ELTON JOHN


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Elton John
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ELTON JOHN
Words
Elton John



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b. Reginald Kenneth Dwight, 25 March 1947, Pinner, Middlesex, England. At the age of four, the young Dwight started taking piano lessons.

This launched a talent that via the Royal Academy Of Music led him to become the most successful rock pianist in the world, one of the richest men in Britain and one of the world's greatest rock stars.
 Dwight formed his first band Bluesology in the early 60s and turned professional in 1965 when they secured enough work backing touring American soul artists.

Long John Baldry joined the band in 1966, which included Elton Dean on saxophone and Caleb Quaye on lead guitar. As the forceful Baldry became the leader, John became disillusioned with being a pub pianist and began to explore the possibilities of a music publishing contract.

Following a meeting set up by Ray Williams of Liberty Records at Dick James Music, the shy Dwight first met Bernie Taupin, then an unknown writer from Lincolnshire. Realizing they had uncannily similar musical tastes they began to communicate by post only, and their first composition "Scarecrow" was completed.

This undistinguished song was the first to bear the John/Taupin moniker; John had only recently adopted this name, having dispensed with Reg Dwight in favour of the more saleable title borrowed from the first names of his former colleagues Elton Dean and  John Baldry.
b=born né
to start (+ ing) commencer à
to launch lancer
to lead conduire
to become devenir
to turn professional devenir professionnel
to secure aassurer (du travail)
to back financer
touring tournées
soul artist artiste soul
to join rejoindre
band groupe
to include comprendre, inclure
lead guitar guitar principale
forceful énergique
to become disillusioned perdre ses illusions
following à la suite de
meeting rencontre, rendez-vous
to set up fixer
unknown inconnu
uncannily de manière troublante
taste goût
by post  par courrier
to complete achever
undistinguished banal
moniker surnom
to dispense with se débarasser de
saleable vendeur
to borrow emprunter
colleague (-so) collègue
former ancien, précédent
elton-john-2





In 1968 John and Taupin were signed by Dick James, formerly of Northern Songs, to be staff writers for his new company DJM Records at a salary of £10 per week.
The songs were slow to take off, although Roger Cook released their "Skyline Pigeon" and Lulu sang "I've Been Loving You Too Long" as a potential entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.
One hopes that John was not too depressed when he found that "Boom-Bang-A-Bang" was the song chosen in its place.
While the critics liked his own single releases, none were selling. Only "Lady Samantha" came near to breaking the chart, which is all the more perplexing as it was an excellent, commercial-sounding record.
In June 1969 Empty Sky was released, and John was still ignored, although the reviews were reasonably favourable. During the next few months he played on sessions with the Hollies (notably the piano on "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother") and made budget recordings for cover versions released in supermarkets.
Finally, Elton John's agonizingly long wait for recognition came the following year when Gus Dudgeon produced the outstanding Elton John. Among the tracks were "Border Song" and the classic "Your Song". The latter provided the singer with his first UK hit, reaching number 2, and announced the emergence of a major talent.
to be signed by choisi par
staff  portée
writer écrivain
staffwriter compositeur
per week par semaine
to take off démarrer, prendre
to release diffuser

contest concours

single release (-s) single
none were selling aucun ne se vendait
to come near to arriver presque à
to break the chart briser la règle
perplexing inexplicable
commercial-sounding avec un potentiel  commercial
review (-s) revue
budget recording (-s) enregistrement commerciaux
cover version (-s) reprise
wait attente
recognition reconnaissance
outstanding remarquable
track (-s) pistes
to provide fournir
hit succès au hit parade
to reach atteindre
emergence émergencef
The momentum was maintained with Tumbleweed Connection but the following soundtrack, Friends and the live 17-11-70 were major disappointments to his fans.
These were minor setbacks, as over the next few years Elton John became a superstar. His concerts in America were legendary as he donned ridiculous outfits and outrageous spectacles. At one stage between 1972 and 1975 he had seven consecutive number 1 albums, variously spawning memorable hits including "Rocket Man", "Daniel", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Candle In The Wind" and the powerful would-be suicide note, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight". He was partly responsible for bringing John Lennon and Yoko Ono back together again in 1975, following the Madison Square Garden concert on 28 November 1974, and became Sean Lennon's godfather. In 1976 he topped the UK charts with a joyous duet with Kiki Dee, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", and released further two million-selling albums, Here And There and Blue Moves. The phenomenal pattern continued as John courted most of the rock cognoscenti. Magazine articles peeking into his luxury home revealed an astonishing wardrobe, and a record collection so huge that he would never be able to listen to all of it.
In 1977 Elton John declared that he was retiring from music, and in 1979 Taupin moved to Los Angeles as the John/Taupin partnership went into abeyance.
momentum élan
to maintain maintenir
soundtrack bande sonore
following suivant
live version live
disappointment (-s) déception
fan (-s) fan
setback reculée
legendary légendaire
to don mettre
ridiculous ridicule
outfit (-s) tenue
outrageous extravagant, scandaleux
at one stage à une époque
consecutive de manière consécutive
to spawn produire
hit succès
godfather parrain
to top atteindre le top
charts hit-parade
joyous joyeux
duet duo
to release distribuer
million-selling avec des ventes dépassant le million
to court chercher l'approbation de
to peeck into jeter un oeil dans
luxury home maison luxueuse
to reveal révéler
astonishing étonnant
wardrobe garderobe
record collection collection de disques
huge immense, énorme
all of it en totalité
to retire se retirer de
to go into abeyance tomber en désuétude

