Elton John, of course, is one of those figures in culture who needs no introduction.
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The glamorous British-born performer is known for songs like “Tiny Dancer” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” which he wrote with Bernie Taupin. He’s also known for his big flamboyant sunglasses and pastel outfits.
[RELATED: 5 Unforgettable Elton John Live Moments]
The 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who recently concluded his final tour, remains an icon in music and fashion. But given all this on his resume, one might wonder what Sir Elton has to say about the world around him outside of his clever tunes. What are his thoughts on life, love, and his craft?
Without further ado, here are the 20 best Elton John quotes.
1. “When your persona begins to take over your music and becomes more important, you enter a dangerous place. Once you have people around you who don’t question you, you’re in a dangerous place.”
2. “As Elton John, my days on pop radio are over, and I know that and I accept it and I’m not unhappy about it.”
3. “Well, I was making a record, and I had to choose a name, because they said, you know, you can’t make a record under the name of Reg Dwight, because it’s never going to—you know, it’s not attractive enough.”
4. “I do work a lot. I mean, most of my income, I would say, comes from live performances. And then you’ve got publishing, you’ve got record royalties.”
5. “I have a much better relationship with the press than I did, I think because I stood my ground.”
6. “I’ve never been jealous of anybody’s success. I’ve been flummoxed by it because I don’t understand it, but I’m not jealous of it.”
7. “Bands today have to learn their craft by putting the hard work in that we did when we were young performers.”
8. “The worst thing you can do to a child, and I’ve seen it happen so many times, is the silver spoon.”
9. “I’m addicted to working. I mean, I have a list of 100 countries I want to play in. I’m basically killing myself by traveling so much, for no reason whatsoever.”
10. “As a child, as a teenager, I was kind of not allowed to wear fashionable clothes.”
11. “I am so in the past. I’m such a Luddite when it comes to making music. All I can do is write at the piano.”
12. “Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.”
13. “I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. But sometimes criticism can be hurtful. Be respectful. I’m a good piano player, I can sing well, I write good songs. If you don’t like it, fair enough. But give me a break.”
14. “We live in an age, in an era where there is so much negativity, there is so much violence in the world, there is so much unrest and people are at war, that I wanted to promote the word love.”
15. “The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star.”
16. “I’ve always wanted to smash a guitar over someone’s head. You just can’t do that with a piano.”
17. “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.”
18. “I hate to say this, but I always listen to the music and the instrumentation first, and then grab on to the lyrics later.”
19. “I have no one to leave the money to. I’m a single man. I like spending my money.”
20. “I just go into the studio, look at the lyrics for the first time when I put them on the piano, and go. If I haven’t got it within 40 minutes, I give up. It’s never changed, the thrill has never gone, because I don’t know what I’m going to get next.”
Photo by Simone Joyner/Getty Images
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