One of music's true global superstars and most admired figures, Elton John has sold over an estimated 200 million albums worldwide to date, but is loved as much for his outrageous personality and witty outspokenness as for his music. Drawing on many first-hand interviews with his associates and musical collaborators, alongside exhaustive secondary research, this page-turning story of high drama and prodigious, enduring talent provides a fascinating and revealing portrait of the Queen Mum of Pop, and offers a new perspective on this extraordinary man.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Elton John, once known for his over-the-top attire and wild glasses, has sold over 250 million records and garnered more than 50 Top 40 Hits. In this comprehensive portrait, music journalist Buckley plumbs the highs, lows and multiple rebounds Elton has weathered during his astounding 40-year career. Buckley (Strange Fascination: David Bowie—The Definitive Story) compiled numerous interviews from friends and business associates, interlacing their comments with extensive research. He utilized books, articles, radio and television broadcasts, the Internet and podcasts to uncover the complex family and professional life of Reginald Dwight aka Elton John. The book's strong point, recounting the smallest details of Elton's life and music, could turn to tedium for the less than avid fan. Buckley admits he once dismissed Elton's music as belonging to the softer side of the music business. So researching the story of the musically precocious six-year-old (born in 1947), who announced he was going to be a concert pianist when he grew up, was a revelation: Elton John has been a blues singer, a singer-songwriter, a glam rock icon, a drug addict, a married man, a moaner and whiner, a tireless fundraiser and humanitarian, a married man (again), a controversialist, and, ultimately, a living legend. With the extensive bibliography, discography and photos, this entertaining biography will definitely appeal to devoted Elton John fans and aficionados of music history and popular culture. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Review
"The pop-music icon revealed as never before." —Kirkus Reviews
"Buckley scores high marks . . . fascinating . . . juicy." —Phoenix New Times
"A well-written look at an international superstar." —Nashville City Paper
"Elton enthusiasts . . . will savor David Buckley's attention to detail and willingness to examine every facet of the entertainer's complex, often contradictory, personality, and the extraordinary life he's led." —Dallas Voice
"A critical retrospective of Elton John's body of work . . . examining cultural development as a whole from the late 1960s onward . . . supremely readable." —Pittsburgh City Paper
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful Portrait of a Pop Icon!,
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This review is from: Elton: The Biography (Paperback)
In his 60-odd years on earth, Elton John has been, first and foremost, a gifted composer, spirited performer and recording star with worldwide sales of 200 million+ albums including 21 platinum albums; a workoholic; a drug addict; an alcoholic; a multi-millionaire whose shopping excesses have become legend; a hetereosexual; a homosexual;, an AIDS crusader and humanitarian of the first rank; a unbelieveably generous, caring friend who can throw hissy fits at the drop of a hat; and, in 1997, a knight of the realm. Author David Buckley details the life of this complicated, conflicted musical superstar in this entertaining, even-handed book from Chicago Review Press.
Pudgy, balding, gap-toothed, four-eyed piano player Reginald Dwight was probably the most unlikely candidate for pop superstardom ever when he began playing piano for the Bluesology group in 1962. Yet, within a few years, the now-rechristened Elton John, having mated his gift for memorable musical melodies with the lyrics of collaborator/ lyricist Bernie Taupin, would became a major force in the music industry, creating such masterpieces as 'Daniel,' 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting,' 'Your Song' and 'Crocodile Rock.' The first third of Buckley's book covers the years 1947 to 1974 and detail the making of "Elton John, Superstar." Seeing Reg Dwight morph into Elton John, create the wonderful songs (and others) mentioned above and develop his larger-than life persona makes for fun reading. Sadly, despite the ever-growing success of Elton the performer, Elton the person remained an unhappy man, hobbled by low self-esteem and uncertainty about his sexuality dating from his childhood. Those inner demons subsequently developed into deep self-loathing. In the early 1970s those demons combined with a cocaine addiction and alcoholism to set Elton on a ten-year downward spiral, as described in the at-times depressing middle third of the book. The man and the music suffered in equal amounts until the death of AIDS victim Ryan White in 1990 showed Elton the insanity of his lifestyle. The years since, which form the final third of the book, have seen him rebound, creating new music, some of it the equal of "golden years" titles and finding a whole new audience via his 'Lion King' score. And it seems he has finally conquered those inner demons and found some peace of mind. Buckley's book is an entertaining, incisive look at Elton's life and career. The author's comments on the music and the man are thoughtful, insightful and entertaining. Buckley has a marvelous way with phrases ("...the audience are clapping like seals at feeding time..."). Likewise he sprinkles the text with a number of quotes or observations from Elton and his contemporaries, business partners and friends that show us the person behind the legend. Elton, in particular, comes across as a witty, drop-dead honest and analytical individual, especially about himself. By book's end, you have learned a great deal about that pudgy, gap-toothed guy and you're happy he's "still standing after all this time." Recommended.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good Elton biography,