John started writing with pianist and bandleader Tony Osborne's son, Gary. The partnership produced few outstanding songs, however. The most memorable during that time was the solo instrumental "Song For Guy", a beautiful tribute to a Rocket Records motorcycle messenger killed in a road accident. Elton John then entered an uncomfortable phase in his life; he remained one of pop's most newsworthy figures, openly admitting his bisexuality and personal insecurities about his weight and baldness. It was this vulnerability that made him such a popular personality. His consumerism even extended to rescuing his favourite football team, Watford. He purchased the club and invested money in it, and under his patronage their fortunes changed positively.
John's albums and sales during the early 80s were patchy, and only when he started working exclusively with Taupin again did his record sales pick up. The first renaissance album was Too Low For Zero in 1983, which scaled the charts along with the triumphant single "I'm Still Standing'. John ended the year in much better shape and married Renate Blauel the following February. During 1985 he appeared at Wham!"s farewell concert, and the following month he performed at the historic Live Aid concert, giving a particularly strong performance as one of rock's elder statesmen.
bandleader leader de groupe
partnership partenariat
memorable mémorable
tribute tribut
few peu de
newsworthy ayant un intérêt médiatique
openly ouvertement
to admit admettre
bisexuality bisexualité
insecurity  inquiétude
weight poids
baldness calvitie
vulnerability vulnérabilité
personality personalité
popular populaire
consumerism dépense outrancière
to rescue sauver
team équipe
to extend to aller jusqu'à
to purchase acheter
to invest investir
money argent
patronage parrainage
fortune fortune, sort
positively positivement
patchy inégal
exclusively exclusivement
to pick up remonter
to scale the charts escalader le hit parade
triumphant triomphant
in better shape en meilleure forme
to marry épouser
farewell adieu
statesman personnalité
performance spectacle, représentation
He completed the year with another massive album, Ice On Fire. In January 1986 he and Taupin contested a lengthy court case for back royalties against DJM. However, the costs of the litigation were prohibitive and the victory at best pyrrhic. Towards the end of that year John collapsed onstage in Australia and entered an Australian hospital for throat surgery in January.
During this time the UK gutter press were having a field day, speculating on John's possible throat cancer and his rocky marriage. The press had their pound of flesh when it was announced that Renate and John had separated. In 1988 he released the excellent Reg Strikes Back and the fast-tempo boogie, "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That". Meanwhile, The Sun newspaper made serious allegations against the singer, which prompted a libel suit. Considering the upheavals in his personal life and regular sniping by the press John sounded in amazingly good form and was performing with the energy of his early 70s extravaganzas. In September, almost as if he were closing a chapter of his life, Elton auctioned at Sotheby's 2000 items of his personal memorabilia including his boa feathers, "Pinball Wizard" boots and hundreds of pairs of spectacles.
to complete achever
massive massif
to contest contester
lengthy court case affaire qui traîna en longueur
back royalty royaltiy
cost coût
litigation litige
prohibitive prohibitif
victory victoire
pyrrhic victoire victoire à la Pyrrhus
towads the end of vers la fin de
to collapse s'effondrer
onstage sur scène
to enter an hospital entrer à l'hopital
throat gorge
surgery opération chirurgicale
gutter press presse à scandales
to have a field day s'en donner à coeur joie
to speculate spéculer
rocky instable
marriage mariage
to have one's pound of flesh avoir son heure de gloire
to announce annoncer
to separate se séparer
fast-tempo au rythme rapide
boogie boogie
meanwhile entretemps
allegation (-s) allégation
to prompt entraîner
libel suit  procès en diffamation
upheaval (-s) bouleversement
sniping attaques (de la presse)
amazingly de manière étonnante
extravangaza (-s) extravagance
to sound avoir l'air
to perform jouer
as if comme si
chapter chapitre
to auction mettre aux enchères
item (s) article
memorabilia souvenirs (personnels)
boa feathers plumes de boa
paire of spectacles paires de lunettes
In December 1988, John accepted a settlement (reputedly £1 million, although never confirmed) from The Sun, thus forestalling one of the most bitter legal disputes in pop history. He appeared a sober figure, now divorced, and concentrated on music, recording two more strong albums (Sleeping With The Past and The One).
In April 1991 the Sunday Times announced that John had entered the list of the top 200 wealthiest people in Britain. He added a further £300,000 to his account when he yet again took on the UK press and won, this time the Sunday Mirror, for an alleged incident with regard to bulimia. In 1993 an array of guest musicians appeared on John's Duets, including Bonnie Raitt, Paul Young, k.d. lang, Little Richard and George Michael. Five new songs by the artist (written with Tim Rice) graced the soundtrack to 1994's Disney blockbuster, The Lion King, the accompanying album reaching number 1 in the US charts. In 1995 John confronted the media and gave a series of brave and extremely frank confessional interviews with regard to his past. He confessed to sex, drugs, food and rock 'n' roll. Throughout the revelations he maintained a sense of humour and it paid him well.
