Music of Elton John
Insights into the music of Elton John as written for Marching Band
Reginald Hercules Dwight, otherwise known as Elton John, is one of the most prolific musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries. His body of work spans several decades, multiple collaborators, and even movie roles. If we were to discuss his music purely in the aesthetic sense, it would be fair to say his songs are not only fun, but entertaining. However, many of his songs have history behind them…and John used his music to tell his listeners a little bit about himself and his music, and the people who worked with him. The first song(s) in our performance piece, “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” were originally not written as one single piece. At 11 minutes long, the two pieces were rarely played on the radio when the album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was released in 1973. However, it soon became a favorite of radio DJs, because it allowed them to take their much-needed bathroom and/or snack breaks. John wrote “Funeral” for two reasons: his record producer Gus Dudgeon had often suggested that John write a rock instrumental, and John had often pondered what type of music he would want to have played at his own funeral (Guarisco, 2014). The decision to segue into “Love Lies Bleeding” was made from a purely musical viewpoint. For one, “Funeral” ends in the key of A, while “Love” begins in “A.” In addition, the next song on the album would have been the tribute to Marilyn Monroe, “Candle in the Wind,” and John felt that having that song directly after “Funeral” would have not been well received by the public (Sala, 2008). “Love” has no real backstory, other than being a standard “end of the relationship” rock ballad. The next piece in our performance, “Your Song,” was first recorded in 1970 but did not hit the U.S. music charts until 1971. According to John’s longtime musical partner and lyricist Bernie Taupin, the lyrics were not about a specific girlfriend, but written because
Reginald Hercules Dwight, otherwise known as Elton John, is one of the most prolific musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries. His body of work spans several decades, multiple collaborators, and even movie roles. If we were to discuss his music purely in the aesthetic sense, it would be fair to say his songs are not only fun, but entertaining. However, many of his songs have history behind them…and John used his music to tell his listeners a little bit about himself and his music, and the people who worked with him. The first song(s) in our performance piece, “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” were originally not written as one single piece. At 11 minutes long, the two pieces were rarely played on the radio when the album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was released in 1973. However, it soon became a favorite of radio DJs, because it allowed them to take their much-needed bathroom and/or snack breaks. John wrote “Funeral” for two reasons: his record producer Gus Dudgeon had often suggested that John write a rock instrumental, and John had often pondered what type of music he would want to have played at his own funeral (Guarisco, 2014). The decision to segue into “Love Lies Bleeding” was made from a purely musical viewpoint. For one, “Funeral” ends in the key of A, while “Love” begins in “A.” In addition, the next song on the album would have been the tribute to Marilyn Monroe, “Candle in the Wind,” and John felt that having that song directly after “Funeral” would have not been well received by the public (Sala, 2008). “Love” has no real backstory, other than being a standard “end of the relationship” rock ballad. The next piece in our performance, “Your Song,” was first recorded in 1970 but did not hit the U.S. music charts until 1971. According to John’s longtime musical partner and lyricist Bernie Taupin, the lyrics were not about a specific girlfriend, but written because
Cited: Antonelli, Laura, and Roger Catlin. ""Your Song" by Elton John." Song Meanings at Songfacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <http://www.songfacts.com/>. Antonelli, Laura, and Roger Caitlin. ""Saturday Night 's Alright (for Fighting)" by Elton John." Song Meanings at Songfacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <http://www.songfacts.com/>. Guarisco, Donald. ""Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding"." AllMusic. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <http://www.allmusic.com/>. "Lyrics for "Saturday Night 's Alright (for Fighting)"." AZLyrics - Song Lyrics from A to Z. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/>. Sala, Miguel. "The Story Behind "Funeral for a Friend"." 30 years of eltonjohnallsongslist. N.p., 17 June 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. <http://eltonjohnallsongslist.blogspot.com/>.