62 Elton John Finished

Welcome to Illequipped History, where two best friends discuss historical events and people. They talk about their recent trips and then dive into the story of Elton John. Elton John, whose real name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight, showed musical talent from a young age. In the 1960s, he joined a band called Bluesology and played piano at a hotel for extra money. In 1967, he answered an ad looking for talent and met Bernie Taupin, who was a talented lyricist. Elton realized he could write music to Bernie's lyrics, and together they created iconic songs like "Tiny Dancer." Elton John's life and career have been fascinating, and this episode explores his journey. Welcome to Illequipped History where two best friends who are not professionals at this, something or someone or an event, you know, that happened sometime. Morgan, how are you? I'm Emily, by the way. I always forget to introduce myself. I'm Morgan. How are you? I'm good. I'm speaking mostly normally. Hooray. How was your trip? It was really great. I read a lot of books and I got to be in the stand and I got to hang out with Kyle's family and they're all very nice. And yeah, it was really great. Love it. I love that. Over the weekend, Nick and I went to Savannah, Georgia. Oh, yeah. And if we have any TPL listeners out there, this paranormal life, y'all know that Rory's from Savannah. So the entire time I was thinking of all the inside jokes that they had about Savannah. So I guess shout out to them for making it funny. But we stayed in this really cool Airbnb that was built in like, oh, I don't know, maybe 1700s or like a long time ago. It's like a cotton mill or something. And I walked in and I was like, oh, my God, look at the architecture. And then my brain was like, I hope it's not haunted. It wasn't. We were good. No, no weirdness happened. So I'm surprised the house in the 1700s in Savannah was not haunted. Yeah, we were like looking at the river like our patio was the river. There was like a I called it the murder alley because you walk outside the front door and you make like an immediate U-turn. And you're in this like four foot wide alley. And I'm like, people have been murdered here. I hate this. It looks horrible. But it was the fastest way to get to all the cool stuff. So we ended up taking a lot. I'm glad you didn't get really cool. Thank you. And if anyone saw my post about Savannah and me getting very excited about the guns, I can confirm that was a few beers deep. So if I look a little wild, it's because I accosted my own husband on the side of the street and went, take my picture. And he did. He was like a true photographer husband. I have like 50 pictures of me looking ridiculous in front of a gun. So it's exactly what husbands should do. Exactly. So should we get into it? Let's do it. It's early 1968 in London and 17 year old Bernie is approaching the door of the man that puts the music behind his lyrics. Oh, hey, Bernie. Come on in. What do you have today? Just a few this week. Only a few? You've been spending too much time with that new girlfriend of yours, Bernie. Does this thing. That's too much of a good thing. Speaking of which, the one on top is written about her. No pressure to write about it first, though. Wink, wink. Yeah, yeah, I get the hint. What's it called? I don't really hone down a name yet, but I was throwing around the idea of tiny dancer. That's what I have it named for now, anyway. Tiny dancer coming right up. I'll swing by when I'm done with them. Thanks, Bernie. No problem, Elton. See you next week. Thanks to Bernie Topin's lyrics and Elton John's musical talent, tiny dancer wouldn't just become one of the most famous songs in history, but would propel Elton into a stardom he could only dream about. Hey, we're doing Elton John today, guys. I thought, I was like, you know what? Should I do two musicians who were from the same era back to back? Like, is that tacky? And then I was like, no, it's not. It's your podcast. I can do that. Yeah, it's our podcast. And Lou might have talked me into it, but this is a little bit of a different one because I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, Morgan. This is our first episode where our person of topic is still alive. Yeah, Elton John is still alive, huh? Yeah. He's like retired with two kids now. Yeah, I just need to double check because I can't I couldn't think of one that that our topic was still alive. I mean, we've done a ton of them now. Yeah, he's 77 years old. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, cool. Wow. Yeah. So let's dive into his life. I thought it was really interesting that a lot of like the kind of the timelines because of Freddie Mercury and Elton John are very similar. And some of the topics are also kind of similar, but in their different ways. So I think it's really interesting to see how two different artists who are pretty much just as big as the other one kind of dealt with some of the, you know, swings that life throws at you. Got a bob and weave, you know, they dealt with them differently. Right. And I think it's really interesting to see how they how they did that comparatively, because I think they were only like a year apart in age. Oh, really? Think about it. Freddie could have been like in his 70s right now. Just chilling. That's crazy to think about. And really sad. Yeah. Yeah. Also very sad. So if y'all don't know who Elton John is, again, like Freddie, that's on you. What are you doing? What are you doing? Literally, your song was the song that Nick and I danced to at our wedding. And it's also my children's night night song. So I will say I will serenade them the entire song before bed if they so do request it. Tiny Dancer. No, not Tiny Dancer, your song. Oh, I misunderstood what you meant. No, you're good. You're good. But, yeah, I picked your song because for mine and Nick's wedding song, because there's a line in it that was like, I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue. Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean is yours are the sweetest guys I've ever seen. And that sounds like Nick. Like, hey, I really like you. I'm not going to remember the tiny details. What color are your eyes again? But also because I love that song. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And before we get too deep into it, I just need to tell you, I found the most 2007 ish documentary on him ever. Like the intro, it was it it had him in it as like he was telling his life story, which was awesome and gave me a lot of insight. But the intro was him playing Rocket Man. And then a rocket came and like scooped him up. And then like you hear the rocket sounds and he's going through space and he's like driving the rocket. And it was like on the TV. So they had like commercial breaks that somebody had literally just recorded it and then put it on YouTube. So it still has the commercial breaks in it. And they're like, look at this really cool HD DVD player with surround sound now portable from Bose. Oh, my God. They had like an iPod on the thing. And I was like, wow, OK, that's where we're at. Fantastic. It took me back. It really did. So, all right, let's finally get to Elton John. So his early life, he was born March 25th of 1947, right after the war. So in Penner, Middlesex, England, and he was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Wow. That is not Elton John. No. Reggie. He went by Reggie. Reggie. Cute. Reginald Kenneth Dwight. What a like proper sounding name. You have to say it was like. Like a very fancy accent. Reginald Kenneth Dwight. So he was very talented, even from the get go at three or four years old. He just kind of sat down at the piano and started playing the skater's waltz by ear. Amazing. When he was three. Why not? Yeah. Three or four. OK. Yeah. Sure. I know. I'm comparing to like my kids when they were three and four. I was like, uh-uh. No. You were trying to keep them from just launching themselves off chairs. At three, William already had a broken bone. I was just trying to keep them together. Yeah. So at 11, he was awarded a scholarship as a junior exhibitor at the Royal Academy of Music, and he attended the Academy on Saturday mornings for the next four years. So into his teenage years. OK. So we're going to jump forward a little bit to the 1960s. He was, you know, in his teenage years, early 20s, during the 60s. And I'm going to go by decades. Just seems to be the best way to lay out his life, as opposed to like going back and forth like I did with Freddie. So he was still in school and needed a little bit of money to buy equipment, of course. So he was playing the piano at a hotel one day a week to make said money. He got like a pound a night, which was very little. Yeah. And he in one of the interviews, he said that there was I guess it wasn't a very good hotel because there was like a bar and there would be fights. And he said next to the piano was a window and he would often have to jump out the window to avoid getting in the middle of a fight. Oh, my God. Just I'm sure like on the first story, just like jumping out into the street. Yeet. Bye. So he joined Bluesology, which later was John Baldry's backing band in around the mid 1960s. Stayed with them for a little bit. But on June 17th of 1967, there was an ad in the New Musical Express that read Liberty Wants Talent. And Liberty was a like recording place. Was it a British one? Yes. Yes. Okay. It was in London. Okay. I was just confused because it's the Statue of Liberty. So I just wanted to double check. Yeah. I don't know why. Not a clue. Liberty Wanted Talent. Yeah. Yeah. And