a settlement arrangement
reputedly d'après la rumeur
forestalling devançant
bitter amer
dispute débat, controverse
to appear apparaître comme
sober sobre
divorced divorcé
to record enregistrer
strong fort
wealthy riche, fortuné
account compte
to take on attaquer
to win gagner
alleged prétendu
incident incident
with regard to concernant
bulimia boulimie
array ensemble
guest musicians musiciens invités
to grace  embellir
soundtrack bande son
blockbuster superproduction
the Lion King le Roi Lion
to reach atteindre
to confront se confronter à
the media média
to give interviews donner des interviews
brave courageux
extremely extrêmement
frank franc
confessional confessionnel
past passé
drug (-s) drogue
throughout au travers de
revelation (-s) révélation
to maintain garder
sense of humour sens de l'humour
to pay someone well rapporter beaucoup
By confessing, his public seemed to warm further to him. He rewarded his fans with one of his best albums, Made In England, which scaled the charts throughout the world.
Elton John's career scaled new heights in September 1997 when, following the tragic death of his friend Diana, Princess Of Wales, he was asked by her family to sing at the funeral. This emotional moment was seen by an estimated 2 billion people. John's faultless performance in Westminster Abbey of a rewritten "Candle In The Wind" was entirely appropriate. Subsequently released as a charity record, it rapidly became the biggest-selling single of all time, overtaking Bing Crosby's "White Christmas". Buoyed by the publicity, John's 1997 album, The Big Picture, was another commercial success, and at the end of the year he was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1999, John duetted with American country star LeAnn Rimes on "Written In The Stars', a UK number 10 single in March. The single was taken from an ambitious stage adaptation of Aida by John and Tim Rice, which was rather clumsily retitled Elaborate Lives: The Legend Of Aida. The two men teamed up again the following year, with composer Hans Zimmer, to create the soundtrack to DreamWorks animated adventure, The Road To El Dorado.to
to warm to se prendre de sympathie
to reward récompenser
throughout the world dans le monde entier
to scale the charts escalader le hit parade
new heigts nouveaux sommets
following à la suite de
tragic death mort tragique
Princess of Wales Princesse de Galles
funeral funérailles
faultless sans faute, parfait
performance prestation
rewritten réécrit
appropriate approprié
subsequently par la suite
released diffusé
charity record enregistrement caritatif
rapidly rapidement
biggest-selling le plus vendu
of all time de tout temps
overtaking dépassant
buoyed by maintenu à flot
publicity publicité
to be awarded être attribué
knighthood titre de chevalier
to duet chanter en duo
country star star nationale
to take from extraire
stage adaptation adaptation pour la scène
clumsily maladroitement
retitled renommé
to team up faire équipe
animated adventure le dessin anîmé
His first studio album of the new millennium, Songs From The West Coast, was hailed as a return to the standards set by his classic early 70s material. In August 2003, he enjoyed a surprise UK number 1 single with a remix of 1979"s minor hit, "Are You Ready For Love". The following year he began a three-year residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Peachtree Road in 2004 was a conscious effort to recreate the atmosphere of the early "Americana flavoured" albums such as Elton John and Tumbleweed Connection. The result was wholly successful, both lyrically and musically.
With or without his now substantial wealth Elton John has kept the friendship and admiration of his friends and peers. He remains an outstanding songwriter and an underrated pianist, and together with the Beatles and Rolling Stones is Britain's most successful artist. He has ridden out all intrusions into his private life from the media with considerable dignity and has maintained enormous popularity. Above all he is still able to mock himself in down-to-earth fashion, aware of all his eccentricities.


Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989 - 2005
milllennium millénaire
to hail acclamer, saluer
material oeuvre
minor hit succès mineur
residency résidence officielle
conscious conscient
to recreate recréer
atmosphere atmosphère
Americana flavoured au goût américain
wholly successful complètement réussi
lyrically sur le plan lyrique
musically et le plan musical
substantial substantiel
wealth richesse
friendship amitié
admiration admiration
friends and peers amis et pairs
to remain rester
underrated sous-estimé, méconnu
pianist pianiste
to ride out surmonter, survivre à
intrusion (-s) intrusion
private life vie privée
dignity dignité
above all par dessus tout
to mock oneself se moquer de soi
down-to-earth terre  à terre, réaliste
fashion manière
aware of conscient de
eccentricity  (-ies) excentricité