Bernie Taupin Is A Godawful Lyricist Whose Lyrics Sound Amazing Coming Out Of Elton John's Mouth — ILM ARTIST POLL #41: ELTON JOHN

Shhh you're spoiling JF's big reveal!

02. "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" (1994) [81 points]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1hcc1QvM2Q

TOO LOW

^^

Also, I had never heard "Wrap Her Up" or "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" until just now, but together they handily summarize what is so objectionable about Elton during both the 80s and the 90s.

This "Taupin" Best Show call-in is amazing. Thanks, schwantz!

It just gets more and more ridic.

01. "Candle In The Wind '97 (Goodbye England's Rose)" (1997) [87 points]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8gO0Z818j4

Also, I had never heard "Wrap Her Up" or "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" until just now

really? SATWYLT was inescapable for five years.

reign of terror

the #1! looooooooooool!!! (and OTM).

Never in doubt.

I assumed its success was based solely on sharing the disc with CITW '97, but somehow I escaped this one.

Sacrifice didn't make the top 5. I am disappoint :(

oh there's still time

wow, citw97 only just scraped home

I was expecting a points tally to rival its total sales

John publicly performed "Candle in the Wind 1997" only once, at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997.[12] He continues to sing the original version of the song at his concerts, but has repeatedly turned down requests to perform the revised version,[12] even for the memorial Concert for Diana in July 2007, having vowed never to perform it again unless asked by Diana's sons.[13]

He's not completely out of touch with good sense, at least.

Re: the Taupin radio skit linked above...the Mick Mars/Nick Rhodes/Pick Withers/Mick Box/Nick Lachey made me LOL so hard I woke my bf up.

*supergroup

Croc Rock rocks!

Favorite albums!

10. Elton John (1970) [21 points]

http://www.vinylsurrender.com/Graphics/AlbumCovers2/Elton%20John%20-%20Elton%20John.jpg

Oh, btw, the scoring on the side polls went like this: 1:16, 2:13, 3:10, 4:7, 5:4 for albums and 1:16, 2:13, 3:10 for most hated tracks.

Nick Hogan used to be in the band, but that was stupid.

I really like that first album. A lot.

Live in Australia, I learned, has a lot of songs from the first album.

Um, hello, Empty Sky ?!?! Jeez, if it didn't happen in America...

09. Too Low For Zero (1983) [27 points]

http://www.vinylsurrender.com/Graphics/AlbumCovers2/Elton%20John%20-%20Too%20Low%20For%20Zero.jpg

TOO LOW

:D

Empty Sky has been around in the US for as long as I can remember, but I don't know when it was originally issued here (probably not until he was already famous). It's a nice curio.

Empty Sky is the debut album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released on 3 June 1969. It was finally released in the US in January 1975, with a different cover photograph, well after John's fame had been established internationally.

Presumably the US release was a stopgap measure, as it had been several hours since he'd put out a record.

WAU @ Too Low for Zero showing

08. 17-11-70 (1971) [30 points]

http://www.herbmusic.net/album/cover/2012/07/7326_elton_john_17_11_70.jpg

^My #1. I'm very happy that at least two other ppl voted for it. I really love how there's polite applause when EJ is first announced and by the end of the first number the audience is going apeshit. Dee and Nigel are also really prominent on the recording, too, which is great.

I'm just now listening to it for the first time. Very into it so far.

07. Rock Of The Westies (1975) [36 points]

http://www.soundstagedirect.com/media/elton_john_rock_of_the_westies.jpg

This album is just a hanger-on to his imperial phase, imo. Not much to like about it.

Except "I Feel Like a Bullet" I guess. That's nice.

i'm sure the covers of ..Westies and Caribou are what puts people off them. you can see why like.

This was one of the records I picked up in my weekend splurge - heard it in full for the first time last night. I do like how after something as ambitious (and in retrospect a bit too self-important) like Captain Fantastic, EJ assembles a new band and knocks out this much more laid back and funky album. One of Gus Dudgeon's best production jobs too.

The lyrics and vocals to "Island Girl" and "Grow Some Funk..." still irritate though.

on the other hand "Hard Luck Story and "Street Kids" sport good lyrics.

This album has goofy nothings like "Dan Dare" but I love how hard it rocks.

RotW is one I kinda struggle with. I find "Island Girl" to be such an irresistible cheeseball that I'm already regretting not finding room for it on my ballot, and "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" is fun. The rest of the album feels, to me, like variations, pulled off with varying degrees of success, on that latter track, ambitious enough that it definitely belongs to the cycle of "classic" era Elton records, but occasionally a bit too IDGAF in its approach. But Elton definitely hadn't yet stopped caring at this point.

