“That’s really strange”: the band Bernie Taupin accused of always writing “the same” song
Elton John is no doubt one of the most significant figures in rock, a living, breathing example of everything one can achieve if they only follow their heart and be the truest version of themselves they can be. However, none of it would have been possible without the unmatched songwriting talents of one Bernie Taupin.
Unlike most other iconic pairings in rock history, John and Taupin actually met by chance. In the late 1960s, both John and Taupin responded to the same Liberty Records ad in the newspaper, but both were turned away, lacking that inexplicable ‘wow’ factor the label was after at the time. It turns out that John knew exactly what he was missing and complained to the receptionist on his way out, grumbling something about not being a good enough lyricist to wow those at the top.
The receptionist, completely unaware that they were about to make history in some roundabout way, turned away and reached for an envelope before handing it over to John, urging him to read the poetry Taupin had scribbled inside and do with it what he will. On the journey home, something about Taupin’s words hit home, and thus ensued a decades-long partnership and more than 250 million record sales worldwide.
Across more than 30 records, the pair have truly set the standard for modern rock songwriting and commercial standards, proving not only that quantity doesn’t always hinder quality but that being a true rock star can mean quite literally anything you want it to mean. After all, when John first emerged, he wasn’t exactly the suave Lothario character that many of his peers played into.
Instead, he was a monolith at his piano, letting the music speak for itself, with Taupin by his side as his trusty sidekick and the secret ingredient to his success and longevity. And with more material than most people can comprehend, you’d also likely think that it’s nearly impossible for the two to pinpoint their best project, but interestingly enough, the answer comes to Taupin quite easily.
“‘Candle in the Wind’, I think, is probably, it could be the closest the closest we’ve come to a perfect song,” he once said, describing it as the “perfect marriage of lyric and melody”.
Clearly, then, perfection to Taupin is something that just feels right and equally something that doesn’t just reinvent old tropes for the sake of it. Even if music borrows inspiration from elsewhere, there must be more to it to ensure a lasting hit, or at the very least something that resonates with people on a deeper level. Some might accuse John and Taupin of constantly reinventing the wheel, but really, their approach is nothing like that of those who actively put out the same kind of thing, which, in his view, is a band like Jethro Tull.
“It amazed me a while ago when people said our things sounded the same and that we should get out of a rut,” Taupin later reflected to Rolling Stone.
“That’s really strange,” he continued, “Why pick on us? Why not pick on somebody like Jethro Tull, where it’s always the same sort of line-up, the same sort of construction of the song, the same feel – not that that’s bad, I like Jethro Tull.”
In some way, Taupin does have a point. After all, in the broader landscape of prog rock, Jethro Tull were celebrated for their complex and intricate arrangements, something they leaned into more and more to stand apart from their peers. However, he’s also right about the fact that that’s not a bad thing, though it is often seen that way by outsiders who don’t know all that much about what goes into creating timeless or revolutionary art.
