NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

The number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week of April 19, 1975, was "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John. The British rock artist was still riding high with a string of hit singles with this song becoming his fourth number one song on the US chart and held this position for two weeks.

"Philadelphia Freedom" was originally written by John with his musical collaborator, Bernie Taupin to pay tribute to tennis player, Billie Jean King as she was playing with the Philadelphia Freedoms, a part of a charter franchise of the World Team Tennis in 1974. Taupin could not really find a way to write a song about tennis so he went on to convey a message that was uplifting and somewhat patriotic. The song is also dedicated in part to the feeling of "the Philadelphia sound" which was the soul music of writer-producers Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell. In fact, John would later perform "Philadelphia Freedom" on "Soul Train" on May 17. 1975, making him the second White artist to appearance on the r&b music program following Gino Vannelli who was on about four months earlier.

NEIL SEDAKA (1939 - 2026)

Neil Sedaka, the pop performer and prolific songwriter, has passed away on February 27th at the age of eighty-six. After briefly singing with a doo-wop group, the Tokens as a teenager, the Brooklyn-born performer teamed up with Howard Greenfield to write many chart topping songs together at the Brill Building for other artists before becoming a popular recording artist himself, all which happened not long after Sedaka had turned eighteen.

During his time at the Brill, which began in 1958, Greenfield was handling the lyrics while Sedaka writing the music. The team had their first hit with their song, "Stupid Cupid" for Connie Francis that year. They would write other songs for Francis including "Where The Boys Are" which was the theme song for the 1960 movie which she co-starred and became Francis' signature song. 

Sedaka was still determined to become a recording artist himself and signed with RCA Records. His first charting song was "The Diary", which was inspired by Francis not allowing him to read her own journal, reaching number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. But his next single, "Oh! Carol" (which was inspired by his former girlfriend, Carole King) became an even bigger hit, peaking at number nine in 1959. More hits followed for Sedaka which included "Calendar Girl",  "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" and "Breaking Up is Hard To Do".

Once the British invasion began around 1964, like many of the clean-cut, American pop stars, Sedaka could no longer get his music to chart. He was dropped by his label in 1966 and went back to songwriting full time. Sedaka wrote or co-wrote songs with Greenfield and other writers for The Monkees, the 5th Dimension, Patti Drew and Frankie Valli. But by the early 1970's, Sedaka was back trying to revive his own music career. He found some success touring in Australia and England and was able to rejoin RCA, recording the albums, "Emergence" in 1971 and "Solitaire" the following year. Neither album attracted much attention but the song, "Solitaire" found chart success for Andy Williams and the Carpenters.

Sedaka's fortunes began to shift around 1974 when he recorded the album, "Laughter in the Rain" in Britain. This title track went on to become a number one hit for the singer in the US in 1975, leading to Sedaka being signed to Elton John's label, The Rocket Record Company and a compilation album, "Sedaka's Back" featured material from three previous records he had recorded in the UK. Then later that year, Captain & Tennille recorded a version of Sedaka's song, "Love Will Keep Us Together", becoming a worldwide number one hit. Sedaka's follow-up album, "The Hungry Years" had the first single, "Bad Blood" (that features an uncredited Elton John) become his second number one hit that year. Another single from the album was a slowed-down version of Sedaka's 1962 hit, "Breaking Up is Hard To Do" which this ballad made it to number eight on the pop chart in 1976, making him the only artist to ever record an entirely new version of the same song with both reaching the Billboard Top Ten.

Unfortunately, Sedaka was unable to maintain this remarkable comeback. He recorded one more album, "Steppin' Out" for Rocket before joining Elektra Records, creating a bit of riff between himself and John but their relationship was repaired years later. None of the albums Sedaka recorded on his new label achieved great success. His last charting song was "Should've Never Let You Go", a duet with his daughter, Dara, which made it to number nineteen on the US pop chart in 1980.

But Sedaka would go on to receive plenty of appreciation for his sweeping and influential work. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983, a jukebox musical, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" came out in 2005 and a theatrical musical biography, "Laughter in the Rain" appeared five years later. Sedaka toured extensively over the last thirty years and even did a series of free mini-concerts online during the COVID-19 shutdown.

