What
names do you believe come up when people are talking about the greatest
artist(s) of all time? Personally, I think about artists such as the King of
Pop Michael Jackson, the Beatles, or even Kanye West. Another artist that comes
to mind as well and that person is Elton John. For those who do not know too
much about Sir Elton John, let’s just say he’s considered one of the top 10
greatest artists of all time. Elton John’s career spans over five decades with
a total of 300 million records sold worldwide. Needless to say, he has made
quite a name for himself. On top of that, he wrote and recorded the songs “Can
You Feel the Love Tonight,” “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata” for the 1994
Disney movie The Lion King.
Of those 300 million records sold
worldwide, Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road is considered one of his best and most popular albums. It has
been suggested that the diverse ambiance of the album would have been created
by The Beatles if they would have stayed together.
Courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine
The album was released back in 1973 and the 40th
anniversary of its release was celebrated this past Tuesday. To celebrate this
milestone for this multi-platinum selling album, Elton John has decided to re-release
the album as five disc CD and DVD box set that features 2014 remastered
versions of all the original songs, covers by contemporary artists of today,
several non-LP singles, live concert performances from Elton John and his band
at Hammersmith Odeon, London in 1973 and a vintage documentary of how the album
was created.
The contemporary covers on the album feature a
variety of different artists from different genres. The original four singles
released from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are covered by these artists.
The band Fall Out Boy covers the raucous “Saturday
Night’s Alright For Fighting” while young country star Hunter Hayes covers
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” which is considered John’s best song among
critics. “Candle In the Wind” is covered by fellow English singer-songwriter Ed
Sheeran while one of the most intriguing covers is of “Bennie and the Jets,”
which is performed by R&B singer Miguel and rapper Wale. I say it is one of
the most intriguing because Wale raps in place of the original song’s piano
solo and you would not have thought you would see a rapper working on an Elton
John song. It is not uncommon since was John was scheduled to work with Eminem
a couple years back. “I’d love to incorporate hip-hop. I just don’t know how to
do it,” said John in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine. “I’d have to
work with someone who knows about it, like a Pharrell or a Kanye, who I respect
tremendously.”
Elton John will not only go down as one of the
greatest artists of all time because of his musical success, but also for his
advocacy for AIDS research and support for the LGBT social movement. John helps
the world by providing great music and just being an all-around humanitarian.
Sir Elton John, we thank you!
Twitter: @OddKingz
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