I’m a fan of Elton John’s music—obviously! Yet in all the decades that I’ve been listening to him, I never imagined I’d end up writing a book about him, let alone two. But I’m a professional book-writing historian, so when I discovered the 33 1/3 book series (each book on one album), I decided to pitch a proposal—and on a whim, I proposed writing on Elton’s Blue Moves LP. That book led a few years later to another—my On Elton John—which means I’ve now listened to every Elton song many times and read mountains of Elton interviews (but, no, I’m not planning a third Elton book)!
I was surprised at how funny this book is. It had me chuckling and giggling and even guffawing!
I am aware that autobiographies by celebrity musicians at this level are composed by ghost writers, but I hoped that Elton’s voice—and some of his quirky, witty, often self-deprecating but also often wickedly catty personality—would be evident. And I was delighted by how much that is the case here. There is no shortage of poignant moments as well.
Perhaps it is a tad unfair to place an autobiography above biographies and other books. After all, how can you compete with Sir Elton himself? But it seemed appropriate here, as Me is such a hoot and such a delight.
In his first and only official autobiography, music icon Elton John reveals the truth about his extraordinary life. Me is the joyously funny, honest and moving story of the most enduringly successful singer/songwriter of all time.
The Sunday Times bestseller with a new chapter bringing the story up to date.
'The rock memoir of the decade' - Daily Mail 'The rock star's gloriously entertaining and candid memoir is a gift to the reader' - Sunday Times ______________
Christened Reginald Dwight, he was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed…
He writes biographies of pop stars like Paul McCartney and Kate Bush, and I always find them to be well researched and engagingly written. This book on Elton’s rollercoaster life in the 1970s is so rich in detail that I wished Doyle had not stopped at the end of that decade (keep going, Tom!).
A different book with the same title and on the same topic was published the year before (written by David DeCouto). I mention this in case it confuses anyone, as I ended up buying (and reading) both. It is even longer and also very good, so while I’ve given Doyle’s book the nod here, I’m cheating by sneaking its worthy rival in here.
In August 1970 Elton John achieved overnight fame after a rousing performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles; over the next five years he was unstoppable, scoring seven consecutive number 1 albums and sixteen Top 10 singles in America. But behind his outre image and comedy glasses lay a desperately shy individual, conflicted about his success, his sexuality, and his narcotic indulgences. In 1975, at the apex of his fame, John attempted suicide twice yet, after announcing his retirement in 1977 at the age of thirty as well as coming out as a gay man, he gradually found his way…
Although His Song stops at the end of the 20th century (when it was written), it is the most carefully researched of the John biographies covering his first half-century.
That makes it invaluable to other writers (me, for example, when writing my own Elton books) and to fans looking to go down biographical and musical rabbit holes.
Rosenthal has also written about ornithologists and jazz musicians, and I always enjoy her writing—certainly careful but far from dull. She has a deft way of sharing her opinions, a kind of gentle persuasion that I found inspiring.
With Elton seemingly unstoppable, some biographers (like Mark Bego and David Buckley) have updated their John books; I rather hope Rosenthal will too!
A comprehensive overview of the musical career of Elton John provides the full story behind all of the musician's recordings, a complete chronicle of his concert tours, an assessment of his musical odyssey, and a study of his sometimes turbulent personal life, along with more than forty photographs and a complete discography.
Elton John may be a feast more for the ears than the eyes, but his unique and elaborate costuming and showmanship, along with his collector’s approach to art and fashion, mean that a visual component is crucial to any complete appraisal of his cultural significance.
I was thrilled to be able to include a few of Terry O’Neill’s classic photographs in my book On Elton John, but O’Neill’s work really deserves the treatment it is given here—a lavish, gorgeous, often mesmerizing presentation of every great O’Neill shot of John and the people who filled his world.
An ideal accompaniment to the biographies and albums.
"Looking at Terry's photographs is like gazing through a window at the most extraordinary and exciting moments of my life." ELTON JOHN
Elton John and iconic photographer Terry O'Neill worked together for many years, taking in excess of 5,000 photographs. From intimate backstage shots to huge stadium concerts, the photographs in this book represent the very best of this archive, with most of the images being shown here for the first time.
O'Neill has drawn on his personal relationship with Elton John to write the book's introduction and captions.
"I'm so glad he was with us throughout the madness: in…
I almost didn’t include Bernie Taupin’s autobiography, because Elton John appears in it surprisingly seldom; this is really a book about Bernie, not about Elton or their lifelong working relationship.
But that itself is telling, and Scattershot does in the end reveal much about the world in which Bernie and Elton found themselves—and the world they created. After all, Bernie wrote most of Elton’s lyrics, and I think that makes the quirky poet elemental to any full appreciation of the albums with the singer’s name on them.
This may not be as engaging or amusing as Me, partly because Taupin’s humor is more wry, less self-deprecating, and not as raw and confessional. But I still found it fascinating.
In this New York Times bestseller, experience the evocative, clear-eyed, and revealing memoir by Bernie Taupin, the lyrical master and long-time collaborator of Elton John.
“I loved writing, I loved chronicling life and every moment I was cogent, sober, or blitzed, I was forever feeding off my surroundings, making copious notes as ammunition for future compositions. . . . The thing is good, bad, or indifferent I never stopped writing, it was as addictive as any drug.”
This is the memoir music fans have been waiting for. Half of one of the greatest creative partnerships in popular music, Bernie Taupin…
My Elton book is unlike any other—neither a biography nor an encyclopedic guide (despite the subtitle, which was determined by the series title). “By writing in the same way John composes—with style, passion, and a bit of cheek,” Nate Sloan says of On Elton John, I enact “a kind of reverse myth-making.”
Each of the ten chapters is tied to one Elton song and pairs him with another figure (from Bowie to Bennie). Each chapter explores a theme (collecting is one, origin mythology another) to answer a question (was Elton really a solo artist, for example, and what does his relationship with the royal family mean?). Not just for Elton fans, the book is for anyone interested in our cultural world.
