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Top 10 Facts about Elton John

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Meet the musician and performer extraordinaire Elton John. Sir Elton John. The guy with some of the best albums and singles ever! This artist has performed in many countries in the world and his songs are still hits! From ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, to ‘Rocket Man’, to ‘Candle in the Wind’ to ‘Your Song’ and many more, Elton has done more than just sing, he has inspired generations of music and he is a legend. 

The singer, born on 25th March 1947, has an amazing talent, and here are ten interesting things you need to know about the maestro!

1. He changed his name 

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The whole world and mostly his fans know him as Sir Elton John, but in fact, he was born Reginald Dwight. He changed his name because his original name was not fit for a performer and so he settled on Elton Hercules John! He got the name Elton John from his Bluesology band mates Elton Dean and Long John Baldry! Well, Hercules must be his favorite Roman hero, though it is said that he adopted it from a sitcom character! He adopted the name in 1967 and officially took it up in 1972. 

2. He is a knight 

Image: Wikipedia

He is not just Elton John; he is Sir Elton John, CBE. well, he was not born a knight He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1998 as a recognition of his work in music and charity work. He also owns property in England, a house built by King Henry VIII, so the title of a knight fits well! CBE stands for Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He also has a coat of arms that goes with a keyboard and platinum records!

3. Candle in the Wind 1997

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Candle in the wind is Elton’s best-selling single. He, together with his lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote the song for Marylyn Monroe, but the song became very well known when he and Bernie re-recorded and he performed Candle in the Wind during Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, who was a very good friend. Proceeds from the album went to Princess Diana’s charities. The album sold over 33 million copies. During an interview after Princess Diana’s funeral, he said he would never perform the version unless he was asked by Diana’s two sons! It is an incredible song. 

4. He began singing at a very young age

Image: Daily Mail

Elton’s parents introduced him to music at a very young age. They would buy him instruments which encouraged him to sing. He began playing the piano, which he is known to handle so well, at the age of three. He won a scholarship to study music at the Royal Academy, where his talent was further polished. Elton would then form his band at just 15! He founded Bluoscopy with his friends whose name he coined his from. The band was a huge success, since they landed performances, even curtain-raising for big names in the US and UK.

5. Bernie the Best

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Bernie Taupin was just the person Elton needed to make it in music. The two met during a songwriters’ call where they both attended. Elton was given Bernie’s lyrics to make into a song and that is when their bond became so strong, and that became the beginning of one the strongest duo in the music industry. Bernie since then became Elton’s songwriter. They even worked for the record label DJM Records, writing songs and lyrics which would be sold by the record to artistes! Together, they have done 56 top 40 singles and continue to soar.

6. Record-breaking records!

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Elton would not be a star without his accolades! He has a total of 37 gold albums, 27 multi-platinum albums; and has sold a whopping 250 million records!!!! His performances are record-breaking in themselves. Sir Elton John has performed in over 3, 500 concerts throughout his over fifty-year career! I would want to know if he remembers most of them, done in over 80 countries. That is effort and determination. Wow! He is, actually retiring from touring to focus on his family, and in 2018, he announced that he is doing a three-year final round of his tours which would end in 2021. 

7. You wouldn’t find Matata here!

Image: Wikipedia

Hakuna Matata, Swahili for No Problem; a phrase made famous by Disney’s Lion King. But that’s is not the only thing that stands out about the film, the soundtracks ‘Can you feel the love tonight’ and four more were written by Sir Elton together with Disney Lyricist Tim Rice. The soundtrack sold more than 40 million copies making it popular across the world. 

8. No sight problem to see here

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Sir Elton John never really needed glasses when he started using them at the beginning of his career. He used them as props and now, they have become part of his image. The glasses are not the only outstanding thing about his appearance. He is known to have crazy and over-the-top attire and props while performing because as he says, he is a terrible dancer and something has to make up for his two-left-feet-kind-of dancing, right?

9. A kind-hearted man

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Sir Elton John runs the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which he formed after his close friends Ryan White and Freddie Mercury, who died from the disease. He makes money for the foundation through singing in private concerts – which I suppose must cost a pretty penny, and also by hosting extravagant charity events! The foundation is headed by David Furnish who is Elton’s husband. The foundation, which he founded in 1992 in the USA and 1993 in the United Kingdom works toward AIDS research and also helping people living with the disease. The foundation supports about 150 projects a year, and so far 3, 000 projects have been supported by Elton John AIDS Foundation to date.

Apart from that, he mentors artistes dealing with drug addiction and one notable person he has helped is Eminem.

10. You may still be standing…………….

Image: Biography

He was once married to Renae Blauel. Elton has been married to his longtime partner David Furnish since 2014 when same-sex marriage was legalized in England. But he was previously married to Renae Baluel, a German sound engineer, while he was working on recording ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ with Kiki Dee. They met in 1983 in London and got married the same year in Australia, much to the surprise of his friends and family. During the wedding, his friend Rod Stewart sent him a congratulatory message, still visibly surprised that read, ‘You may still be standing, but we’re all on the f***ing floor’!

The marriage lasted 4 years and they got divorced in 1988. Elton had earlier in 1976 announced that he was bisexual, but after the divorce, he again announced that he was gay. He and David who he met in 1993, have two sons Zachary and Elijah born in 2010 and 2013 respectively, through the same surrogate mother. Little is known about his ex-wife Blauel at the moment.