Sir Elton John will open up about his battles with addiction to Graham Norton in a “funny, frank and fearless” BBC One interview.
Set to air next month, “Elton John: Uncensored” will see the singer-songwriter, 72, sit down with Norton in the south of France for a candid chat, looking back at his life and career.
The pair will delve into the music star’s childhood, growing up as Reg Dwight in post-war Pinner, Middlesex.
The interview will also cover his rise to become one of the world’s biggest music stars in the 1970s.
The musician shares memories from the 1980s and 1990s as well as openly discussing his battles with addiction and how he overcame them, and how fatherhood has impacted him in later life.
Sir Elton said: “The past two years have felt truly monumental for me, and with the release of Rocketman, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour and my autobiography coming up, it felt like the perfect opportunity to reflect on it all with Graham.
“I’ve always enjoyed our catch-ups and this felt like the best yet.”
Elton John: The legendary singer’s 15 greatest songs of all time
1/15 15. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (1976)
An ode to the famous Motown duets of the previous decade, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart was initially intended for Dusty Springfield, who missed out because she was too ill to record. Instead, Kiki Dee, a signee to John’s record label and a frequent supplier of backing vocals on his tracks, was offered the role. It’s pure fun, a fittingly sunny tribute to Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell and all the rest. It’s also a karaoke classic, which is always the sign of a winning duet. Millennial readers will be delighted to know John re-recorded the song in 1994 as a trance-infused banger alongside none other than RuPaul. It’s as joyously bonkers as it sounds.
AFP/Getty Images
2/15 14. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (1976)
Right from the gentle opening of piano and strings, this is a song drenched in quiet regret. Musically, it’s one of Elton’s more subtle ballads, and lyrically it is straightforward — or so it seems. The very first line — “What have I got to do to make you love me?” — is a familiar lament of the hapless lover, one who seems powerless to save a relationship in turmoil. But then, with the timeless refrain, we find he knew the answer all along: saying “sorry”, even if it is the hardest word. A brief mention goes to Blue cover which, although a far weaker rendition, proved the song’s enduring power, hitting number one 26 years after the original was released.
AFP/Getty Images
3/15 13. Are You Ready For Love (1979)
Are You Ready For Love was originally released in 1979 as an eight-minute disco-soul sprawler after a messy, prolonged birth — John thought it all sounded too chaotic, stewed over it for a year and then finally asked the producers to rework it, which they did within days. It was hurried out and barely bothered the top 40, soon consigned to the status of “deep cut”. Until, that is, DJ Ashley Beedle picked it up in 2003, chopped five minutes off the end and turned it into a clubland smash. Sky Sports used it for one of their football adverts and, finally, the song became a number one hit. Rightly so. It’s a gloriously danceable slice of joy, and well worth the wait.
Getty Images for NARAS
4/15 12. Daniel (1973)
Daniel, one of the more unusual and understated ballads of John’s early 70s output, was the song that really cemented the success of his sixth album Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player, reaching number two in the US singles charts. Debates over the song’s meaning have persisted for years, while Taupin previously revealed on his official website that the track’s lyrics were some of his most misunderstood. While taken on face value they seem to the show the song’s protagonist waving goodbye to a companion or a lover, Taupin revealed that it actually follows a Vietnam War vet returning to the US, trying to escape all the accolades heaped on him and live a quiet life – a concept that was further developed in the deleted last verse of the song. However it’s interpreted, Daniel remains a gem in John’s back catalogue, which won John and Taupin an Ivor Nello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
Getty Images for NARAS
5/15 11. The Bitch is Back (1974)
There’s an undeniable swagger and charisma about The Bitch is Back, with a huge stadium rock riff and a supersized ego to match. The track is a wry, knowing take on his own high-profile showbiz lifestyle, with a welcome splash of arrogance (“I can bitch, I can bitch ’cause I’m better than you”) that showed a new, grandstanding side to him. Like Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting a year previously, it’s one of the best examples of John’s harder, gutsier rock takes, and one that gets the adrenaline flowing.