it says audition tape or disc to 11 whatever that says street London. I don't know. So it was put out there by Ray Williams, who was a music producer. And see what happened was there were a couple people that obviously answered the ad. And Bernie Taupin. And I hope I'm saying his last name right. T-A-U-P-I-N. Taupin? Taupin? Who was 17 at the time. Had gone first and was like, Hey, I mean, I'm a fine. I'm an okay singer. I don't really know how to write the music. But here's my lyrics. I'm really good at writing lyrics. Well, then they're like, cool. I don't know what the fuck to do with this. Yeah, I need something more. So then Elton shows up who was 20 at the time. Was he still going by Reg at the time? He was still going by Reg. So Reg, Reg Dwight. And he shows up. And he's like, Hey, I can write music like nobody's business. I'm just not that good at the lyrics. And they were like, Well, I don't know what the fuck to do with you either. So here's this guy's lyrics. Just go see if you can do something with them. Handed him Bernie's lyrics. He just took it and he figured out he could actually write the music to his lyrics very well. He could see what Bernie was going for and was able to just execute it. And this was the start of the greatest songwriting partnership in history. That's amazing. Yeah, they just both answered an ad at 17 and 20 years old. Bruh. The universe works in mysterious ways. So this is kind of where our skit comes in because Bernie would write the lyrics. And I totally made that up. I have no idea if that was not a real conversation. I made it up in three minutes. Did he write Tiny Dancer? He did. Tiny Dancer is about Bernie's girlfriend at the time. Okay, so that was like real content. Okay, just the actual back and forth. I was like, I need to make this make sense. Elton would get like a bundle of lyrics every couple weeks from Bernie and then Elton would put the music to it and then they would go make it. That's awesome. Easy peasy. And I've Been Loving You was their debut single. And originally it was credited to be Bernie's lyrics, but Elton later admitted that he wrote the whole thing himself. I don't know what was going on there. But their first recording success was Lady Samantha in 1968. I had never heard of that song. I looked it up. It's lovely. It's wonderful. You guys hear a song that I say, and you don't know what it is, go look it up. I'm literally only going to talk about the ones that I know. Because he has so many. There's like 36 albums. I only talked about the songs that I knew, which turns out to be more than I thought. Yeah. So there you go. In 1969, their first album was released in the United States in the UK. But it wasn't officially released in the United States until 1975. Six years later. Oh, wow. And honestly, I have no idea why. I couldn't figure out why. They had other albums already out in the United States by the time their first one made it to the United States. That's pretty strange because there's a lot of British artists making their way in the US at the time. And, you know, honestly, I have no idea why. I think the only thing I could come up with was that his next albums were so popular that the demand for that first one finally came around. I see. That's the only thing I can think of. But it did come out with different artwork. So if you refer, Madam, go up a little bit. There's Elton and Bernie together in 1968 when they met. Look, look how cute. Okay, I know you could definitely tell which one's Elton. He's a very distinct face. He's not unattractive by any means, but he has a very distinct face. Yeah. And he's wearing leather print. Yeah. And he's got the hair and the glasses and And this is like his tame days. So if you look at these pictures on the left is the album was called Empty Sky. On the left is a picture like a art rendition of Elton playing the piano. Right. That was the British version. On the right, it looks like a very 70s version of like a blue Sphinx. Yeah. It's very polygonal. Yeah. Yeah. The Sphinx was polygonal. Yeah, that's that's kind of what I was was kind of picking up because it does look like and there's like a little I guess that's Elton on it on its foot. I don't know what's happening, but that was the United States version for some reason. So, so before we get into his career taking off, I feel it very important to talk about why his songs sound so different than other. I mean, it's it evades all categories a lot like Queen. Yeah, it just is its own thing. He was really good at blending different styles like pop and rock in a way that was almost electric, if that makes sense, and energetic. And he was one of the first ones to put together an electric guitar and a piano and synthesized things. Okay. It's like, let's just mush it all together. And one source, and I'm going to quote this one because there's no way I could say it better. Quote, his vocal style with its southern accent and gospel inflections was strongly American influence. Was his as was his pianism and ornate gospel flavored elaboration of the stylings of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. I saw southern accent and thought me. But then I had to put I was like, no, like the English southern there's a difference. Yeah. Yeah. It's a little different southern. I was a little confused at first because it like, when you said southern accent was like, oh, like a British southern accent and then it said like gospel and I was like, okay, and it said American. Well, American southern like, I know, see, and I guess that's why I thought it was southern, but he absolutely does not have any form of American accent. He was very, he was very strongly American influenced. Yeah. So apparently even to this day, Bernie has like a ranch in Arizona, like they both really liked America, I guess. And yeah, it's like, and he does kind of have like a gospel flair. Yeah. To all of us. So I could see it. Yeah. Now that somebody put it into words. I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, that makes sense. So a lot of the early 70s recordings kind of paid homage to country rock, folk rock, like the band and Crosby, Stills and Nash, I cannot talk today. And he had the same like, flourish and flair as Freddie Mercury. So they were and David Bowie as well. And a lot of their songs were like affectionate parodies. And like, The Bitch is Back was kind of a parody on like Rolling Stone songs and Frank Sinatra, Blue Eyes, and Crocodile Rock was to like the 50s rock style. Philadelphia's soul and Philadelphia freedom. Yeah. So he just put his own little twist on all the things. So in the 1970s, his career is taking off. And remember how we said in the last time that the first album, sometimes the second, it's kind of a lot of times it's a slow roll, right? Right. Nah, his first album was like, fine. His second album has your song on it. His second album has that piece of gold right there. And the second album was self named. So it was named Elton John was released in 1970 and immediately established him as like a major international star. And this one was released in the United States as the same year as UK. I think it was a couple months later. Yeah, which is understandable. It was a certified gold by the RIAA or the Recording Industry Association of America. And Elton describes your song as near perfect. Meanwhile, the song itself is certified platinum in the United States and has been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify. Holy shit. A song recorded and released in 1970. Think of all the songs that have just been forgotten about since then. And is considered by the Rolling Stones, one of the greatest songs of all time. Yeah. And if you refer back to the picture, Morgan, he wrote in his journal on October the 27th of 1969. Session delayed, I guess that says it looks like Delane. Delane, I know it's hard to say, stayed home today. Went to South Harrow, Bobby Bruce Market. The session was horrendous. Didn't do anything in the end. Wrote your song. Just like I just threw this piece of shit out. Yeah. This near perfect song. Yeah. On my bad day. I didn't do anything. I went to the market. I wish I had bad days like that. I know, right? So. So he has established himself. And Bernie, he's always there. I mean, but he prefers to be in the background. So I'm not going to talk about Bernie a whole lot because I mean, this episode is mostly just Elton John, but just know he's he's writing most of the songs. So later that year, same year, 1970, he made his debut performance in America at Doug Weston's nightclub called Troubadour. He had a four four night residency there. And this was one of the most important performances of his career. He only had a handful of places to go in the United States. And this tour really needed him like it. It was needed for him to succeed in America. Because, I mean, he's just starting out. I'm sure they don't have. He doesn't have Elton John money yet. Right. So like they need to establish. Yeah, they need to establish themselves over here. So. I'm going to say a few quotes. This people. OK. For a little context, the album cover is a very silhouetted picture of him. Imagine if Scarface and Elton John smushed together. It's just very. I don't have a picture of it. It's just very like kind of dour. So I feel like a lot of people and they said this in the in the sources as well, that thought it was going to be kind of like more somber music. And he said he went up there and they weren't expecting this. He's like doing a handstand. Oh, and he was like, that's awesome. It was the most energetic thing. And so Robert Hilburn from the Los Angeles Times