Also, it and Honky Chateau are the only Elton records that Christgau gave an A- rating to. Somehow, that makes sense.

06. Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player (1973) [67 points]

http://www.vinylrecordsuk.co.uk/images/Wimg/art_112/w11208_Full.jpg

My fave Elton record!

RotW, iirc, is the first one where Elton didn't compose the material completely sober. I think it shows.

dislike "Daniel," almost voted for "Elderberry Wine" and "Have Mercy on the Criminal."

for those of you who worry about Bernie Taupin, "Elderberry Wine" sports the following couplet:

"You aimed to please me/Cooked black-eyed peas me."

05. Tumbleweed Connection (1970) [105 points]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51I1QW1hHWL._SY300_.jpg

Too low!

This album largely goes in one ear and out the other for me.

i wish there was an audio version of this interview in which scarface recites some classic bernie taupin lyrics.

Oh, and Speedy Gonzales to Bruce Springsteen, also.

Finally digging into Blue Moves after ages of dismissing it based on the cover art and not knowing any of the songs, figured it would just be a wash of faceless dreary ballads. But actually there's some rockin' here, and some really cool arrangements and musical surprises. It's very very well-recorded, for sure. Still getting to know it so I can't call out any specific moments, but I kinda think it's at least better than Caribou as a listening experience, even though it's nearly twice as long, largely underwritten (so many instrumentals!) and lacks that album's two big hits (both true grab-you-by-the-ears standouts). I dunno, it just seems less stupid.

If the same material had just been worked on longer, filling out the instrumentals as memorable songs in themselves, who knows what might have been? It came out one year after Rock of the Westies, also an album with some problems; if he'd been on a 1990s release schedule, the best material from those two together could have yielded a platter at least as good as Honky Chateau or Don't Shoot Me.... Just need to do something about the sleeves...

I never enjoyed recording studios! I loved the process of writing, but I never enjoyed the process of being in the studio. I always felt like a caged lion

--bernie taupin

RFI: With search engine disabled, can't seem to find the thread the title quote is from

it was the elton john voting thread and it was my quote and i can't seem to find it either. but if i had a copy editor, it would've been shortened to "bernie taupin writes godawful lyrics that sound amazing coming out of elton john's mouth."

It might be on the voting thread, but he first time you said it was about a decade ago.

Found it: Elton John

Elton has many great, weird songs.

Hang the fuck on, did 'Song for Guy' not place!?

The worst Elton John mega single.

No room for Captain Fantastic.

^^^ baffling!

(i'd put it #1, is all)

I really like Crocodile Rock :(

My dad is a big Elton John fan and I loved that song when I was like 6. Ditto for the Lion King soundtrack songs, I grew up listening to those. I just can’t actively hate them. I don’t really listen to them anymore but I don’t think they are his worst. Candle in the Wind is really bad though, kudos on that one.

Boy, he sure had a lot of top forty singles, eh?

OTM about 'Your Song', I'm seriously fucking sick of hearing it at this stage.

elton on bernie:

He comes from the wilds of Lincolnshire, I come from the suburbs of London. He lives in Santa Barbara and he’s literally won competitions for roping cattle. I collect antique porcelain and the only way you’d get me on the back of a horse is at gunpoint. Neither of us can write if the other is in the room. But there’s a weird bond between us that I felt the minute I opened the envelope – I could just write music to his words straight away, without even thinking about it – and it’s lasted over 50 years.

("the envelope" referring to a guy at liberty records in london randomly handing elton an envelope full of bernie lyrics in 1967.)

what a great piece

had no interest in seeing this but if herself is on board then I’ll give it a gander

Taron Egerton and Alden Ehrenreich are the same guy, right?

i think so yes

r.i.p. Caribou, you deserved better

feeling this post today. not mentioned anywhere in this thread: the gorgeous "pinky." such a perfectly arranged/played/recorded chorus. i want to take a bubble bath in it. the lyrics are classic bernie, the chorus consisting of four lines that defy you to guess what they have to do with each other. but the last bit of the last verse is killing me right now: "oh it's ten below zero / and we're about / to abandon / our plans for the day." i wish i voted for it.

I thought I did mention it?!

hmm, maybe on the voting thread?

I thought of the Elton poll crew watching his highness shuffle around the stage tonight for the farewell

did anyone else tune in? his band is so good