Rocketman
From feather boas, eccentric glasses, elaborate costumes and smashing musical hits, one man has been a sensational musical icon and LGBTQ trailblazer for well over 40 years. That man is Sir Elton John. A canon of popular music, being the most important and influential, must include an artist who is one of the most successful and well known artists in all of popular music for five decades. As a curriculum course based in the ever vast world of popular music and culture would do well to incorporate the musical genius of Elton John and everything he’s done for pop music culture. Especially considering that the tendency in popular culture is to praise and privilege heterosexual white males, leaving everyone else out of the spotlight. Elton John, although a white male, is one of those left out individuals. Between his career, vast musical repertoire, personal life and overall influence on pop culture, Elton John is an artist that deserves recognition in the popular music canon.
Being named one of the best selling music artists worldwide, Elton John has sold over 300 million records throughout his five decade career in the industry. Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin have created over fifty Top 40 hits, numerous number one albums, and for the majority of their joined career, the two have managed to constantly have at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100. With all this musical success John has been recognized and honored countless times. Due to his immensely successful career Elton John currently has received songwriter of the year, six Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards, 12 Ivor Novello Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, all to name a few. Elton John has also been ranked the most successful male solo artist on “The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists” in 2013, as he remains on the high ranking list for majority of his career. Elton John has also done multiple musical compositions for large scale productions such as The Lion King and Aida. In a more unique decoration, John was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire and later was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Due to his knighting he has earned the title Sir Elton John. Making John one of the very few to be a part of the exclusive league of knighted artists. The man is a tremendously decorated artist dripping in winnings from his successful career that has yet to come to an end. He has travelled all over the world on countless occasions performing live for audiences thousands of times over. This artist’s resume is the resume of a music legend. He has done it all and more. Through his collection of works, top hits, achievements and awards, Elton John is an artist who stands tall against the rest in the hall of fame. Simply taking a look at his achievements in the industry is enough reason to include him in the pop music canon. As his musical genius inspired numerous artists alike to follow suit. Achievements aside, he is an artist that has a tremendous collection of work that are beloved songs by many. Lots of whom are still being enjoyed today, even decades after their initial release.
Elton John has an infinite musical collection of singles and smash hit songs. One of which being, and possibly the most famous song of his, “Tiny Dancer” (1971). This 1970s song comes from John and Taupin’s fourth album, Madman Across The Water, the song went on to be a roaring success that is still popular to this day. The song was written as an inspired vision of California, brought about from Taupin’s first visit to the state and how he was blown away by the environment and culture. Later dedicating the song out of love to his wife Maxine. The lyrics read as a love letter which inspired John to take that sentiment and turn the song into a beautifully composed ballad. Elton John’s musical styling has become a hybrid of genres spanning from pop to rock, disco, classical and more. Looking directly at “Tiny Dancer”, the song is categorized as a pop rock ballad. The song opens with John performing solo on the piano and doing the vocals. It starts off with a quiet and simple beginning as John performs with smoothe timbre, for the intent was to mimic a music box. Keeping things at a bit of a mezzo piano level and then raising it to mezzo forte. As after an established period of John’s piano and vocal solo, he is joined with other musical accompaniment including drums, various types of guitars (ie. electric, acoustic etc.) and backup vocals to come together to support the composition. The song carries multiple music sections that keep the song complex and engaging, while creating levels to the composition that include undertones of a disjunct motion in the melody. Moving to the chorus of the song, which is the most uplifting and upbeat portion of the song where the tempo is slightly increased from a steady slower pace to medium. The chorus is also the time where all musical components play together in harmony with concerto styling, piano. For this song John was able to effectively incorporate falsetto sound in his vocals, being the high use of voice outside of normal range. This technique can be found in many other songs by Elton John, as it was later dubbed a key feature in Elton John’s ‘sound’. Elton John’s sound is unique in itself compared to other artists thriving in the pop music industry. As his repertoire contains chromatic harmonies, which may be considered uncommon in their usage in popular music. However that is simply the way Elton John rolls, he dabbles in all areas constantly trying to create innovative and meaningful music for the ears. Take another hit of his, “Crocodile Rock” (1973), in contrast to “Tiny Dancer” it has a bit faster pace with more of a disco edge to it, bringing in a swinging groove. Another example in contrast would be “Saturday Night’s Alright” (1973) which has much more of a rocker style to it, highlighting electric guitars and drums as instrumental accompaniment. All three are great examples of John’s musical repertoire yet all different in some way. Each of these songs are one small part of the reason why Elton John has already achieved longevity in his career. The songs he creates are inclusive, enjoyable songs for any occasion that anyone can get into. They are meaningful as they invoke such strong and powerful emotions in people that cause them to listen to his songs long past their release. As Elton John says, “If you write great songs with meaning and emotion, they will last forever because songs are the key to everything. Songs will outlast the artist and they will go on forever if they are good”.