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This review is from: Elton: The Biography (Paperback)
David Buckley is the author of the best David Bowie biography ever, "Strange Fascination", so I was ecstatic when I learned he had written a book on Elton John. But there is a difference here. What made the Bowie book so special was the fact that Buckley was a long-time fan, so the knowledge he had accumulated over the years gave him a wide edge over the competition. In the case of this new book, he admits to not following Elton's career since the beginning, so now David Buckley has become a biographer by trade. Furthermore, the definitive Elton John biography has already been written by Philip Norman. So Buckley mentions Norman's book whenever any piece of information is taken from it (it would be foolish not to do it, as Norman uncovered new ground in many aspects), but adds a great deal of information obtained by himself. This book is especially strong on Elton's brief stint with Gary Osborne as his lyricist, which is a period of Elton's career which is generally overlooked by most biographies and documentaries. Gary contributed a foreword, so it's clear that he gave his full cooperation. All in all, this is a pleasant read and a nice complement to Norman's book. Elton John fans will not be disappointed.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no,
By
This review is from: Elton: The Biography (Paperback)
David Buckley's biography of Elton John was well researched and a good overview of Sir Elton's life. David Buckley interviewed tons of people, and covered everything thoroughly. It didn't dwell on the unsavory gossip (as much as I might have wished), but it was extremely candid nevertheless. I would be very surprised to learn that the author wasn't British, but some of the more obscure Britishisms left me scratching my head. Whenever he gave chart positions on the songs, he gave both U.S. and U.K., and surprisingly, Elton John was often more famous in the U.S. than in his own country. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, of all places.
I confess that I read this book out of order, like the way F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby. By that I mean that I began at the height of his fame, then I went back a chapter, then ahead to the next chapter, and so on. I read it in two directions: chronologically and counter-chronologically. I was just kind of impatient to begin with, but once I got into it I found the book to be fascinating and I read right through to the end. ------------------ Don't let the sun go down on me Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free But losing everything is like the sun going down on me ================================== Some of the more memorable moments in the book were Elton's meeting with Elvis not too long before he died; his friendship with Rod Stewart (they called each other Phyllis and Shirley), his meeting with David Bowie (they didn't have much to say to each other), and he once jumped on stage in a gorilla suit and danced with Iggy and the Stooges. ------------- Goodbye Yellowbrick Road Back to the howling old owl in the woods Hunting the horny back toad Oh I've finally decided my future lies Beyond the yellow brick road ==================== Elton has had a troubled relation with the fame. Three people very close to him died very tragically as a result of their fame, either by being hunted by paparazzi until she died in a tragic auto accident, or like the designer Versace and John Lennon, killed by twisted killers obsessed with becoming famous by killing a famous person. Sometimes he has been perhaps too candid about his personal life, and it has cost him some fans. David Buckley's book details all of these events, and also describes a battle Elton had with a British tabloid. The Sun printed some false claims that he attended wild parties and paid for underage rent boys. He filed a law suit for slander and libel against them and won. The source for The Sun story later admitted that he had made the whole thing up just to get money from The Sun, who weren't all that keen on verifying his outrageous claims. He didn't even know Elton John. Elton's trial went much better than Oscar Wilde's, who when asked if he had paid a certain lad testified, "Oh, no. He is much too plain." ---------- Your Song If I was a sculptor, but then again, no ======================= Though Elton is a very talented composer, he hardly ever writes any lyrics. He met his lyricist, Bernie Taupin, when they both answered an advertisement by a music publisher looking for song writers. The publisher put them together, and they worked for a long time in London's Tin Pan Alley. Around this time Elton met a young woman who was a pickled onion heiress and he was engaged to her. Both he and Bernie Taupin lived with the woman. Elton and Bernie shared bunk beds. This woman wanted Elton to give up his musical career and work in a bank. He balked and decided he didn't want to marry the pickled onion heiress after all. Later on, Bernie and Elton wrote Someone Saved My Life Tonight about that episode: --------------------- Someone Saved My Life Tonight And someone saved my life tonight sugar bear You almost had your hooks in me didn't you dear You nearly had me roped and tied Altar-bound, hypnotized Sweet freedom whispered in my ear You're a butterfly And butterflies are free to fly Fly away, high away, bye bye ================================ "Sugar Bear" is actually the singer Long John Baldry, a friend of Dorothy. Long John told Elton that this marriage would be a huge mistake because she was against his musical career, and also not really his cup of tea. Years later, after Elton had been out of the closet for a long time, he actually did fall in love with a woman and got married. She was a recording engineer from Germany, and they had grown very close; but alas, that didn't really work out. ------------ Tiny Dancer Hold me closer tiny dancer Count the headlights on the highway =============== Tiny Dancer is about a woman that Bernie Taupin met in L.A. They were together for a long time. You could also say that it was about coming to the U.S. and making a huge splash at the Troubador on Sunset. Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy is an album that Elton and Bernie wrote that is more personal than what they'd written previously. It is about them, in a way. Elton, the performer, is Captain Fantastic, and Bernie, though he is British, sees himself as a cowboy. Tumbleweed Connection is a concept album that Taupin wrote also exploring the Western theme. Later on they did kind of an update of Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy, and though it didn't sell that well, it was one of their better efforts. It was called The Captain and The Kid, and the orchestration was mostly just piano rather than a band and orchestra. The kid is Bernie, not Tenille, or Kiki Dee, even. What I enjoyed the most about David Buckley's book was the insight into the songwriting process. Bernie would write a stack of songs and just give them to Elton to write music for. Elton would pick certain ones that he liked, and if he liked it he could write the music for it amazingly fast. He might cross out certain lines, leaving the lyrics a bit enigmatic and mysterious, and other lines might be repeated as a chorus or the hook. At the beginning of his career he went to a Château in France, and they recorded an album that came to be known as Honky Château. Bernie would hand Elton a stack of papers, and while the band was having breakfast he would knock out a song or two. Then they would record the songs. They flowed so easily at this point, like he just had to open the faucet. The band members were witnesses, and in the book they describe hit songs that were written before their eyes, in under 15 minutes. For a while Elton stopped writing with Bernie, and during this time he wrote with Gary Osbourne. Gary was more of a lyricist, where Elton would write the music and Gary would write lyrics that fit. Gary did write a stack of lyrics for Elton, but by then he was back writing with Bernie Taupin, and Elton never even looked at them. During their hiatus Bernie had also written with other people, for instance, with Alice Cooper. Elton has also had success writing for Disney with Tim Rice. Elton's music is mostly piano based, and sometimes will have more complicated harmonic structures and key modulations than your average three chord rock song, but a few of his songs really rock, powered by the guitar of Davey Johnstone. Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) is one such example. While recording this, Elton couldn't get it right while playing the piano. He finally did it just standing at the mic, jumping and dancing like a mad man. The rocking piano was added later. ------------------- Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) My old man's drunker than a barrel full of monkeys And my old lady she don't care My sister looks cute in her braces and boots A handful of grease in her hair ============================ Elton John was inspired by Rock 'N' Roll piano players like Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, and in performance he moves quite a bit, but he is kind of anchored to a piano. This led to him wearing outrageous costumes on stage, and the crazy glasses, to make up for the fact that he was mostly seated at a piano and couldn't move as much as a singer or a guitarist. He also felt drab and dumpy so he compensated for that, too. One last tid bit that was gleaned from David Buckley's book on Elton John: as most people know, Elton's real name is Reginald Dwight, but maybe you didn't know that his middle name is Hercules. It wasn't the mythological hero Hercules he was named after, but rather it was the horse from the show "Steptoe and Son" that loyally pulled their cart about town. "Steptoe and Son" is about a cockney junk dealer and his son that served as the model for Redd Foxx's show "Sanford and Son." Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Madman Across the Water Tumbleweed Connection Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy The Captain and the Kid Honky Chateau Caribou OTHER BOOKS BY DAVID BUCKLEY Strange Fascination: David Bowie: The Definitive Story by David Buckley R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography by David Buckley
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Elton John, John Reid, Bernie Taupin, Clive Franks, United States, Dick James, Reg Dwight, Gus Dudgeon, Gary Osborne, Rod Stewart, Charlie Morgan, David Bowie, Caleb Quaye, Steve Brown, Philip Norman, New York, Ray Cooper, Davey Johnstone, Mick Inkpen, Rolling Stone, Single Man, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Melody Maker, Captain Fantastic, Nigel Olsson Browse Sample Pages:
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musical rehab, john album Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Elton John, John Reid, Bernie Taupin, Clive Franks, United States, Dick James, Reg Dwight, Gus Dudgeon, Gary Osborne, Rod Stewart, Charlie Morgan, David Bowie, Caleb Quaye, Steve Brown, Philip Norman, New York, Ray Cooper, Davey Johnstone, Mick Inkpen, Rolling Stone, Single Man, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Melody Maker, Captain Fantastic, Nigel Olsson Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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