2025 OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Less than a week away, the Oscars will be announcing their selection for Best Original Song in a motion picture. The musical-drama, "Emilia Pérez" has two songs in this category and both were written by French pop artist, Camille and Clément Ducol, a film composer and arranger. "El Mal" (which was co-written with the film's director, Jacques Audiard) is a rap-rock song that translates in Spanish as "The Evil" that looks at the hypocrisy of criminals contributing to a nonprofit organization that was founded by Emilia Pérez who was a former male drug dealer. "Mi Camino", performed in the film by actress/pop star, Selena Gomez and means "My Way", explores the inner desires of her character (who is the wife of the drug lord and unaware of his transition) to accept herself completely despite her flaws and poor judgement. Adrian Quesada, a songwriter best known for his work with the alt-soul band, Black Pumas, teamed up with musician, Abraham Alexander to write and perform the song, "Like A Bird" for the acclaimed prison drama, "Sing Sing", based on the real-life, Through the Arts, a rehabilitation program set-up at the Maximum Security Prison. Elton John earned his fifth Oscar nomination (and a two time winner) for "Never Too Late", a song co-written with Brandi Carlile for the documentary,  "Elton John: Never Too Late" on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert tour. And this year's Diane Warren nomination is for the unremarkable ballad, "The Journey", her contribution to Tyler Perry's war drama, "The Six Triple Eight" about the little known story of the African-American women who served in the army during World War II. 

In my humble opinion, I believe "El Mal" will be taking home the Oscar this year but we shall see on March 2nd. But in a ridiculous move, it has been decided that none of the five nominated songs will be actually performed on the Oscars telecast. So here is your opportunity to hear these nominated songs together:

"El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard)



"The Journey" from "The Six Triple Eight" (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)



"Like a Bird" from "Sing Sing" (Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada)



"Mi Camino" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol)



"Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late" (Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin)

NEW SOUNDS

For her first foray back to music since her emancipation from a fourteen year long involuntary conservatorship, Britney Spears has come back in a major way with a duet with Sir Elton John. It has been seven years since her well-received ninth studio album, "Glory" that Spears released any new recorded music, largely due to her recent refusal to continue her career while under complete control by her father. "Hold Me Closer" is a dance-pop song that combines elements of John's songs, "Tiny Dancer", "The One" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". John's husband, David Furnish actually suggested this collaboration and it certainly was an inspired idea. While it's wonderful how John has been very supportive in helping Spears get her footing back into music, the song feels like tiny, baby steps forward from both singers. The pop princess and the veteran musician's wispy, over-processed vocals are heavily buried in the dance mix and "Hold Me Closer" is far too similar to John's previous remixed hit with Dua Lipa, "Cold Heart" from last year. It's great that Spears is feeling comfortable to resume her career and this should give her the encouragement to continue but "Hold Me Closer" remains a disappointing endeavor, lacking the fireworks you would have expected from this team-up.



CHAKA KHAN

Chaka Khan has dropped a new song, "Woman Like Me" and it's a very welcome return by this legendary r&b performer. The edgy ballad (produced by Gregg Pagani who also co-wrote it with Francesca Richard and Jeffrey Anderson) is a stirring anthem on female empowerment, a powerful reminder to men that women should mean more to them than just a sexy plaything, deserving their complete admiration and respect. Khan, who has been dazzling us with her sassy, sultry voice since the the mid '70's, first with the funk band, Rufus before venturing out as a solo artist, just signed a deal with SRG-ILS Group to release her music so hopefully a new album is on the horizon.



