On Elton John

I saw John Nash write about Sir Elton John today.

And I had no intention of going down this road today until I saw his post.

Elton is (mostly) sacred to me.

For instance, I watched Rocketman and know enough about his life to know that so much of it was inaccurate, but just like Bohemian Rhapsody, I was willing to forgive that.

Sir Elton Hercules John has been a consistent part of my life since roughly 1970, when "Your Song" first hit the airwaves. Working with right-hand man Bernie Taupin, the former Reginald Kenneth Dwight created the music to go along with Taupin's words.

For a span of roughly 15 years, their combined work was nothing short of complete magic. Sure you could say the magic ran out in the mid-70s, but there were gems like "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" and "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" that kept him a consistent hitmaker into the early 80s.

He has made a collection of hits ever since, but admittedly, Disney has a tendency to change the way that certain stars are viewed (See: Collins, Phil). Sir Elton's Lion King work didn't quite cut it for me.

But that doesn't change how brilliant things were in the 70s. Nor does it take away my admiration for him.

You can simply start with the aforementioned "Your Song" from his self-titled 1970 album, which also includes "Take Me to the Pilot," "Sixty Years On," and "Border Song." That, obviously, is a pretty solid collection of tunes coming from his second album, before Tumbleweed Connection, which went on a country slant and is quite fantastic, especially with "Country Comfort" and "Burn Down the Mission."

Sir Elton and Bernie went to a different place with Madman Across the Water in 1971. The title track is darker than "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon," which have both hit their own iconic status.

Honky Chateau followed in 1972 with "Honky Cat," "Rocket Man," and the stunningly gorgeous "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters." Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player was next in 1973 before he ended that year with his masterpiece: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Honestly, any artist could have quit right there, but Elton John, despite the battles with substances and other demons, continued to crank out music for the next 40+ years.

While I might not love it, it's still easy to marvel at how amazing Elton John is, especially working with such a wordsmith in Taupin.

There's absolute brilliance in that stretch from 1970-1976 (ish). Not that there weren't other great moments, but for my taste, I love those early years.

"Honky Cat" reminds me of many Saturday nights in the Crompond Diner, playing the song on the jukebox at the booth.

Thanks to John for the inspiration. It's a perfect way to end day in which I had a good chat about the Rolling Stones (and, coincidentally, Sir Elton).

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...