Sir Elton John's exaggerated life can hardly be domestic, although that is the purpose announced by the most British universal artist that exists, along with Paul McCartney or Rod Stewart, for the years that lie ahead of him. These days the awards are piling up for Reginald Kenneth Dwight, his real name, when he is about to turn 77 years old.
The United States Library of Congress has just announced the award in 2024 of its prestigious Gershwin Prize in the Popular Song (Pop) category to the UK artist, and the lyricist of the vast majority of his hits, Bernie Taupin. Shortly before this latest recognition was known, Elton John had become an EGOT, that special breed of entertainment people capable of accumulating Emmy (television), Grammy (music), Oscar (film) and Tony (theater) awards. There are only 19 of them. The live broadcast of his concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the last US stop on his farewell world tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, He achieved for the artist what he was missing, the coveted Emmy. At the end of a tour with 330 performances, it is estimated that the tour raised around 920 million euros. Just a week ago he announced a book in which he will tell all the details of his farewell tour: “It has been a beautiful journey creating this book and remembering the people and places that shaped an incredible chapter of my life. In addition to the stories and memories, not only of this tour but of my entire career, I have included unpublished photographs and memories that I hope will give you a never-before-seen image of my life on the road, he explained in your Instagram about Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life On Toura title that will not see the light of day until next September 24.
It wouldn't be the last goodbye. There were more, and none of them sounded completely definitive. A year later she performed at the legendary Glastonbury festival, in the southwest English countryside. “It has been an incredible journey. I had a great time, and I will never forget you. You are in my mind, in my heart and in my soul. You have been an incredible audience tonight, and I wish you love, health and happiness,” said Elton John to the almost 200,000 spectators who enjoyed his music live that night. Between seven and eight million more watched it through the BBC, a Compartir audience (48.9%) that is difficult to overcome.
I'ma bitch, I'ma bitch, the bitch is back (I'm a bitch, I'm a bitch, the bitch is back.) It was one of the hits chosen by the singer for a concert that was very much a nostalgic review of half a century on the front line, but also to make it clear that it was not in his plans to abandon the scene completely. He was wearing a gold suit and black glasses with pink lenses. Something rather discreet for the artist who made his outfits a fundamental part of his personality. In the era of rock guitars, it was the trick chosen by an Elton John who was just starting out, glued to his piano, to constantly attract the attention of the public. Crocodile Rock, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Your Song, Candle in the Wind… He did not leave any of his great songs out of the repertoire. And she displayed the generosity shown for years. She did not turn to surprise big names to accompany her on stage, but instead used her overwhelming influence to promote young promises like Stephen Sanchez or Rina Sawayama.
In Windsor, with the children
Elton John married David Furnish (Toronto, Canada, 61 years old) almost 10 years ago, when the United Kingdom finally legally recognized same-sex marriages. They have two children, Zachary (12 years old) and Elijah (10), through surrogate mother, whose identity is unknown, but with whom the couple claims to maintain cordial and constant communication.
To family and domestic life, in his Windsor mansion, the singer assures that he wants to dedicate the maximum of his time in the years that lie ahead. It is not difficult to see him with the two kids at the Pizza Hut or at the Waterstones bookstore in the picturesque British town. “It's always hard to say goodbye. But the truth is that I miss him, the children miss him, and he misses us,” Furnish said in the final weeks of the farewell tour. “He's had enough. The time has come to spend more time together as a family,” he anticipated.
Elton John's goodbye, however, suggests that it will be more than his famous “candle in the wind” (Candle in the Wind), whose flame, the lyrics said, was extinguished long before the legend. The singer resists moving into the legendary category. He is working on a new album and a musical, and has not ruled out sporadic and occasional appearances on stage.
gone With the Wind
Elton John has also said goodbye, 30 years later, to his mansion in the elegant Buckhead neighborhood of southern Atlanta. In the American town of Miss Scarlet from the movie gone With the Wind decided to establish residence the singer, compared to more popular options at the time such as Los Angeles or New York. A thousand reasons have been given to explain why that boy from the London suburb of Pinner parked part of his heart in the same city that hosts Coca-Cola or CNN. The warmth and hospitality of the historic south—undeniable—; the cultural and musical vitality of the city—unbeatable—; or the prosperity and coexistence between races of a capital that is home to the most relevant African-American middle class and the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change.
There is another reason, however, more linked to the
singer's personal history and philanthropic efforts. In Atlanta, which is home to the largest gay community in the American South, resides the CDC, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Together with the Pasteur Institute, it was the institution that championed research and the fight against AIDS, when HIV terrified, stigmatized and killed the homosexual community.
Elton John has loosened his ties with Atlanta, and will auction this February at Christie's in New York the more than a thousand pieces of art and personal objects that he kept in his mansion. But he remains firmly at the head of the Elton John Foundation against AIDS, one of the non-profit institutions that raises the most money in the still necessary research to eradicate the disease.
I'm still standing“I'm still standing,” Elton John shouted in one of his most catchy and inspiring songs. His does not suggest a domestic retreat, but rather a mere tactical withdrawal before returning to the scene.
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