said Tuesday night at the Troubadour was just the beginning. He's going to be one of rock's biggest and most important stars. Neil Diamond said, folks, I've never done this before, so please be kind to me. I'm like the rest of you. I'm here. I guess he went. I'm here because of having listened to Elton John's album. So I'm going to take my seat with you now and enjoy the show. So Neil Diamond just showed up and this was a tiny like 300 people showed up to watch this performance. And Russ Reagan, president of UNI Records at the time, said, I didn't come down for two days. I was so high from the excitement of that night. I think there were maybe 300 people in that room Tuesday night. But everybody I talk to now says, yeah, I was there. So there must have been 30,000 at the Troubadour that night. That's awesome. Hey, I have a question. Yeah. When did he change his name? It never really told a specific date from what I gathered. It was around the time that him and Bernie started working together. He did have that awareness that like Reg Dwight isn't really a name that like it's not a name of a superstar. Superstar. So it was around that time that from a couple I never got like an actual like year or date, but he just became Elton. Yeah, I'm just wondering like where he got the name from. He I forgot to say it, but he did get the name from two of the people he knew in the other band. Oh, he was in. So Elton came from like the first name of like the bass guitarist and then John came from like another one. Oh, okay. Yeah. Oh, yeah. He's like Elton John sounds good. So it's like a little tribute almost to his first band. Yeah, and it's been it's been a couple years since I've seen the movie like tribute Rocketman. But I think that is also addressed in the movie as well. Have you seen it? No, it's really good. You should. I know. I really want to. It has Ansel Elgort. Is that who plays Elton John? And this is where after these performances, his career just Rocketman. Yeah. Yeah. And the documentary said, and you know what, I'm going to say this, unlike in the Freddie episode, I'm going to say more things because Elton was saying them himself in interviews out loud. So that okay, whatever. They said the fame didn't go to his head. It went to his bed. He said, Yeah, I mean, I was pretty much a virgin. And this was about the time like I had sex with a man for the first time. So did he know he was gay? Yeah. Yeah. At first. And we'll get a little bit into it. He he was telling everyone that he was just bisexual. Uh huh. But I think deep down, like he knew he was a gay man. I guess he kind of was. But he he he he leaned more gay. Yeah. He leaned more gay. Okay. So yeah, because spectrum and all that. So in October of 1970, he released Tumbleweed Collection. It went platinum. In November of 1971, he released Madman Across the Water. And this album had Tiny Dancer and Leave On. Do you know Leave On? Leave On. Leave On likes his money. I'm gonna be singing a lot. That's all right. That's all right. Sorry, I'm a little out of it. So I'm pretty sure I heard it. In May of 1972. I mean, they are bam, bam, bam, getting them out there. He released the album Honky Chateau, which I absolutely adore the name of that. And the song Honky Kat, which I love that song. Honky Kat. And Rocket Man and Mona Lisa and Mad Hatter. That's one song. Mona Lisa and Mad Hatter. Okay. We're on that, that album. And it went silver with the British, the BPI, the British Phonographic Industry. Oh, okay. Sounds very hoity toity. And then the American one went platinum. Oh, awesome. So in January of 1973, he released Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player. I love the names of his albums. And on that album was Daniel and Crocodile Rock. And this album went three times platinum in the American Awards. So in three years, we've got Tiny Dancer, Leave On, Honky Kat, Rocket Man, Mona Lisa, Mad Hatter, Daniel, Crocodile Rock, and your song. That's crazy. Within three years. And I'm just naming them out. Seriously, I'm just naming off the like, the ones that I just know off the top of my head. And I was born in 93. So like, those would be kind of the more popular ones, at least, I think so. So on September 7 of 1973, he played the Hollywood Bowl, which from what I gather, is just a Southern California venue. Okay, when I said a Hollywood Bowl, I was like, like the Super Bowl, but no, it's just a venue. Okay. And are you ready for this production? I don't think I am. The performance opens with an introduction by Linda Lovelace, a porn star. As Elton descends the staircase on the stage, doves are released from five grand pianos with impersonators of Queen Elizabeth, Elvis Presley, Frankenstein's monster, the Pope, the Beatles, Batman and Robin, Mae West, and Groucho Marx. Just what an eclectic group. That is wild. Please refer to the pictures. And you can see the Hollywood Bowl. And I did look he look at his outfit. He is just jump. How is he like five feet off the stage? I thought those were roller skates at first. No, they're just very big heels. They're they're pumps. I mean, those are Coco boots. I mean, it is 73. So he performed 16 songs, five of which were debuted that night from hit for his upcoming album, Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, which I love that album. It's a good one. It is. So the next month, October, in 1973, he released Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road. And the songs Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, and Benny and the Jets, and Candle in the Wind were all on that one album. It's a solid ass album. This album won two platinum BPIs, three times platinum in the Australian Recording Industry Association, and eight times platinum in the American one, which platinum is a million. So 8 million. Ah, bonkers. Also, now all my brain is doing is Benny and the Jets. Like I keep wanting to go I remember when rock was young. I just want to go. I will that was mine. My dad and I used to, like, we'd blast it anywhere we were but I liked when we had the doors off the Jeep and we were like driving up to the cabin and we like going through the mountains and just screeching it. I mean, the microphone we were yelling it so loud. We didn't care who heard it. I know you sing it like every time we do karaoke. Yeah. Like throw basically anything Elton John at me. I will sing it. I love him. So in just three short years by 1973, he was one of the world's like top selling top performers. Just mind boggling how quickly he went. And it's less than a decade. Like it's just a couple years. Yeah, three years. So this is kind of a little bit of a double edged sword. So he we're going to talk about it a little more later. But Elton John was always a like a bit of a quieter person on stage. His mom even said that in an interview like I can tell when something's wrong with him, but I never expect him to like actually come and talk to me. Because he's very just quiet, you know. So he started turning to drugs to give him a little bit. It was mostly cocaine, but give him a little bit of a high to be more social in those settings. And he went from having, you know, like no money to all of the money. A jet with a fireplace and a bedroom and an organ inside the jet. And like Stevie Wonder is singing him happy birthday on this jet. And that's a true story. Yeah, I don't doubt it at all. So it just, yeah, he didn't deal well with it. And later on, he's he says that like, he was more comfortable on stage than he was off stage. Yeah, because he just became it. Yeah, because what's on stage is a persona. And it's like, I was talking about this, not specifically Elton John, but I think we're talking about like dating profiles. But like when people present, like an alter ego or a persona, they a lot of times feel a lot more comfortable with it, because like, they can do whatever they want, because it's not the real them, you know. And so like, if people don't like this person, they're like, okay, that's fine, but it's not me, you know. And I feel like a lot of stars that are like, super flamboyant, but like, very, very reserved. That's kind of kind of what's happening. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's like you're just putting on a mask. Yeah. And he never took the mask off. Yeah, it seems like kind of like Freddie Mercury, he ended up becoming his persona. Yeah, he did. And I think it gave Freddie a lot of confidence, which is can be a good thing. And by no means do I think either Freddie or even Elton in the middle of his like, addiction times was like a bad person, right? But I think they were just struggling with the like, all of it. Yeah, all of it. All of it. Yeah. So in 1974, he released Caribou. And this album had the bitches back and don't let the sun go down on me. And I love that song. It received two American platinums. I'm just going to say American because I'm not listening off all those letters. Yeah. And then the British a gold. So not as good as Yellow Brick Road. But I mean, who can top that? Jesus Christ. Right. So in 1974, John Lennon was like, Hey, you want to you want to help me out with this song, do a little piano, you know, whatever. And Elton was like, you know what? Sure. But under one condition. And honestly, I forgot to write down what condition. What song it is. It's very easily Googleable. You got it. Under one condition. And that is if the song gets to the number one. If the song gets to number one in America, you have to come perform with me on stage in Madison Square Garden. And John Lennon was like, Yeah, sure. Sounds great. This song is not going to get number one. I mean, I do