Getty Images
6/15 10. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (1983)
John himself described this song as “timeless” and we are inclined to agree. That swelling sense of excitement in the seconds before we plunge into the chorus doesn’t fade, no matter how many times we hear it. The lyrics, written by Taupin as one of the first efforts since his return as John’s primary songwriter, speak to the ever-relevant aches and joys of love. It’s a bluesy rock triumph, elevated by a trademark harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder and standing to this day as a sure-fire crowd favourite.
Getty Images for NARAS
7/15 9. Candle In The Wind/Goodbye England’s Rose (1974/1997)
It’s rare that a song can be reinvented by those who created it and then re-emerge with more heart-rending power than ever before, but that’s exactly what happened with Candle In The Wind. Originally released in 1974 as a posthumous ode to Marilyn Monroe, it was a sensitive take on the power, fragility and humanity of fame. Almost a quarter of a century later, after the death of John’s close friend, Princess Diana, the lyrics were reworked by Taupin to pay tribute to the late royal. It was played live only once, in front of millions at Diana’s funeral, but the recorded version topped charts around the globe. It was an overwhelming statement of public adoration, and there was no-one better to voice it than John.
Getty Images
8/15 8. Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting (1973)
As close to raucous as John ever got on record, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting was his own distinctive take on glam rock in the mid 70s. One of the standouts on seminal album Goodbye Yellow Road, as well as the lead single, it proved a refreshing change of pace for the singer-songwriter.
It was the sound of John recreating the atmosphere of the hairy, hard-drinking rock bands that came before him, while putting his own distinctive spin on things. It’s got testosterone coming out of its pores, and the sound of fists flying and pint glasses smashing never sounded so good.
AFP/Getty Images
9/15 7. Bennie and the Jets (1973)
Another stand-out moment on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie and the Jets was never released as a single, but became a hit in the US regardless. In many ways it’s the perfect album opener, with an unmissable sense of pomp and an effective Sgt Pepper’s-style use of a live audience on record. There’s so much to admire here – from the dramatic and unhurried staccato chord progression to the way John really relishes the flamboyant “b-b-b-Benny and the Jets” refrain.
It was released a few years before David Bowie’s Station to Station, and the song is a good illustration of how stylistically similar some of their musical output was at the time.
AFP/Getty Images
10/15 6. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me
Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me was a minor success for John upon initial release, featuring on 1974’s Caribou and charting at number 16. However, the stunning live duet with George Michael was released in 1991 and brought much more success, going to number one – the pair also performed the song at Live Aid a few years earlier.
John sings from a pained perspective throughout, reaching out to a lover with fear of being rejected. It’s one of his most honest and upfront songs, seeming to stumble over words and struggle to express himself (“I can’t find the right romantic line/But see me once and see the way I feel.”) It’s sincere, beautiful stuff.
AFP/Getty Images
11/15 5. I’m Still Standing (1983)
It was written by Taupin as a rebuttal of a former lover, but for John this song has come to stand for something far more profound — a message of fierce defiance. It saw him reunite with his classic band and score a hit after a few years in the wilderness, proving he was just as relevant as ever. The video, described by its director Russell Mulcahy as “super, super gay”, celebrated all of John’s innate flamboyance. And then there’s the music, a gloriously camp stomp that bursts with melodrama. In the years since its release, the song has only grown in strength. It’s regularly played at John’s concerts, proof that after all he has endured — the addictions, the pitfalls, the write-offs and the rebirths — he’s still standing.
Getty Images
12/15 4. Your Song (1970)
The simplest and most direct of his early ballads, Your Song gave Elton John his first hit and set him on his way to becoming one of the world’s most loved singer-songwriters. The seven singles he released previously failed to chart, while Your Song reached number seven in the UK, and eight in the US. It arguably features some of Bernie Taupin’s clunkiest lyrics – they were written hastily over breakfast one morning – but in the hands of John it sounds like a song he was born to sing.
The track’s understated strings and simple production stops its sentiment from becoming too overbearing – something which became evident after Ellie Goulding upped the shmaltz stakes for her cover, used in the John Lewis advert back in 2010. In many ways though, the original is music in one of its most effective forms – it’s a singer, sat at a piano, opening their heart to the listener. That kind of intimacy is impossible to resist.