Elton John’s career skyrocketed in the 1970s when he was one of the most talked about artists, making a real name for himself in the industry. Before John would grab audiences’ hearts, he would first grab their attention in his theatrical attire and overall nature. John came into the industry with a bang. Through his overtly outgoing personality, fashion flare and passion for pushing boundaries, Elton John has done a lot more for the world than share his music. “Elton John exposed the normality of flamboyant queerness at the heart of the pop process, while remaining closeted for so much of his career”. John pushed the boundaries and social norms of gender which aided in the process of redefining gender roles. John eventually “cultivated a colorfully outrageous campy stage persona that drove audiences wild and provided plenty of fodder for the tabloids. His popularity dubbed him the ‘Queen Mum of Pop’”. His theatrical flare and musical genius brought him fame and fortune where he shined in the stage spotlight but there was another spotlight that was not as embracing, the spotlight of the media. Due to his flamboyant nature, John’s sexuality was called to question and torn apart at any given opportunity. Accusation upon accusation poured onto John’s shoulders about being homosexual, scrutinizing his sexual orientation at all times which was only the beginning. The media then began to devote its time to investigating all aspects of his personal life including but not limited to his personal struggles with alcohol, drugs and bulimia. Issues that were brought and or enhanced due to the overwhelming amount of negative media attention. The ensuing controversy following Johns public coming out as bisexual in the 70s took an incredible toll on John personally and professionally. As he remarked to People magazine reporters Fred A. Bernstein and Laura Sanderson Healy, "the gay business really hurt me. A lot of radio stations stopped playing my records." To cope with all this ensuing negativity in his career and personal life he turned to alcohol and cocaine, where he continued to abuse this addiction for two decades while dealing with his depression. Although John struggled for many years, his story of coming out as gay, owning his sexuality, and being unapologetically himself while creating an empire of a career is one of the most inspiring stories in the industry to date. His courage, story, and overall him as an individual inspired millions of people around the world. Helping to change hearts and minds so that future artists or everyday people in the LGBTQ community have more opportunities and face less criticism than he did. He paved the way for more to come, so that artists like Lady Gaga or Sam Smith could have the careers that they do today. Same as Ellen DeGeneres paved way for LGBTQ actors and TV host alike. Not only did John advocate for the LGBTQ community through his public platform and career, but he has also done a lot of charity work in benefit of the community. He beared the burden of controversy and hate so that others wouldn’t have to. As like anything, any change, starts with one. After getting sober in 1990, John started devoting time and energy into charity. He has donated all the royalties from many of his singles to charities that are mostly in support of AIDS research or to give assistance to those with AIDS. AIDS is a topic close to John’s heart not only due to the fact that he’s lost friends to the condition but also as it pertains directly to The LGBTQ community and their rights. John has been a strong advocate and campaigner for decades. He perfectly summed up the issue at the 22nd international AIDS conference, 2018, “‘The only way to end AIDS is to end it everywhere for everyone. If there wasn’t bigotry and hatred this disease would be eliminated far quicker,’ he said, particularly criticizing countries that deny gay rights. ‘Politicians have the power to end this disease. It’s not cancer. It’s not diabetes”’. Following this he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 for his achievements in music and contributions to charity. Recognizing that Elton John has made significant contributions to the world both on and off stage. As not only is he a phenomenal artist who makes a difference with his groundbreaking music but he also makes a difference in the lives of those touched by him.
Throughout Elton John’s career he has made a significant impact and positive influence on the world today, whether that be from wearing a bedazzled Dodgers uniform or through his advocacy for AIDS and the LGBTQ community. Elton John revolutionized pop music culture and paved way for many artists to follow, trailblazing in order for other LGBTQ artists to come into the spotlight as well. Between his career, vast musical repertoire, personal life and overall influence on pop culture, Elton John is an artist that deserves recognition in the popular music canon.