The Elton John Song Unintentionally Named After Levon Helm That Had Nothing to Do With The Band’s Drummer

When Elton John began working on his 1971 album, Madman Across the Water with Bernie Taupin they named the lead single after the Band‘s drummer Levon Helm. Though the song was believed to be about Helm, Taupin said it had nothing to do with the musician and was based on a fictionalized character he created.

“It was a free-form writing,” recalled Taupin in 2013 of the song. “It’s not David Bowie throwing words into a hat and picking them out. It’s a totally different way. I think that Bob Dylan did that, too. It was just lines that came out that were interesting.”

At the time, some thought it was a tribute to Helm since the Band was one of Taupin and John’s favorite bands, but Taupin insisted that the song came from a stream of consciousness. “It’s almost like writing a weird kind of science fiction,” he said. “There’s nothing with confusing or mystifying the listener. I think it makes it more interesting.”

‘And He Shall Be Levon’

“Levon” reveals nothing about Helm and everything about a fictional character, who sells balloons for a living, has a son named Jesus, and a father called Alvin Tostig.

“It’s about a guy who just gets bored doing the same thing,” said John of his protagonist in the song. “It’s just somebody who gets bored with blowing up balloons and he just wants to get away from it but he can’t because it’s the family ritual.”

Levon wears his war wound like a crown
He calls his child Jesus
‘Cause he likes the name
And he sends him to the finest school in town

Levon, Levon likes his money
He makes a lot, they say
Spends his days counting
In a garage by the motorway

He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day
When the New York Times said, “God is dead
And the war’s begun”
Oh, Alvin Tostig has a son today

And he shall be Levon
And he shall be a good man
And he shall be Levon
In tradition with the family plan

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Levon’s son Jesus also helps him blow balloons but dreams of sailing off in one to Venus and leaving everyone behind.

Levon sells cartoon balloons in town
His family business thrives
Jesus blows up balloons all day
Sits on the porch swing watching them fly

And Jesus, he wants to go to Venus
Leave Levon far behind
Take a balloon and go sailing
While Levon, Levon slowly dies

When released, “Levon” went to No. 6 on the Canadian chart and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though “Levon” may have sounded like an homage to Helm, his then-bandmate Robbie Robertson revealed that the drummer was not a fan of the song. In his 2017 memoir, Testimony, Robertson recalled that Helm said: “Englishmen shouldn’t f–k with Americanisms.”

Taupin said that Robertson also told him that Helm was confused by the song because he believed it was about him and didn’t reflect him at all. “Robbie Robertson himself said to me that it confused Levon when he heard the song because he didn’t understand how it related to him,’” recalled Taupin. “In the press, I’ve seen ‘The song was inspired by Levon Helm.’ No, it wasn’t. It never was. I just liked the name.”

Photo: Elton John performing at The Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark (Jorgen Angel/Redferns)