Getty Images
13/15 3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is one of the most-loved and highest-selling albums of the 70s, and while it’s full of hits, the woozy title track is the best illustration of what makes the record so compelling. The swaying chord changes, lyrical and melodic dexterity and nuanced vocal performances are what helped it sell more than 30 million copies – a truly staggering achievement.
The title track is perhaps the closest John ever got to psychedelia, with certain sections capturing the fantastical, light-headed nature of the Wizard of Oz itself. An exceptional track, and the highlight of a classic 70s album.
Getty Images
14/15 2. Tiny Dancer (1971)
No other song shows off John’s incredible songwriting craft quite like Tiny Dancer. It’s the sound of a master knowing exactly what chord and intonation works where – a perfectly structured piece of music that never feels mechanical. The track is well over six minutes long, but the cinematic quality of the music, the strength of the melody and the built–up suspense before each euphoric chorus means it doesn’t drag for a second. The production once again is elegant and incredibly effective. There’s beautiful slide guitar, John’s typically percussive piano, propulsive bass and tasteful strings – it marked a move to a lusher sound for John at the time.
It’s been butchered in various cover versions and been sampled more than once – not least by rapper Ironik in his own woeful take on the song back in 2009. However, the original remains as timeless, as cinematic and as perfectly written as ever.
Getty Images
15/15 1. Rocket Man (1972)
Rocket Man – arguably the most enduring and instantly recognisable hit of John’s career – was the song that marked him out as light years ahead of many of his contemporaries back in 1973.
The song was inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story Rocket Man, and focuses on a lonely astronaut living in an age where space travel is run of the mill, 9-5 work. John’s protagonist misses his family greatly, thousands of miles away from his loved ones back on earth, and his heartache is palpable.
The song’s lilting structure and the physical space in the uncluttered production captures a sense of weightlessness, as if the listener is drifting in anti-gravity with the song’s protagonist. “I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife,” he sings, clearly crying out for a sense of grounding – both physical and emotional. While he’s drifting in the outer reaches of the milky way, his love for family transcends the boundaries of time and space. Incredible stuff.
Getty Images
1/15 15. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (1976)
An ode to the famous Motown duets of the previous decade, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart was initially intended for Dusty Springfield, who missed out because she was too ill to record. Instead, Kiki Dee, a signee to John’s record label and a frequent supplier of backing vocals on his tracks, was offered the role. It’s pure fun, a fittingly sunny tribute to Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell and all the rest. It’s also a karaoke classic, which is always the sign of a winning duet. Millennial readers will be delighted to know John re-recorded the song in 1994 as a trance-infused banger alongside none other than RuPaul. It’s as joyously bonkers as it sounds.
AFP/Getty Images
2/15 14. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (1976)
Right from the gentle opening of piano and strings, this is a song drenched in quiet regret. Musically, it’s one of Elton’s more subtle ballads, and lyrically it is straightforward — or so it seems. The very first line — “What have I got to do to make you love me?” — is a familiar lament of the hapless lover, one who seems powerless to save a relationship in turmoil. But then, with the timeless refrain, we find he knew the answer all along: saying “sorry”, even if it is the hardest word. A brief mention goes to Blue cover which, although a far weaker rendition, proved the song’s enduring power, hitting number one 26 years after the original was released.
AFP/Getty Images
3/15 13. Are You Ready For Love (1979)
Are You Ready For Love was originally released in 1979 as an eight-minute disco-soul sprawler after a messy, prolonged birth — John thought it all sounded too chaotic, stewed over it for a year and then finally asked the producers to rework it, which they did within days. It was hurried out and barely bothered the top 40, soon consigned to the status of “deep cut”. Until, that is, DJ Ashley Beedle picked it up in 2003, chopped five minutes off the end and turned it into a clubland smash. Sky Sports used it for one of their football adverts and, finally, the song became a number one hit. Rightly so. It’s a gloriously danceable slice of joy, and well worth the wait.