LOLAHOL

If Lolahol looks familiar, she probably should. She is Lourdes Leon, the oldest child of pop superstar, Madonna who is following her mother into music. Released through her own record label Chemical X, "Lock & Key" is Lolahol's debut single, a dance-club ready tune with Leon providing breathy, sensual vocals. The music video for the song features Lolahol traveling through New York City and moving seductively on the beach that will certainly make her mother proud. And while the twenty-five year old artist doesn't necessarily plan on making music her career, also having interests in modeling and dance, she is curious to see where this will take her.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith made up the English pop-rock band, Tears For Fears who found fame in the mid-1980's most notably with the songs, "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". After working together for ten years, the duo ended their musical relationship with a nasty split in 1991. While Orzabal kept Tears for Fears going as a one-man project (releasing a couple of albums) and Smith made his own solo album, the men would make amends in 2000. The reunited Tears For Fears released another album together, "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending" in 2004. And while Orzabal and Smith would tour occasionally over the ensuing years, there was no new music. That has changed as Tears For Fears have released a song, "The Tipping Point" which is the working title of their upcoming seventh studio album due out in February. The sixty year old musicians have been working on this project over the last ten years and the haunting, mid-tempo ballad deals with Orzabal's struggles with grief over the tragic loss of his wife, Caroline who died in 2017 after thirty-five years of marriage.



Please enjoy this collection of videos of new music by a few LGBTQ artists (and one long-time ally):









Kelis is back with a new single, "Midnight Snacks", the latest song by the artist that follows a theme on the art of eating. Following her 2014 album, "Food", a cookbook and a Netflix series on cooking with Cannabis, the forty-two year old performer is going in on what do when you have cravings late at night. And I'm pretty sure she's referring to food. . .

And for his thirty-second studio album, Elton John has released "The Lockdown Sessions", a duets collection that was recorded largely during the pandemic lockdown after the seventy-four year old performer was forced to put the brakes on his final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road. This is an impressive line-up of musicians who have participated on this album; we have John's musical peers like Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and the late Glen Campbell. There are contemporary performers Miley Cyrus, Rina Sawayama, Charlie Puth and Olly Alexander of Years & Years on board. And we have Young Thug, Nicki Minaj and Lil Nas X to bring some hip-hop to the record. "The Lockdown Sessions" features covers and new material with the first single, "Cold Heart", a duet with Dua Lipa and remixed by by the Australian dance music trio, Pnau who combines elements of John's singles "Rocket Man", "Sacrifice" and "Kiss the Bride" on the track.

NOT YOUR MUSE

When the British vocalist, Celeste recently appeared on this year's Academy Awards show to perform her nominated song, "Hear My Voice" she had co-written for the film, "The Trial of the Chicago 7", this was her major appearance on these shores. But she had already made a big impact in her home country and throughout Europe with her first album, "Not Your Muse", debuting at number one in the UK earlier in the year. The twenty-seven old singer received nominations for Best New Artist and Album of the Year at the 2021 Brit Awards.

Born Celeste Epiphany Waite in Culver City, CA. to a British mother working as a make-up artist and a Jamaican father who had recently moved to the US. But after her parents separated when she was three, Celeste moved to the UK with her mother. As she was growing up, Celeste was interested in ballet and music, particularly classic soul and jazz. By the time she was teenager, music had become very important to her, writing songs and performing with several bands. And after graduating from high school, Celeste began her pursuit of a professional music career.

Celeste first gained attention with the song she wrote called "Daydreaming". This ballad was released as a single in 2016 under pop-star, Lily Allen's record label. This lead to an EP, "The Milk and The Honey" the following year. With her vocals being compared to everyone from Billie Holiday to Adele, this made people pay attention and they quickly discovered that Celeste had her own distinctive sound. She signed with Polydor Records, releasing several singles and another EP, "Lately" in 2019. Buzz continued to build around Celeste and when Elton John added two of her songs to his Apple Music playlist, people began to actively seek out the young singer. 

Finally, Celeste's debut was released in January (with most songs written by the singer and musician/producer, Jamie Hartman) and the singles, "Strange", "Stop This Flame", "A Little Love" and "Love Is Back" helped make the album a big success. She has hasn't received much attention in this country yet but I have a feeling Celeste will be a name and voice we will be hearing from here very soon. Here are a few highlights of the music from this dynamic vocalist:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Rina Sawayama and her 2020 debut album, "Sawayama" was critically acclaimed yet this amazing record still didn't get nearly enough attention by the public that it deserved. But there was one famous fan who was paying close attention: Elton John proclaimed Rina's pop album was one of his favorites of the year. And that lead to a friendship between the two British performers and now a musical collaboration. The veteran artist teamed-up with the thirty year old vocalist for a cover of a track off her album, "Chosen Family". This stripped down version details the importance of having the support of people who may not be related to you but are just as close as any biological family member, something of great significance particularly to queer people.



