do

                 is I'd make notes for Elton at the bottom

                 of the lyric sheet, like "Think Drifters, 

                 think this or think that."

 

"Blue Avenue" is another of Elton's best on the album and describes his failed marriage to Renate Blauel.

 

Elton teamed with Soul superstar Aretha Franklin for the #3 Adult smash "Through The Storm".

 

Sir Elton released the compilation album The Very Best of Elton John, which included the new song "You Gotta' Love Someone", #1 not only in Canada but a #1 song among Adults for five weeks in the U.S.

Tune in for Part Nine on Inside The Rock Era!