Getty Images for NARAS
4/15 12. Daniel (1973)
Daniel, one of the more unusual and understated ballads of John’s early 70s output, was the song that really cemented the success of his sixth album Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player, reaching number two in the US singles charts. Debates over the song’s meaning have persisted for years, while Taupin previously revealed on his official website that the track’s lyrics were some of his most misunderstood. While taken on face value they seem to the show the song’s protagonist waving goodbye to a companion or a lover, Taupin revealed that it actually follows a Vietnam War vet returning to the US, trying to escape all the accolades heaped on him and live a quiet life – a concept that was further developed in the deleted last verse of the song. However it’s interpreted, Daniel remains a gem in John’s back catalogue, which won John and Taupin an Ivor Nello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
Getty Images for NARAS
5/15 11. The Bitch is Back (1974)
There’s an undeniable swagger and charisma about The Bitch is Back, with a huge stadium rock riff and a supersized ego to match. The track is a wry, knowing take on his own high-profile showbiz lifestyle, with a welcome splash of arrogance (“I can bitch, I can bitch ’cause I’m better than you”) that showed a new, grandstanding side to him. Like Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting a year previously, it’s one of the best examples of John’s harder, gutsier rock takes, and one that gets the adrenaline flowing.
Getty Images
6/15 10. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (1983)
John himself described this song as “timeless” and we are inclined to agree. That swelling sense of excitement in the seconds before we plunge into the chorus doesn’t fade, no matter how many times we hear it. The lyrics, written by Taupin as one of the first efforts since his return as John’s primary songwriter, speak to the ever-relevant aches and joys of love. It’s a bluesy rock triumph, elevated by a trademark harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder and standing to this day as a sure-fire crowd favourite.
Getty Images for NARAS
7/15 9. Candle In The Wind/Goodbye England’s Rose (1974/1997)
It’s rare that a song can be reinvented by those who created it and then re-emerge with more heart-rending power than ever before, but that’s exactly what happened with Candle In The Wind. Originally released in 1974 as a posthumous ode to Marilyn Monroe, it was a sensitive take on the power, fragility and humanity of fame. Almost a quarter of a century later, after the death of John’s close friend, Princess Diana, the lyrics were reworked by Taupin to pay tribute to the late royal. It was played live only once, in front of millions at Diana’s funeral, but the recorded version topped charts around the globe. It was an overwhelming statement of public adoration, and there was no-one better to voice it than John.
Getty Images
8/15 8. Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting (1973)
As close to raucous as John ever got on record, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting was his own distinctive take on glam rock in the mid 70s. One of the standouts on seminal album Goodbye Yellow Road, as well as the lead single, it proved a refreshing change of pace for the singer-songwriter.
It was the sound of John recreating the atmosphere of the hairy, hard-drinking rock bands that came before him, while putting his own distinctive spin on things. It’s got testosterone coming out of its pores, and the sound of fists flying and pint glasses smashing never sounded so good.
AFP/Getty Images
9/15 7. Bennie and the Jets (1973)
Another stand-out moment on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie and the Jets was never released as a single, but became a hit in the US regardless. In many ways it’s the perfect album opener, with an unmissable sense of pomp and an effective Sgt Pepper’s-style use of a live audience on record. There’s so much to admire here – from the dramatic and unhurried staccato chord progression to the way John really relishes the flamboyant “b-b-b-Benny and the Jets” refrain.
It was released a few years before David Bowie’s Station to Station, and the song is a good illustration of how stylistically similar some of their musical output was at the time.
AFP/Getty Images
10/15 6. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me
Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me was a minor success for John upon initial release, featuring on 1974’s Caribou and charting at number 16. However, the stunning live duet with George Michael was released in 1991 and brought much more success, going to number one – the pair also performed the song at Live Aid a few years earlier.
John sings from a pained perspective throughout, reaching out to a lover with fear of being rejected. It’s one of his most honest and upfront songs, seeming to stumble over words and struggle to express himself (“I can’t find the right romantic line/But see me once and see the way I feel.”) It’s sincere, beautiful stuff.
AFP/Getty Images
11/15 5. I’m Still Standing (1983)
It was written by Taupin as a rebuttal of a former lover, but for John this song has come to stand for something far more profound — a message of fierce defiance. It saw him reunite with his classic band and score a hit after a few years in the wilderness, proving he was just as relevant as ever. The video, described by its director Russell Mulcahy as “super, super gay”, celebrated all of John’s innate flamboyance. And then there’s the music, a gloriously camp stomp that bursts with melodrama. In the years since its release, the song has only grown in strength. It’s regularly played at John’s concerts, proof that after all he has endured — the addictions, the pitfalls, the write-offs and the rebirths — he’s still standing.