okay now that I'm on my own and not with the Beatles anymore. But it's not going to get number one in America. Are you kidding me? It's so whatever gets you through the night. Okay, thank you. I appreciate that. So they record it. And they release it in mid November, or sorry, they released it in late September. And by mid November, it had reached number one. It knocked off. You ain't seen nothing yet. You ain't seen nothing yet. Yeah. I bet John Lennon was pissed. Yeah. And Elton called and was like, Hey, you remember when you promised? And it was like, you can't go back on that. So You promised. Yeah, I had. I was he said, It wasn't like I promised some agent or something. So I was suddenly stuck. I had to go. Yeah. Wow. So Lennon performed on Thanksgiving night at Madison Madison Square Garden. And it is credited to be the most memorable in Elton John's life. And Elton quoted, one of the greatest moments of my life, not only just my musical life, but my personal life was in this very building in 1974. Someone came on stage and sang three songs with us. And I've never heard a reception in my in the whole of my life like it. It was 10 minutes of the most deafening roar. That person was very special. And of course, you know, I'm talking about John Lennon. Every time I play this building, I think of him and how much I miss him and how much he enriched all of our lives. That in 2000, because him and john were actually close friends. Yeah. So it really broke his heart when when john was, and actually, Elton said that john rekindled with Yoko Ono that night, really, and that that was like how they got back together. And that Elton was john Lennon's son's godfather. Oh, wow. Because of it. Oh, I know. Just so much. Yeah. Oh. So in 1975, he released a song Don't go breaking my heart with Kiki D. I love that one, too. It's that one. And one of them, I think one of the most iconic songs of all time. It's probably one of the most karaoke songs. Yeah, it's a solid duet. Yes. A solid. It's easy. It's lighthearted. It's fun. It's got a good beat. Yeah. Don't go breaking my heart. I couldn't if I tried. Oh, honey, if I get restless. Oh, my God. Okay. So his super elaborate lifestyle is in full swing by this point. Oh, I'm sure. And the drugs are very much in full swing. And he even said himself, he said, I have an addictive personality. So what was happening is that like, he would take the uppers and then he would drink and smoke weed to get down from the uppers. Well, then he'd get to down and then he would take more uppers and then it just slowly started spiraling and then just got out of hand. Yeah. Yeah. So in May of 1975, he released Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. His album was named that. So apparently somebody said that that was him and Bernie. That Bernie was the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Because I mean, think about it. He's got that ranch in Arizona. Yeah. And then Captain Fantastic. That's all in John. So it had songs like Somebody Saves My Life Tonight. And then later, later on a bonus track, it had Philadelphia Freedom. And it got the British gold and then the American three times platinum. He's been great in America. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Seriously. So in and I think he at some he had multiple mansions. Let's be honest, he had mansions. I think one of them was in LA. This dude was so he was like, like Scrooge McDuck swimming in money. Like, he still is. Think of all the shit he's just getting kickbacks from. I mean, you know what, he can be flamboyant if he wants to be. He's got the money. Oh, absolutely. Well, more like I mean, he's not hurting anyone with it either. So right. Do whatever you want. Of course. So in October 75, he he released Rock the Westies that got a gold and two platinum. And in October of 76, Blues Moves and that sorry seems to be the hardest word. Yeah, was the song on that one. And his entire life. He wanted to play football. Not American. Yeah. Everyone else's football. Sorry. But he we call it soccer. Thank you. But at at Watford. So apparently that was like their local football club. Okay. And they weren't doing so hot. But you know what? It's fine. Because Elton John swooped in in 1976 became the chairman. All right. Like 29 years old. And they did better with him being the chairman. They probably got a lot more money. And they could like, yeah, yeah, well, they got more money. And what what I really liked was he said it gave him the discipline that he didn't have. Because it taught him how to lose. Because it took him like five years to get better. Yeah, taught him how to lose. And this football club doesn't give two shits about who he is. I mean, they know who he is. Right. But they're gonna treat they treated him like everybody else. And they honestly would just kind of roast him all the time. And, and it humbled him, honestly, because nobody else in his life is going to tell who's going to tell Elton John no. No one. The football club. Yeah, that's it. That's it. Well, it's good that he had. He had a group that could like help him come back down to earth. Because I mean, he was flying high for what, like six, seven years at this point. And literally and figuratively. Yeah. And he needed people to bring him back. Yeah. And and it gave him like the structure. And I mean, he was very involved in this. This helped him actually in the future. He's like, well, we'll talk about his charities later. But because of this experience, he said, I've run organizations before. I can open a charity. I know how to do this. So he is no longer the chairman. I think he had he stopped after a while, and then was the chairman again, in like the 2000s. But then said, it's just kind of too much for me now. But he he still retains shares. So he is still invested in it. To this day. It's just he is he is not actively the chairman anymore. So in 1978, a single man came out, it got a gold and two platinums. And in 1979, Victim of Love was released. Now, this one was probably his one of his least popular. During this time, I think his first album didn't get any awards. Yeah. And then his last, I believe, two have not received any. But during his like heyday, this is like the least successful. It was one of the shortest in his career. I think it was only like 36 minutes long. It really wasn't long at all. It sounds like the whole album like chilled out really quick. Yeah. And this is actually one like one of the only albums that one of two albums Bernie did not do any work on. Oh, OK. So he recorded for the first time without any of his band without I don't know exactly who he recorded with. But there were like errors on the track and it was super short. It only won two golds. But he he didn't write any of the songs or play really any of the instruments. This is what him saying he was jumping on the bandwagon. I think he probably just got convinced to do this. Yeah. And you can kind of tell and I feel like this happens a lot. And I was thinking about this earlier. It happens a lot in very popular. I hate to like artists. I hate to use the word sellout because I don't feel like that's what's happening here. But they get absorbed into the like a very genuine popular artist gets absorbed into the industry. Yeah. And they change the way they do things. Right. They have that perfect like formula and then they get convinced to change it. And then it's not as good. The label thinks that like, oh, you've got to go in a new direction because it'll make more money. Like they're not really interested in the artist like artistic pursuits like their creation. All they think about is money. So like, oh, well, let's go with what we think will make money. And then a lot of times you can tell. And there's people like soul in music. Well, at least people who are people want to connect with music. Enthusiastic. Yeah. Yeah. They want genuine music. I think a lot of these like and I'm not saying all, of course. And I know every generation says this about the music of the past. But I do feel like. I mean, nowadays, with the technology we have, you can make anybody be able to sing. Yeah. And back then you had to be able to sing if you wanted to sing or like write lyrics or write lyrics or compose. You had to have actual talent. Yeah. And now we have these teams of people who are just writing songs that will get caught up, picked up by an algorithm on Spotify just to get plays. It's and it's it's easily consumable. Yeah. So it's like as least offensive as possible. So it is consumed by the most people. Yeah. But it's not memorable. Right. It's it's just to get out there. It's just to make money. It's just. Yeah. Yeah. Which is why I we don't have artists like this anymore that are just out there. Just I mean, we I'm sure I'm sure we have them. They're hard to find now. They're not like Elton John, like Love of the Fame. And no, they're not being promoted in the ways that we can easily find them. Right. And it's sad because I want to find them. Right. Where are you at? Where are you at? They're all in Nashville. Damn it. So off our little soapbox there for a minute. So in 1979, that was the one I just talked about. Okay. So the 1980s. We all love Elton John, if you don't. It's okay to be wrong sometimes. But in let's be honest, in the late 80s, things started to kind of take a turn. And kind of throughout the sorry, in the late 70s, things started to take a turn throughout a lot of the 80s, popularity really started to dip. Not too drastically, not he fell off. And now he's back to singing at 300 people bars. Right. But he started collaborating with artists and people just kind of