Here are a few new songs I'm enjoying right now I would like to share:

Indie rocker, Liz Phair decided to create her own path to making music after returning to her family home in Chicago after failing in an attempt to enter the business in San Francisco. Beginning with her 1993 debut, "Exile in Guyville", Fair became a critical darling and a fixture of the modern rock scene. And while Phair has been busy touring and working on projects, she had not released any new music in almost eleven years. That is about to change with the announcement of her upcoming seventh studio album, "Soberish", due out in June, and the first single, "Spanish Doors". The album was inspired by music of the singer's youth which included the sounds of 1980's new wave and art rock. "Spanish Doors" looks at when someone's perfect life comes apart, leaving them unsure of who they are anymore. 

2020 OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG

This year's Oscar nominations were announced on January 13th and the awards will be presented on February 9th which makes it the earliest the awards have ever been given out. And without any nonsense about eliminating the Best Original Song nominees from the show, that means that all of the singers of these songs have been invited to perform at the 92nd annual ceremony. This year is particularly strong in this category with any of them being a worthy winner. But I have to say I'm leaning towards Elton John's song from "Rocketman". This Motown-inspired, foot-stomper, "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" has John collaborating with his long-time co-writer, Bernie Taupin and this would only be the second award this legendary team has ever won together following their recent Golden Globe win for this song. Here are all five Best Original Song nominees for your listening pleasure:

"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from "Toy Story 4"; music and lyrics by Randy Newman



"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from "Rocketman"; music by Elton John; lyrics by Bernie Taupin



"I'm Standing With You" from "Breakthrough"; music and lyrics by Diane Warren



"Into the Unknown" from "Frozen II"; music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez



"Stand Up" from "Harriet"; music and lyrics by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo

REVAMP AND RESTORATION

While audiences have long enjoyed his theatrical costumes and energetic showmanship, it's been the music of Elton John that people have responded to for over fifty years. With his co-songwriter, Bernie Taupin (who John has worked with throughout most of his career), they have created songs that have appealed to everyone due to their eclectic mix of genres.

In celebration of their longtime creative partnership, two albums were assembled with the help of many performers who have gladly come together to interpret the team's musical history. With "Revamp", John enlisted contemporary pop artists to create new versions of his songs. These musicians include Coldplay, Sam Smith, Alessia Cara, Ed Sheeran, The Killers and Lady Gaga.

Mr. Taupin, a big country fan, oversaw "Restoration" which features several artists that range from legendary (Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson) to modern (Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Kacey Musgraves) that rework the duo's classic and more obscure songs in a mellow country vein.

Miley Cyrus is the only artist that appears on both albums. But her take of "Don't Let The Sun Come Down On Me" on "Revamp" and particularly "The Bitch Is Back" on the country album come across painfully like karaoke versions of these songs.

Now at seventy-one, Elton John has decided to slow down and will be embarking on a three-year long farewell world tour which will begin in September. To be honest, I doubt he will never be on stage again after this tour but just in case, make sure you take this opportunity to check him out live.

For now, listen to a few of my favorite songs from both albums that I think truly honors the extraordinary work of Elton John and Bernie Taupin:

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

Forty years ago this week, "Island Girl" became Elton John's fifth number one single in America. At this time, the wonderfully colorful Brit, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, was one of the biggest rock stars on the planet. His 1975 album, "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" became the first album ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Album Chart and the follow-up released later that year, "Rock of the Westies" (which "Island Girl" appears on) also debuted at the top of the chart. John also made an appearance as "the Pinball Wizard" in the filmed version of "Tommy", the rock opera by the Who. And the singer was so popular that he became the first solo white artist to perform on "Soul Train".

