The one singer Elton John knew ruined his songs: “Forgettable”
Being one of the biggest stars in the world didn’t really matter all that much to Elton John when he first began.
He felt that his main goal was to be a songwriter before anything else, and if he could make the best tunes that he could with Bernie Taupin and somehow make ends meet, that would have been enough for the rest of his career. But there’s a certain way that his songs were supposed to go, and he could tell when someone was being faithful to what he wanted and when they were getting absolutely butchered.
Then again, people covering John’s songs was the initial plan when he first became a songwriter. He didn’t think in a million years that he could have made the same kind of impact as someone like Mick Jagger or John Lennon, so the least he could do was make the kinds of records that he could give to other people. And since Taupin wrote all the lyrics, the whole structure of their partnership seemed much more focused on the big picture than worrying about how John would sound singing his tunes.
Not every album they made together was absolutely perfect, and John will happily say that some of his records left a lot to be desired, but when looking through those early days, there’s a bit of charm to their debut record. Empty Sky was the start of a duo that was about to become one of the biggest partnerships in the world, but since they weren’t getting anywhere playing their own tunes, the least they could do was try out other people doing justice to their songs.
‘Lady Samantha’ was already being introduced to the world thanks to the Three Dog Night version, and while they were at least a pop band, John wasn’t necessarily ready for his songs to be performed by Lulu. It wasn’t the worst choice to have a pop star sing one of their tunes, but considering how he had envisioned some of his songs being played on Eurovision, he felt that watching Lulu try her hand at those tunes was like watching a car crash in slow motion.
Every one of the songs was played correctly, but John felt that the entire thing was missing the extra dose of swagger that it needed, saying, “Bernie’s worst fears were confirmed when we sat down in France Court to watch the Lulu show. Our song – my song – was completely undistinguished and forgettable, which was more than you could say for the rest of them.” But that might have been a blessing in disguise as well.
If anything, the fact that John was so appalled was probably what kicked him into high gear when it came time for him to make his own music. ‘Your Song’ was going to be coming out only a few months down the line, and even though everyone has tried to take their stab at that tune, there’s a reason why John sounds so natural singing Taupin’s words on that tune. But that stint on Eurovision did at least give John pause for what he was signing up for every now and again.
He was bound to play some gigs that he would have preferred not to play, but if he was going to have a show that didn’t work, he would rather be the one who was leading it. The idea of him playing his entire new album live was one of the more boneheaded moves that he ever made, but it’s usually better to go down with the ship than watch it sink from afar.
John may have made up with Lulu in time to do a few duets with her later down the line, but her first rendition of one of his songs was the last way that he wanted to be introduced to the world. This was his moment to create the greatest tune that he could, and he ended up looking like the kind of songwriter who was still cutting his teeth, making the most drab versions of songs anyone had ever heard.
