European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 13, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Remembering those old songs by Robert Hilburn los Angeles times n the 19 years since Elton John made his . Debut Al the troubadour in los Angeles the English Singer composer and lyricist Bernie Taupin have become one of the most successful songwriting teams in Rock since Lennon Mccartney the pair have written More than three dozen top 40 hits establishing John As the most popular recording artist of the 1970s and one of the 15 most popular of the 80s. According to researcher Joel Whitburn s Book. Top pop singles 955-1986 they have writ ten together except Lor a Briel period around 1980 when John worked with other lyricists in i hair Best songs. John and Taupin Combine traditional pop Craft with a Rock Era sense of Energy and Lyric intimacy and tans have been calling out Lor their favourites on John s current Lour about old songs John said. It s amazing some of the things fans like there Are limes when they la mention a song and you la think privately. Of. My god. How could you possibly like that one but certain songs do stand out Lor Allol us you even remember what you were doing when you first heard them i heard Brown sugar Lor the first Lime in Chicago and i thought it was incredible he recalled of the rolling stones 1971 hit. I guess it had just come out and the stores did t have a copy yet so i went to a radio station and talked them into Lelling me have a copy i just had to keep playing it Over and but what about their own songs what Are John and Taupin s favourites among the hundreds of songs they have written both shied away from compiling such a list suggesting that it would always change Taupin said Hal he almost always favors the most recent material so he would probably end up listing the 10 songs on John s now sleeping Wilh the past album. Bolh however agreed to a Compromise they would react in separate interviews to a list of my 10 favorite John Taupe tunes. They were asked to give a general impression of where the song would rank among their favourites and offer any memories the song brings to mind the songs Are listed Here chronologically your song from Elton John 1970 John thai was our first hit a Point i guess you always remember. I also think of the song As kind of my Crutch because you can always depend on it to work in the show. It s sort of like my my Way i suppose. On my own list of favourites it d probably be in the upper third. This is the mrs Lour by the Way where we Aren t doing Taupin i am still proud of in because it s probably our Standard but it does t have any great feeling or meaning for to. The nicest thing is it was probably the first Good love song i wrote. I understand though when someone now says the words Are pretty Hokey. But you have to remember i was just 17 when i wrote sixty years on from �7lon John John i like it a lot. It reminds me of the first us album. The orchestral arrangements on those tracks. When we did the shows in Australia with the orchestra we opened with in and it was just Taupin. Those songs from the beginning Don t necessarily rank very High on my scale anymore although sixty years on would probably be close to the top of the songs from that Era. I was Reading a Loi of dark fantasy stories and science fiction in those Days and 1 think that brushed off in my writing " country Comfort from Tumbleweed connection 1971 John not one of my favourites. I also think our version on Tumbleweed connection was a Little Loo sugary. To threw the whole Kitchen sink on Taupin i think it was pretty classic though i Don t think we recorded it very Well. The problem when we Cut Hal particular track was that we wanted it to have a country feel and we put everything you d find on a dozen country records on it. Steel guitars and fiddles. Everything i d like to hear it redone by a really Good country Daniel from Don i shoot me. I m Only the piano Piater 1973 John one of my favourites a song that i never have gotten tired of singing like almost everything we be Ever done i wrote the music after Bernie wrote the lyrics. I m sure Bernie has thought of some of the songs As ballads and i turn them into fast songs but we know Elton John left and Bernie Taupin one of the most successful songwriting teams in Rock Oiler memories of their favorite tunes. Each other Well enough to where we Don l have serious disagreements Over Taupin As with your song i be Hoard it so Many limes that i sometimes gel tired of it. Bul i still believe it is a very Good song. The interesting thing is Hal no one Over seemed to really understand whal the Story was about the original idea was based on something i had read in Newsweek Aboul veterans coming Home and being pampered and being made to feel like second Rale citizens of i feel so sorry Tor you actually they just wanted to be Normal human beings again. Daniel was a fictional idea of a vet coming Home and saying hey i want to go somewhere where nobody knows me he s talking in the song to his brother. The original Lyric was much longer and probably would have explained funeral for a Friend love lies bleeding Medley from goodbye yellow Brick Road 1973 John. The two were written completely separately and to just put them together on the Spur of the moment and it worked. I like the instrument Labeller than the other one love. Taupin i never get tired of hearing that song especially the instrumental construction at the beginning i also like the fury of love lies bleeding. There s a great Deal of anger and torment in that song. It s a very real