didn't respond to it as well. Yeah. As his earlier works happened. Um, he still remained a very, extremely popular performer, because of course, artists are going to play their more popular songs from the past as well. So and he also performed at Live Aid. Yes. Didn't he go on like right before Queen or something? I thought it was after I think maybe. Honestly, I don't remember. I just know that they played. It's all right. And of course, he did a good job. Yes, of course. It's all right. So he did take this time in the 80s to tour Australia with his 14 member band in an 88 piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with the conductor James Newton Howard, who had they had worked together between 75 and 80. Please refer to him dressed as Mozart. I see him in Australia. I love that he's lovely mole on his cheek. I love and honestly, it never came up and I don't know why but I know at one performance because my dad talks about all the time. He was dressed as Donald Duck. And I don't know. I think it was in like the 90s. Dressed in a giant Donald. That's incredible. We should Google it real quick because I need everyone. I need to see this. Elton John. Donald Duck. There he is. Oh my god, I see him. Oh my god. Is that not beautiful? That's hilarious. He's got the legs. He's got the tail. He's got This would make an amazing Halloween costume if you could figure out how to carry around a piano with you. Oh my god. One of us could be. Oh, what's her name? Why can't I think of her name? She's a Swedish singer that has the goose dress. I can't think of her name. I think I know what you're talking about. I can't remember. One of us could be the piano. There's this clip, like a screen grab of him with the audience behind him and he looks like he's just jamming at this piano. He is. With an audience of thousands behind him dressed as Donald Duck. This is amazing. I love his outfit. Oh, I see another one of him as Minnie Mouse. Oh, really? I just stumbled upon it. He's making a face at the camera. I don't know if you could see that. Oh, cute. Oh, I see it now. He's amazing. Okay. Yes. So at this final show, and honestly, he did this for a couple years, so I don't know when this final show was. So the final show at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, it was in the live, the album live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Okay, that was a mouthful. So sorry, guys. So Elton John's band were a bit of a hard act to follow. I'm sure. Yeah, Phil Collins had to go on. Bless him. I love Phil Collins, but he's no Elton John. So Charlie Morgan, who was the drummer with Elton John's band, said they were going offstage while Phil was coming on. And Charlie said, as we came offstage, Phil Collins jumped down next to me and walked backstage with us and turned to me and said, Well, Charlie, how the fuck are we going to follow that? I love that. That's amazing. I also love how both Elton John and Phil Collins have sang soundtracks for Disney. Yeah, and they went above and beyond. Phil Collins did not have to go that hard for Tarzan, but he did it for us. He did it for us. Literally, Elton John's Can You Feel the Love Tonight has been going through my head this entire time. And can you feel the love tonight? Tonight, it is where we are. He's got so many just bangers. So in May of 1981, The Fox, so here we're seeing less. So he only got a silver for that one in 82, jump up with an exclamation point. Got a silver, a platinum and a gold. And it's crazy to think that that is like, not that much. Like, oh, only like over a million people bought this album. I didn't mean to make you choke. Just a million, that's fine. That's not too much. No, no, not too much. Just a little bit. When you compare it to like over 8 million that he was doing the decade prior. In one country. 8 million in one country. That was just America. Yeah, yeah. It's like a little marginal success. Yeah. So, he shocked the world in 1983. By announcing he was marrying a lady. Oh, okay. So on Valentine's Day in 1984, he married a German tape operator and sound technician. So sorry, ahead of time. Renate Blau, best I can do. Now, they had a very, very loving relationship. She loved him. And he mentioned it was like an asexual relationship. So that's why I'm saying he leaned more gay, but you know, was bisexual. So maybe he like had romantic love for women, but maybe just not sexual attraction. Yeah. Which can happen. She was very, I mean, it happened. They enjoyed each other, but he said deep down. And the marriage lasted for four years. Okay. Just longer than a lot of people we went to high school with. No one, shouting out, no one in particular. I'm just saying things happen. But he said the entire time, he just kind of felt like he was living a lie. That he loved her very much. And she's a wonderful, beautiful person. It just didn't feel right. Yeah. So he said the only regret was that he had to put her through all of that. Oh, that's sad. Yeah. I think she's doing fine now, though. Okay. They split amicably. Amicably. I'm just going to ignore that word. They split. Didn't need lawyers or anything. Yeah. I think continued to stay, you know, talking terms and stuff. Yeah. In May of 1983, too low for zero. And I'm still standing was on this one. I'm still standing. Better than I ever did. And I guess that's why they call it the blues. Oh, yeah. And I guess that's why they call it the blues. Laughing like children. Living like lovers. So this one got a platinum, British platinum and Australian five times platinum. Oh, wow. Australia. And listen, a BVMI did not look up to see what that was. A gold there. An NC platinum, whatever that one is. And then the American platinum. So, like, that one did good. So, in 1984, we've got breaking hearts, which was sad songs. Do you know that one? I'm not sure if I know that one. Sad songs, they say so much. That one. So sorry about all my singing. That one got a gold and a platinum. Eighty five. We've got ice on fire. That one got one, two, three platinums and two golds. Then we've got 86 called leather jackets. And that one got a gold. But problem strike. Uh-oh. In 1986, he was diagnosed with walking pneumonia. Oh, no. And he lost his voice. He got walking pneumonia from all the drugs. Gotcha. Yeah. It happens. I mean, yeah. So, he ended up having to go through surgery to save his vocals. And I think it was about this time that he was really thinking, I need to make some changes or I'm probably not going to last too much longer. Yeah. No. So, in 1988, his album's called Reg Strikes Back. I love that. And he got two platinums, two golds and a silver. And then 1989, Sleeping with the Past. And that one was three, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven platinums. Oh, shit. And a gold. Nice. So, yeah. When I say he became less popular in the 80s, it was... He was still cranking them out. Oh, my God. Yeah, that was 1989. I do have another quick question. Yeah. So, I don't know a whole lot of Elton John songs, but I do feel like his 90s onward songs, I do know his voice does sound different than it did in his earlier years. Do you think it's because of the surgery that he had? Yeah, I did a little bit. Honestly, full transparency, I was running out of time. I did a little bit of light research on kind of the surgery. I didn't see exactly what kind it was or anything, but I did see a lot of articles that are like, why Elton John's voice sounds different after surgery or... Okay. So, it did change a little bit. So, it wasn't just me. Okay. No. No. Okay. No. I think the surgery was like, you either have it and your voice is a little different, or you don't and you're... You don't sing anymore. I mean, his voice still sounds great. Like, every time I hear... Oh, it's amazing. Again, like, can you feel the love tonight? It's still going through my head. And, like, his voice to me, like, sounds like a French horn, but in, like, a great way. You know what I mean? Yeah. Where it's like... Like, I don't know. It's very velvety, smooth, like butter. I don't know. Sorry. I think it's a very satisfying song for a brain. I really... It is. It makes my brain all smooth. Yeah. Are you Marin in your brain? I am. When I listen to that song, I'm like... Is that what happened? No thoughts. They all slide right off like a water slide. Should I stop playing Elton John songs? Do you think she'll get smarter? Is that what's happening? I'm smoothing out her brain with too good of music? You need to find something that will wrinkle it a little bit. Eminem. Yes. Just get all that in there. So, by 1989, this is when his alcohol drug problem was peaked bad. Yeah. I mean, literally a line of Coke every four minutes. Oh, my God. Yeah. He said he, like, hikes through the Alps or somewhere like that where there's a shit ton of snow. And he said it reminded him of all the Coke he's ever drunk. Oh, boy. So, he actually, in one of the interviews, recounted a time that he just, like, stayed in his house for two weeks and, like, couldn't get out of bed. He was, like, falling and, like, hitting his head and, like, his friends would find him and he'd be, like, blue and they'd have to, like, put him back in the bed. Oh, my God. Like, it would take him, like, 15 minutes to get to the door just to answer the door because, granted, he's alone in this house. Yeah. But he was so, like, hopped up on these drugs that he was, like, worried about the floors creaking because someone was going to hear him, kind of like. Oh, so, like, super paranoid. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Oh. And, apparently, sometime within the last, you know, 20 years, I don't know exactly when this story happened, but he told it. So, I know I'm saying it's true. He told the story. Apparently, it was, like, a night, a day after a show. It was, like, 11 a.m. He's still up because, of course, he is. And he's at this hotel at, like, the Four Seasons, a really nice hotel, and it's super windy. And he called the front office to ask if they could do anything about the wind. Oh, man. Yeah. Yeah. He said his friends like to laugh at this story. He said it in a very lighthearted way, so I'm going to laugh with him. Yeah. Because could you imagine getting that call? Excuse me, sir. Can you do anything about the wind? It's too windy. The wind is winding too much. So, he had come out as gay, late 80s, early 90s. He, honestly, it didn't really do too much to hurt his career. It did kind of do some personal damage. Yeah. And I read that. I'm like, why does it sound like a D&D character? I don't know. But he kind of ended up secluding himself for a while. He would still, like, of course, perform and stuff, but stayed in after that. I can imagine that as far as, like, his public reception, I feel like with how flamboyant he is, I feel like he would have stayed in after that. I can imagine that as far as, like, his public reception, I feel like with how flamboyant he is, people are probably like, uh-huh. You know what I mean? That's why he said he hadn't talked about it before now. Because he's like, bitch, I thought you knew. Like, I thought y'all could just tell. Have you seen these heels I've been wearing? I look like Donald Duck. Like, so, yeah, he's like, I guess I need to say something about this now. And in 1990, he took himself to a six-week rehab program, got himself clean, and has been clean ever since. That's amazing. Good for him. Seriously. I mean, 1990, that's 34 years ago. Yeah. That hurts. I know. It's like, oh, yeah, uh-huh. Listen, someone told me the other day that I look 26, and I'm going to ride that high until, I don't know, I die. Yeah. Yeah. She was shocked. I was like, ma'am, I'm married with two children. She was like, no. I was with you, right, when we were at Walmart? No, this was another time. I just keep getting compliments. That's amazing. And a couple weeks ago, we were at Singo, and if y'all don't know what that is, that is, it's like bingo but with songs instead. So we were at 90's Singo night. It was me and Lou. That's fun. And we were hammered because I had three glasses of wine. Like, I don't know what happened to me. They were big. Anyhoo, so we were having a good time, and I'm singing, and I'm standing because I had a chair, but I could not contain my dancing body anymore. You're singing 90's songs. Seriously. And I have lots of pictures that I should share with you. But anyhoo, this lady walks up, and Lou and I, of the four of us in our group, are the oldest two. So the other two girls we're with are in their, like, mid-20's, and they make us feel very old. But this lady walks up, and she looks at Lou and I, and she says, I don't know why y'all know all these songs. Y'all probably weren't even born when they came out. And I was like, she thinks we were born in the 2000's. I'm going to take it. I'm going to take it. You're going to what? That's awesome. Congratulations. This thing must be working really well. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to just hang on to all of these, and then when I'm 50, I'm going to think back on them and be like, I'm still young. I got it. Okay, back to Elton. Sorry, guys. So it's going to take a tiny bit of a sad turn for a second. Okay. So, okay, so we are in 1990's. We're still in the AIDS epidemic. Kind of not the tail end. I mean, we still have issues with it now, but, like, the major problems. Right. There was a boy named Ryan White who had accidentally been, had gotten AIDS through a blood transfusion. Oh, no. Oh, that's so tragic. He was 13. Oh, bless him. This kid, because everybody was, and I'm going to be mean about it, were dumbasses back then, and they were so hateful about it. This 13-year-old kid who got it from a blood transfusion was being threatened and bullied in his hometown. Oh, that's so sad. Elton heard of this, paid for the family to move, paid for it. And then in the last couple weeks of this child's life, he died in 1990, stayed in the hospital with the family for two weeks. Yeah. Oh, I got, like, violent chills all over. Yeah. Oh. And then he dedicated his song, Skyline Pigeon, like he wrote a song, Skyline Pigeon, for Ryan White. Oh. I know. The chills got worse. I didn't know they could get worse, but they did. I'm so sorry. Okay, we're going back to not sad things now. It's okay. I know. Rest in peace, Ryan White. God, I felt so bad. That's so tragic. I literally, I could not dig into it anymore because, like, as a parent, I was immediately gutted, just gutted. Yeah. So 1992, the one came out. It got one, two, wait, five, six, seven, eight, nine platinums, two golds. Casual. Cash. And this had been his biggest hit since, like, 1975. Wow. The artwork was done by Gianni Versace. Really? Ooh. Yeah. Apparently him and Versace were friends. Of course they were friends. Yeah. And, of course, him and Princess Diana were friends. Oh, yes. Yeah. And I didn't know this because I never really looked at the timelines together. They all died in, like, the same year. Lennon, Versace, and Diana died within, like, not that long from each other. That's wild. Yeah. Yeah. And Eric Clapton was on this album. Oh. I like Eric Clapton. So in 1994, Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Axl Rose, like, inducted him was the guy announcing. Oh. Okay, cool. Yeah. And Axl said, for myself as well as for many others, no one has been more of an inspiration than Elton John. When I first heard Benny and the Jets, I knew at that time I had to be a performer. Oh. He's just out there inspiring people. Freaking Axl Rose. Yeah. Who would have thought? Yeah, right. So Tom, Tim, sorry, Tim Rice, was writing the lyrics for The Lion King for Disney, and they were like, hey, who do you think we should have, like, come and do piano and sing and shit? And he was like, Elton John. And so they were like, yeah, bet. So, quote from Elton, this project was exciting and challenging because I had to write differently from what I would write for myself. I think that The Lion King is the funniest movie Disney has made since Jungle Book. In fact, I probably think it's the funniest movie they've ever made. That's what Elton said. Yeah, I'm, like, reflecting on the movie. Like, I mean, there are funny parts, yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, it's Hamlet. Yeah. I think, honestly, I think there is a lot more. When was the last time you saw it? A few years ago. I rewatch it pretty regularly because it's one of my favorites. I love all the little, like, quips and jokes that you would not get as a, like, child. Oh, yeah, for sure. I think Disney was really good at making movies where the, this is why that they stick with us is because an adult can watch that movie and the humor is different. Yeah. Like, it just hits different. You're like, oh, oh, they did not. Well, that's the difference between, like, a kid's movie and a family movie. You know, a kid's movie is targeted to children, but a family movie is targeted to everyone. They are so good at it. Yeah. They're so good. So he won an Academy Award for his work on the movie because, of course, he did. And then he said the sweetest damn thing. I'd like to dedicate this award to my grandmother, Ivy Sewell. She died last week, and she was the one who sat me down at the piano when I was three and made me play. Aww. I know. Aww. I know. Aww. I know. Well, then Princess Diana died. Aww. And then, I'm sorry, okay. I thought all the sad parts were over and I lied. So the new version of Candle in the Wind, Bernie rewrote the lyrics to reflect Princess Diana. And we saw this, if y'all, you know, shout out to ourselves in our bonus episode. We did talk about this very briefly in the Diana episode that he played at her funeral. Yeah. And he played Candle in the Wind. They revised the wording to reflect Diana. And it sold 33 million copies. Just that one song? Just the one song. It is the most successful pop single in history. Doesn't surprise me at all. And it raised millions of dollars for her memorial fund. Aww. It made me think of maybe it'll bring a little humor back to the situation. So there's a show called Parks and Recreation. It's one of my favorite shows. And there's a, spoiler alert, a pony dies. And it's, like, the town hero. And they're trying to come up with, like, the funeral and, like, how they're going to celebrate the pony. And the main character tells another character who's actually Chris Pratt's character, like, write his song. Make it, like, Candle in the Wind but 10,000 times better. And the song is 10,000 Candles in the Wind. It's great. I won't sing it, but it's a really funny song. And if you watch Parks and Rec, you know it. It's a funny show. Maybe I'll send you the video of them singing the song in the episode. I'm going to bring it back down for a second. Okay. But they showed in that very 2007, like, documentary, they played him, like, a recording of him playing at the funeral. And he was like, yeah, I'm going to need you to turn that off. Because he was still getting emotional about it. Yeah. It was heartbreaking. He said she put her trust in the wrong people is what happened. That was his opinion. Yeah. And we've talked, like you said, we've talked about Prince of Spain and kind of our thoughts and opinions about the whole thing. Yeah. There's a lot of