Getty Images
12/15 4. Your Song (1970)
The simplest and most direct of his early ballads, Your Song gave Elton John his first hit and set him on his way to becoming one of the world’s most loved singer-songwriters. The seven singles he released previously failed to chart, while Your Song reached number seven in the UK, and eight in the US. It arguably features some of Bernie Taupin’s clunkiest lyrics – they were written hastily over breakfast one morning – but in the hands of John it sounds like a song he was born to sing.
The track’s understated strings and simple production stops its sentiment from becoming too overbearing – something which became evident after Ellie Goulding upped the shmaltz stakes for her cover, used in the John Lewis advert back in 2010. In many ways though, the original is music in one of its most effective forms – it’s a singer, sat at a piano, opening their heart to the listener. That kind of intimacy is impossible to resist.
Getty Images
13/15 3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is one of the most-loved and highest-selling albums of the 70s, and while it’s full of hits, the woozy title track is the best illustration of what makes the record so compelling. The swaying chord changes, lyrical and melodic dexterity and nuanced vocal performances are what helped it sell more than 30 million copies – a truly staggering achievement.
The title track is perhaps the closest John ever got to psychedelia, with certain sections capturing the fantastical, light-headed nature of the Wizard of Oz itself. An exceptional track, and the highlight of a classic 70s album.
Getty Images
14/15 2. Tiny Dancer (1971)
No other song shows off John’s incredible songwriting craft quite like Tiny Dancer. It’s the sound of a master knowing exactly what chord and intonation works where – a perfectly structured piece of music that never feels mechanical. The track is well over six minutes long, but the cinematic quality of the music, the strength of the melody and the built–up suspense before each euphoric chorus means it doesn’t drag for a second. The production once again is elegant and incredibly effective. There’s beautiful slide guitar, John’s typically percussive piano, propulsive bass and tasteful strings – it marked a move to a lusher sound for John at the time.
It’s been butchered in various cover versions and been sampled more than once – not least by rapper Ironik in his own woeful take on the song back in 2009. However, the original remains as timeless, as cinematic and as perfectly written as ever.
Getty Images
15/15 1. Rocket Man (1972)
Rocket Man – arguably the most enduring and instantly recognisable hit of John’s career – was the song that marked him out as light years ahead of many of his contemporaries back in 1973.
The song was inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story Rocket Man, and focuses on a lonely astronaut living in an age where space travel is run of the mill, 9-5 work. John’s protagonist misses his family greatly, thousands of miles away from his loved ones back on earth, and his heartache is palpable.
The song’s lilting structure and the physical space in the uncluttered production captures a sense of weightlessness, as if the listener is drifting in anti-gravity with the song’s protagonist. “I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife,” he sings, clearly crying out for a sense of grounding – both physical and emotional. While he’s drifting in the outer reaches of the milky way, his love for family transcends the boundaries of time and space. Incredible stuff.
Getty Images
Norton added: “Like the rest of the nation I’m a massive fan of Sir Elton John’s music, but to sit down with him in his home to ask him about his life, career and family was a huge privilege.
“Funny, frank and fearless, I can’t wait for people to hear him tell his story.”
The programme will also see the pair revisit Sir Elton’s classic archive performances, interviews and accolades.
Sir Elton, whose life was recently brought to the big screen in the film Rocketman with Taron Egerton in the lead role, will also appear in a special recording of Tracks of my Years with Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2.
For his stint on the show, he will choose his favourite songs – including tracks from the likes of Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Aretha Franklin – explaining his reasoning for each one.
“Music has always been the bedrock of my life, through good times and bad,” Sir Elton said.
“It was wonderful to delve into the songs that mean the most to me with Ken – a real deep dive into some of the tracks that have defined the eras of my story. I hope people enjoy listening to it as much as I did putting it together.”
Bruce said: “It was wonderful to meet up with Elton and hear his choices and his enthusiasm for music. I also loved hearing all the incredible stories from his life.”
The TV interview and Tracks of my Years episode featuring Sir Elton will be broadcast in October.