song to me. A statement of what touring and Rock n Roll does to the Amity Don t let the Sun go Down on me irom Caribou 1974 John it is my Beach boys tribute i was always so much influenced by them especially Brian Wilson. In fact some of the Beach boys Sang on the record. It s probably one of my top three favourites of the songs we be written Taupin i prefer it in concert to the record version because it is More emotional. It still retains a lot of emotion i like it a lot bul would it to in my top 10? i Don t sorry seems to be the hardest word irom Blue moves 1976 John one of the few songs of ours that i can hear Sinatra singing and i think he did sing it once in concert. For to it s one of the Best ballads we be Ever written which is Why it has stayed in the show for a Long time " Taupin it was one of the Lew things we Ever wrote when the music came first. I remember Elton had a House on Tower Grove drive in los Angeles and i stopped by one afternoon. He was tinkling on the piano and i ust listened for a while finally i thought of the title line and went Home and completed the song. It s probably our Best song from Hal tonight from Blue moves 1976 John this would to very High Blue moves is my favorite of our Taupin it was a very personal song that whole album was my sort of exorcism of ghosts sort of related to the breakup of my Lirot marriage. The line about not do Hong again just going to sleep. It was very difficult Lor me to listen to Al one Lime taut my we has changed a lot and it does t have that torturous Edge or me anymore " / guess that s Why they Call it the blues from wednesday september 13, 1989 too late Tor Zero \983 John ii sometimes takes a while before a song begins to grow on you sometimes it does t happen until you o in live and sometimes it is just the oppose nil ill worked on record but not very Well on stage Wmk / guess that s Why they Call ii the blues. Though. I toll right away that it was something special. The same with Dame or Don t let the St go Down on me. I Ihrk the blues is one of the Best songs we be Ever written ii would most certainly be one of my lop three favourites " Taupin that would definitely be in my top 10, ii was based on a letter i wrote to my Wile Tom when i was away recording an album. I was saying Well be Back together soon and i think the first line in the song was actually in the letter. Elton s Melody is sad songs say so much from breaking hearts 1984 John " i d be somewhere in my lop Hall i guess but not near the lop it works much belter on stage than on record because we have turned it into a gospel Type thing and quickened the Pace on it which is what producer Chris Thomas wanted to do when we first recorded Taupin when we wrote it i told Elton this is going to be no t All Over the world and i was amazed when in Only got to no. 7 in the United Stales. I think it is a terrific song. Ii really conveys the message about hearing something on the radio and remembering whal you were doing at a time in your life in act it s a song about just whal we Are doing now reminiscing about music and old reminiscing about favorite old songs last year also helped shape the music on John s new album. The 10 tunes Are an ode to her a records that John and Taupin listened to As youngsters in England. To both loved those old motown and stax and chess records not just the stars like Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding bul people who would be considered obscure. The James Carrs and Betty Everetts who were much bigger in England than they Ever were in the United Stales said John 42. The memory of those Days came up when Taupin and John were talking about the Lone of the next album they decided to write some songs in the spirit of the Early re hits that they loved. Taupin even sat Down and actually listened to records by the likes of the drillers Ray Charles and Redding before writing the lyrics for the new album. When he passed the lyrics on to John he marked on some of the sheets of paper the artist he had in mind when he wrote the lyrics. The idea was t to copy any specific record Taupin said but to get a feel Lor the top of the charts top pop singles 1 Don t Wanna lose you Gloria Ealean 2, girl i u Gonna miss you Mill a mall 3. Heaven warrant t. Hanoi touch new kids on me Block 5 Shower me with your love surface 6 cold hearted Paula Abdul 7. If Icouls turn Back time Cher 6. In and life skid Row 9. Ansel eyes the jail Hattoy band 10. Cherish Madonna top albums 1. Hanoi touch new kid on Tow Block 2. Girl you know it s True Milf Varolli 3. Repeat offender Richard Marl 4. Forever your girl Paula Abdul 5. Batman Prince 6. Full Moon fever Tom Petty 7. Skid Row skid Row 8. Cuts both ways Gloria Estelan 9. The end of the innocence Don Henley 10 dirty Rotten filthy stinking Rich wan ant top Black singles 1. Remember the first time Ella Canto 2. Let go Sharon Bryant 3. Put your Mouth on me Eddy Murphy 4 taste of your love . 5. Can t get Over you Maze feat fran Era Beverly ,6 my fantasy Teddy Riley & Guy 7.1 do Natalie Cole 4 Freddie Jackson 8 spend the night be soil the Isley Brothel 9 Back to life soul ii soul i Caron Wheeler 10 Don t make me Over so Tail top country singles 1 nothing i can do about it now Edlio Nelson a above and beyond Rodney Crowell 3 let me Tell you about love tha Judd 4 Cave me his last Chance done cart Riglis 5 i got dreams Sieve Wail Nar 6 i wonder do you think of me Keith Whaley 7. Killin time Dull Black b i wish i had a heart of Stone bae and the boy 9 Don t you the Foreiter Sutera 10. Living proof Ricky Van Shewn the stars and stripes Page 17