thoughts and opinions, so you should go listen to that episode. You should. Turn our Patreon. You get tickets. Two. So, in 1997, Made in England was released. Let's see. One, two, three, four platinums, three gold. So, of course, it was. In September of 1997, The Big Picture was released. And this had Something About the Way You Look Tonight was on it. Okay. And it got one, two, three, four, five, six platinums and a gold. That song is on, like, the tip of my tongue. Something about the way you look tonight. Thank you. Wakes my breath away. Thank you. You're welcome. It was, like, right there. I was like, how did it go? Thank you. And in 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Ah. So that is where we get Sir Elton John. Ah, of course he was knighted. And he was knighted for services to British pop and for his work in raising money for AIDS charities. And we will talk about his charities in a few minutes. Okay. But Elton said, quote, I've had a long career and worked hard, but I think the turning point came in 1990 when I got sober and started to do some charity work, particularly for the AIDS problem. A knighthood is the icing on the cake. Aw. Mm-hmm. So in 1998, John re-teamed with Tim Rice and wrote the stage musical, Elaborate Lives, The Legend of Ada, and it's a loose adaption of an opera. Okay. So the 2000s. I'm going to get a drink. On October 20th of 2000, he had two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden where he was joined by Billy Joel, Mary J. Blige, Rowan Keaton, Brian Adams, Anastasia, and Kiki D. Oh, my God. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, I would die on the spot if I was able to see Billy Joel and Elton John. You would come bust. I would come bust. Like a candle whip, just poof. Yeah, poof. There goes Emily. She got too excited. So what's funny is that, like, I just immediately thought of Roller Coaler. Roller Coaler. I was just hopping on the Roller Coaler. Sorry, I didn't mean to derail you. No, please don't derail me about Roller Coaler. I'm just imagining being on a roller coaster shaped like a Pepsi can and it's just going to yank over the road. Oh, God. Okay. So it was two sold-out shows, right? Uh-huh. The shows were being recorded to make, like, a live album, right? Well, one of the shows didn't record correctly, so they, like, the second one, like, had to go right. Right. And it did. Good. And so they named it One Night Only. That's awesome. I love that. I think that's so cute. Like, oh, well, it was two nights and now it's only one. So One Night Only. Yeah, okay. Yeah. So in 2001, I love this. So in the early 2000s, we all know Eminem was in some hot water, just for the shit that comes out of his mouth. Yep. And it's still coming out of his mouth. His new song, Houdini, has got these young whippersnappers in a tizzy because of the shit coming out of his mouth. It's like that is nothing compared to his 90s and early 2000s songs. When he was the real Slim Shady. Oh, my God. He was calling out everybody. He was dressing up as Britney Spears in his freaking music video. Yeah, no chill. You know, he still has no chill. Good on him, though. He's a consistent motherfucker. And lyrical. Seriously, he's incredible. Anyhoo, Eminem was performing at the Grammys, and he started the song Stayin'. Which is actually kind of a stressful song, but whatever. So there's a curtain, and there's a mystery pianist playing the keyboard. And he starts singing Stayin', and the curtains open, and it's Elton John singing with Eminem. That's amazing. Because Elton John loved Eminem. Yeah. And so he sang all the, like, chorus-y parts of the song. And I just love that so much. I love that. I do, too. So in 2001, Songs from the West Coast was released, and that was one, two, three, four, five, six golds, two platinums. And then we've got 2004, Peachtree Road, three golds. So we're kind of starting to dwindle down just a little bit. Peachtree Road makes me think of Atlanta. Yes. But, you know. Elton John and Bernie wrote the musical Lestat. I don't think I'm saying that right, and I'm so sorry. And it was based on a series of novels that were written by Anne Rice. Oh, the Interview with the Vampire. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's Lestat. Lestat? Okay. I didn't know if it was, like, Lesta or something. I think it's T silent. I don't know. My Appalachian doesn't like words like that. So anyway. And then Elton John composed the score for the Billy Elliot musical. It was the stage adaption of the film. Okay. And the following year, he won ten Tonys, including Best Musical. Wow. And same year, he received a Kennedy Center Honor. Oh, okay. And 2006, he's still just throwing album after album out. I feel like every year he has a new album. Another thing that artists don't do anymore is, the Queen was doing this. Like, artists back in the day, I guess if you wanted to stay relevant, you had to throw out some albums. Yeah. And I feel like artists now, not for good or bad, they just take their time, a little bit more time with it now. And I think it's interesting that, like, we get an album every couple years from mainstream people now, where these bitches were throwing them out every eight months. Yeah. I think it's easier to stay relevant nowadays. Yeah. Yeah. It is. I totally agree with that. So he released in 2006, The Captain and the Kid. It got a silver. And I don't know the song. I have not heard the song. I thought it was notable. Only because it's named Postcards from Richard Nixon. Okay. What is the song about? I ran out of time to look it up. Why do we need postcards when we have the recording? Also, check out our Watergate episodes. They're great. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. Elton John is relevant in all the things we do, apparently. So in 2007, on March 25th, Elton celebrated his 60th birthday by playing a record-breaking 60th sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. That's crazy. He, at the time, between 2003 and 2009, he had a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which a lot of artists do because you can just stay in one place, and it's great. And people come to you. Yeah. And the show was titled Elton John and the Red Piano. It was kind of a retrospective of his career. And the original residency was supposed to have 75 shows over three years. But by the time he actually stopped in 2009, he had performed 248 shows. Wow. That's interesting. He just kept going. Yeah. And during that one 60th sold-out show, he was accompanied by Brooklyn Youth Chorus and Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams. Wow. Yeah. So in 2005, he married David Furnish. They are still married. They had a little hiatus in 2014. Like they divorced and then got remarried in 2014. I guess they realized they made an oopsie. Okay. But that was the only, they were like, you know what? No, we do want to be married. Okay. But they now have two sons, Zachary and Elijah. Okay. Aw. I know. And I think they're probably in their early teens at this point. Okay. I feel like they're in their early teens. I feel like they were like five and six when we were in high school, so something like that. Okay. So they're young. Yeah. Yeah. They're young. So apparently how they met was he, after Elton had, you know, gotten sober, gotten settled over the past, you know, handful of years, back in 1990, he was wanting to meet new people, I guess, better people, better influenced people because he's sober now. So he threw a party, told a friend to bring friends, and David was one of those friends that had been brought by a mutual friend. And to quote Elton, to quote, I was attracted to David immediately. He was very well dressed, very shy. The next night we had dinner. After it, we consummated our relationship. We fell in love very quickly. Aw. Okay. Thanks, Elton. But apparently Elton, so they dated. They were together. They were partners up until 2005, and they only got married in 2005 because the gay marriage law went through in 2004. Okay. Like it went into effect in 2005. So they got married on the day it went into effect. Aw. Like they wasted no time, no time at all. And he said that before David, his relationships were like, oh, well, I like you. And then I'm just going to like, he said he kidnapped them and then like took them on tour. But then the resentment started because like you're not adding anything to my life. You're just kind of mooching off of me now. Right. So when David came around, he was already well established. He had his own, he said he had his own flat. He had his own car. He was in the music industry. And then when they started dating, I think he went into the movie industry. So he continued. And I saw a couple of interviews where they were being interviewed together, and he was talking about the foundations and the charities and stuff. So he's very involved. Okay. And Elton felt like he had found an equal and a soulmate. Aw. Which was so sweet. So in 2013, he released a diving board, which just got a silver. He received the first ever Brit's Icon Award for his lasting impact on the UK in 2013. Okay. And in February 2016, Wonderful Crazy Night was released. He didn't get any awards for that one. And then later on in 2021, he had regimental Sergeant Zippo, and he didn't get any awards for that one either. But those were his last two albums. Gotcha. So he began his second Las Vegas residency, entitled The Million Dollar Piano. And that was from 2011 to 2018. Oh, wow. He, yes. He wrote his autobiography, just titled Me, and it was published in 2019. And then Rocket Man came out in 2019 as well, which David worked on. Like he was one