CURIOSITIES
The real name, soccer, The Lion King: some fun facts about Elton John, who turns 76 today
Sir Elton Hercules John was born on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, in the home of his maternal grandparents.
Elton John 's childhood was by no means easy, especially because of his poor relationship with his father, a complicated relationship that would deeply mark the artist's entire career.
John entered the world of music thanks to Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & His Comets, musicians who were highly appreciated by his mother. Here are some trivia you didn't know about Sir Elton John, who turns 76 today!
Elton John turns 76 years old today
Sir Elton Hercules John was born on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, in the home of his maternal grandparents. Elton John 's childhood was not at all easy, especially because of the very bad relationship with his father, a complicated relationship that would deeply mark his career. John came into the world of music thanks to Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & His Comets, musicians who were highly appreciated by the singer-songwriter's mother. Here are some interesting facts you didn't know about Sir Elton John!
Elton John's real name
The singer-songwriter's first name was Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Reginald chose, however, to legally change his name, mainly because of the bad relationship he had with his father Stanley. Sir Elton John owes its current name to the musicians Elton Dean and John Baldry, who were part of his early band, the Bluesology: the two musicians were very important in the singer-songwriter's personal and artistic growth, and his new name is a clear tribute to the two friends.
The first version of "Candle in the Wind" was not dedicated to Lady Diana
"Candle in the Wind 1997" is a re-adaptation of the song composed by Elton John himself in 1973 in honor of Marilyn Monroe and his complicated life journey. The 1997 version is the most famous, as it was sung by John on a single occasion, namely on September 6, 1997, at the funeral of Princess Diana, his dearest friend. From then on, the musician sang only the 1973 version, keeping the promise made before Lady D's funeral : only with the consent of William and Henry, Diana's children , would he sing the 1997 version in public one more time. "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling single of all time, with about 40 million copies sold worldwide.
Elton John and the Watford
Among Elton John 's passions, football must not be forgotten. The singer-songwriter was first the owner of Los Angeles Aztecs and then especially of Watford, a team of which the singer-songwriter is a big fan: Sir Elton was the owner of Watford from 1977 to 1987 and from 1997 to 2001. Instead, since 2008, he has been appointed Honorary Life President of the club.
The soundtrack to "The Lion King"
Elton John signed the soundtrack to the famous 1994 Disney film. Specifically, the singer-songwriter wrote five songs for the feature film: "Circle of Life", "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", "Be Prepared", "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight"?, the latter of which was performed by John during the end credits. While writing Hakuna Matata, Sir Elton confessed that he feared that the song might be considered the lowest point of his career.
The awards won by Elton John
Was "The Lion King" the lowest point in the career of Elton John? Absolutely not! It was thanks to one of the songs in the film, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?", that Sir Elton won his first Oscar for best song. The second Oscar came instead in 2020 with the song "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again", included in the biographical film about John himself, "Rocketman". During his career the musician has also won two Golden Globe, a Tony Award and five Grammy Awards.