One Elvis Presley tune ‘modified Elton John’s life’ | Music | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Elton John is undoubtedly one of the iconic figures in music, however his path to stardom was closely influenced by two groundbreaking information. Among them was one in every of Elvis Presley’s hits, which John has usually described as one of many songs that modified his life perpetually.

In a 1973 interview with Rolling Stone, John recalled the primary information he heard as a baby. Raised in a house full of music, he was uncovered to a wide range of artists together with Tennessee Ernie Ford, Kay Starr, and Guy Mitchell.

But it was the Fifties rock ‘n’ roll explosion that really captured his coronary heart. When he was only a younger boy, his mom began shopping for information, and two specifically stood out: Elvis Presley’s ‘Hound Dog’ and Bill Haley’s ‘ABC Boogie’.

“I obviously took great interest in them, and then I went through the skiffle thing with Lonnie Donegan,” John stated. “The first records my mom brought home that I was really knocked out by were ‘Hound Dog’ and Haley’s ‘ABC Boogie.’”

“They changed my life, I couldn’t believe it,” John recalled. “I heard Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and that was it. I didn’t ever want to be anything else.”

Though John had studied classical music on the Royal Academy of Music, his coronary heart was all the time with the electrical sounds of rock ‘n’ roll. “I was never really interested in it,” he admitted. His time within the band Bluesology didn’t start till he was 14, however by then, he already knew precisely what he wished to do along with his life – create music that might resonate with the rebellious power he admired in artists like Presley.

He later carried out a mashup of ‘Hound Dog’ with Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, a tune by one other artist that had a big affect on him.

By 1976, Elton John’s profession was in full swing, however he would quickly come face-to-face along with his idol: John had the prospect to satisfy Elvis Presley earlier than one in every of his concert events. However, the truth of the assembly was far faraway from the picture of Elvis that John had cherished for years.

When John arrived to satisfy Presley, he was confronted by a person who was, by that time, removed from the image of well being. Elvis’ once-vibrant look had deteriorated because of years of battling dependancy to painkillers. John later shared his expertise with Oprah Winfrey in 1996, describing how he discovered it “so sad” to see Presley in such a state.

“He turned into this big man with no eyes,” John stated. “They had sunk into the back of his head, and it was pathetic.”

This assembly served as a stark reminder of the harmful results of fame and dependancy. For John, it was a cautionary story, one that might go on to form his personal decisions within the years to come back. Elvis’ tragic downfall turned a turning level for John, as he realised the significance of caring for himself and avoiding the trail that Presley had adopted.

In the years since, Elton John has continued to honor the legacy of Elvis Presley, each by way of his music and his public statements, crediting him as one in every of his all-time favorite artists and idols.