of the producers or something like that. Yeah. And it was a biopic. That's the word I'm looking for. Yeah. It did win an Academy Award for Best Original Song. I'm Gonna Love Me Again. That was a song they wrote for that biopic. Okay. And COVID kind of screwed some things up for him. Because in 2018, he announced he was going on one final tour, dubbed Farewell Yellow Brick Road, and it was scheduled to last three years. But in 2020, you know, we all know what happened. I don't have to talk about it, do I? No, you don't. We know what happened. Okay. Cool. So during the break, he recorded his 32nd studio album, The Lockdown Sessions. And this included collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Eddie Vedder, and Miley Cyrus. Wow. And more. Yeah. And then he finished out the tour in 2022. Okay. So it just got postponed a little bit. Yes. Did you know that he has a song with Fall Out Boy? I kind of think I did. I think it's called like The Death of Rock and Roll or something like that. Well, now I feel like I need to go find that. I'll find it for you. He's got a song with everybody. Mm-hmm. He's been around for a long time. Yeah. Yeah. So as a recap, he's achieved two diamond, 43 platinum or multi-platinum, and 26 gold albums over 70. He's got 70 top 40, over 70 top 40 hits. And he sold more than 300 million records worldwide. He holds the record for the biggest selling physical single of all time, The Candle in the Wind in 97 for Diana. And since launching on his first tour in 1970, he has performed over 4,600 times in more than 80 countries. Oh, my God. That's so many. I know. And he's gotten 67 Hot 100 entries between 1970 and 2000, and including nine number ones and 29 top tens, and seven number one albums in the three-and-a-half-year period between 72 and 75. And it's only been beat by the Beatles. Of course it was the Beatles. Yeah, you can't beat the Beatles. Yeah. My slaver is Gaston. Yeah, for real. And you know what? There's, like, stand by. One, two, wait, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen more awards. Fourteen more awards. We don't have time. Yeah. Actually, no, there's more. He won, like, five Grannies. He got the Granny Legend Award. Like, I don't even know what that is. He was literally knighted. Yeah. He, in 2024, he got the Elite, is it EGOT, EGME, where he got an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Yeah. I would love to see his, like, trophy wall. I know, right? Yeah. What if they're all just, like, in a pile, like, in just, like, a little bed? He's like, I'll throw my next trophy in here, my new statue, all my medals. Here's my sword because I'm a knight. I hope he has very flamboyant armor somewhere in his house. I want to see it. I bet he does. I would. If somebody said I'm a knight, I would be the most extra. I want, if I'm a knight, I want a whole suit of armor. I want the entire suit. Yeah. And I want to hide it in it like a Scooby-Doo episode and scare people. Love that. Can we do that? Oh, my God. Okay. So, charities. So, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has raised over $450 million and funded programs across four continents in the 24 years. Well, not 24 years now since it's been open. I think it's been a little longer than that, maybe closer to 30 years. And he also performs for Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Rainforest Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation. He is patron or ambassador to 23 charities and is a member of Executive Advisory Board for four charities that gives scholarship funds to the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School of Music. Wow. And one of the ladies in one of the documentaries said he lives a very flamboyant lifestyle because, of course, he can. He makes a lot of money. He's one of the richest people probably in the world. He just doesn't. But he gives a lot of it back. He is really proud of these charities, and I think that's wonderful. He puts his money into good things. Yeah. Well, that's good. And I'll applaud him for that. And that's all I have. Aw. I know. We're done. Aw. It was just an hour 50. Two hours. I'm not sorry for this. Listen, if this was going to be our first person who is still alive, why not Elton John? Absolutely. He's amazing. He is amazing, and I hope that he has many more years to continue to do amazing things. Me too. Could you imagine Elton John being your dad? No. Like, everyone's like, oh, my God, it's Elton John. Hey, Dad. Cash. No, I can't. Like, I can't put myself in that world. No, I'm just trying to imagine Elton John standing in a kitchen, like, drinking a cup of coffee. Picking you up from school. The most mundane thing. Just like him in, like, the car rider line. Could you imagine the big sunglasses in the car lane? Like, enormous sunglasses that go from, like, the middle of his head to, like, the middle of his face. Oh, I hate trying to, like, Imagine celebrities doing anything very mundane because it's so weird. Just weird. When I was a kid, this was a very personal fact about me, and I'm going to go ahead and apologize. I used to, whenever I would, like, feel very self-conscious, I would just imagine celebrities pooping, and it would make me feel better. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Now I'm imagining. I did it when I was a kid. I don't do it as an adult because I'm comfortable with it. I did it when I was a kid. I don't do it as an adult because I'm comfortable with myself. But when I was having, like, low self-esteem issues as a young child, I would, like, my mom was, like, addicted to, like, People Magazine and Us Magazine. She had all those magazines and whatever. I was like, wow, they're so skinny, and, like, they're so beautiful, and I could never be that way. I'd be like, you know what, they poop. And I would feel better about myself because, like, they're just a person. Why is that the standard? That's a little bit about me, audience. Oh, my God. Man, honestly, I needed you to tell me that when I was a kid because I had a lot of self-conscious things, too. And that, I think that would have made me feel better. Well, now I'm thinking, like, what if a performer's up there, and they're, like, I really need to pee right now. I know. They're, like, on stage, and they're, like, crossing their legs a lot, and you think they're dancing, but they're just really holding it in. At any given time, after I've had kids, I am a slob. I am a slob. I don't do it as an adult. I don't do it as an adult. I don't do it as an adult. I don't do it as an adult. At any given time, after I've had kids, I am a sneeze away from having a bad day. So, like, I could not. No. I could not. Especially, like, these, like, tiny outfits that celebrities wear, or it's, like, super skintight. It's like, no, uh-uh. How are you dancing in those heels, ma'am? I trip over air. Yeah. Absolute air. I cannot. That was a good one. Yeah. No, I love learning about Elton John. I do, too. Every time I think of Elton John, well, not every time, because I have so many, like, every song to me feels different and it puts me in a different place. But if I think of Elton John in general, I, when I was in high school, I used to play The Sims a lot, and I would just put Elton John, I don't know why this was the go-to combo for me. I would put Elton John on repeat and just build houses in The Sims. Why was that the go-to? I don't know. But I would be in my room, like, on my little laptop, thinking I was cool as shit with my iPod, and I had all my favorite Elton John, and I'm like, I remember when Brock was young. Killing Sims. Why was I like that? You know what? It's what helps make you great. Yeah. Well, I, you thought about them pooping, and I put weird combos together. Okay. We should get into socials. Yes, let's do socials. Let's pick this. First off, find our socials, and, like, share us, like us, talk to us, you know, something. Yeah, rate us. Go to your, like, Spotify or Apple podcast or wherever you listen to this. Like, rate us, say something, talk to us. We want to hear from you. Pretty please. And we will, yeah, you can e-mail us. Do not feel, like, shy about e-mailing us. We love it. We think it's great. So we'd love to hear from you. Anyway, if you like this, find us on Facebook. At illequippedhistorypodcastgroupandpage. Instagram? At illequippedhistory. Gmail? illequippedhistoryatgmail.com. TikTok? At illequippedhistory. And Patreon? Patreon.com slash illequippedhistory. And we also have a YouTube channel now. We do have a YouTube channel now. There's no videos, and we're so sorry about that. It's just audio. It's just audio. But if that is how you prefer to consume your podcast, check us out there. Yeah, the channel is Illequipped History. Yeah. Yeah. So if you want to be a pop star and your name is something along the lines of Reginald Dwight, change it. Yeah. Worked out good for Elton John. Yeah. Change it to something cool. And be authentic. Yes. Be your true you, and people will love you for it. Yeah. And if you're weird, be weird. Embrace it. We like weird around here. Yes. God knows we're weird as fuck. I don't know how I landed a husband. I bamboozled the fuck out of him. Catfished the shit out of that man. I acted normal for six years. He was dazzled by your amazing blue eyes. And then you're like, ah-ha, gremlin. Was not the eyes he was looking at. I was trying to give him an ounce of credit, but yeah, it was your hams. Well, I did. We laugh about it. I was like, honey, what did you notice about me first? And he was like, yeah, it was your ass. It was, absolutely. True romantic. I love it. Love that for you. Okay, bye. Okay, bye.