As for this number one song which held on to this spot for three weeks, "Island Girl" is pretty risque, especially for pop radio. It's about a New York city prostitute trying to be lured back home to Jamaica to save her from this life. This dance-flavored number, written by John and Bernie Taupin, was an interesting change of pace from the moving ballads and hard-edged rockers we usually heard from the singer.

"Island Girl" - Elton John (1975) mp3

One more interesting side note: "Island Girl" had knocked "Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka out of the number one spot and Elton John made an uncredited appearance on that song performing background vocals. Enjoy this bonus of that song:

"Bad Blood" - Neil Sedaka (1975) mp3

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

"THIS IS. . ." - ICONA POP

Icona Pop burst on to the scene in 2012 with their worldwide smash, "I Love It" , although the song didn't reach these shores until this year. This tasty bit of Europop has the duo sing-shouting together that makes them sound like this generation's version of Bananarama.  The group, made-up of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, released their self-titled debut in their native Sweden two years ago and have just delivered their official international first album, "This Is . . .".  The album includes three tracks form the "Icona Pop" debut while the rest consists of new material that features production from fellow hit-making Scandinavians, Stargate and Shellback. If you love big electrobeats and wild, party-anthems, this is a record you should definitely check out.

"All Night" - Icona Pop (2013)

"NOTHING WAS THE SAME"  - DRAKE

With his third full-length album, "Nothing Was The Same", Drake has made a thrilling work of bold artistic achievement. The twenty-six year old Canadian performer has confidently merged hip-hop and classic r&b to create a slick production that offers sounds that are richly textured and musically adventurous. Lyrically, Drake has even made some advancements as he has touched more on personal views in addition to the usual self-aggrandizing found in rap.

"For Time" - Drake featuring Jhene Aiko (2013)

 "YOURS TRULY" - ARIANA GRANDE

Ariana Grande first achieved fame as a child star on the Nickelodeon television series, "Victorious" and the now twenty-year old has found recent success as a singer. Her first album, "Yours Truly" has been released and debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 200 Chart, thanks to her first two singles, "Baby I" and the top-ten hit, "The Way".  Ms Grande has stated that her musical influences included such artists as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, so it's no surprise that you hear that on this record. While the young vocalist is not exactly in the same league as her idols, she shows great potential and delivers a strong set of songs.

"You'll Never Know" - Ariana Grande (2013)

"PURE HEROINE" - LORDE

A sixteen year old singer from New Zealand has come out of nowhere and made the most unlikely pop hit of the year. Ella Yelich-O'Connor or as she is known professionally, Lorde has taken the world by storm with her dark and moody tune, "Royals". What makes the song stand out is the minimalist sound, quirky, poetic lyrics and Lorde's mature vocals. "Pure Heroine" is the title of her first album and features a captivating collection written by Lorde and her producer, Joel Little. This is an impressive debut and one of the best records of the year.

"Ribs" - Lorde (2013)

Here is the U.S. version of the music video for "Royals" with the major difference between this and the original is that we see much more of the singer:



"THE DIVING BOARD" - ELTON JOHN

Elton John has returned to making the spare, reflective music that first made audiences stop and take notice of his amazing talent over forty years ago. He has re-teamed with producer, T-Bone Burnett and his long-time writing partner, Bernie Taupin and together have made "The Diving Board", his thirty-first (!) studio album. Mr. John has got nothing more to prove and has made a refreshing record that moves and inspires him with no interest in catering to the current trends in pop music.

"Take This Dirty Water" - Elton John (2013)

While we're still waiting for the release of her first full-length CD, Sky Ferreira has dropped another hot single. "You're Not The One" is a guitar-driven, electro-tune that has a sexy music video to enhance this great song:



The thing that amazes me the most about the career of Britney Spears is that she's managed to achieve so much by offering so little. There's no need to add any more to that statement and just present the video for "Work Bitch" the first single from her next musical endeavour due out in December. This is around the time Ms Spears will begin her residency at Planet Hollywood in Vegas:

FOCUS ON: ELTON JOHN

Elton John is well known for creating timeless, well crafted pop songs, delivering his stirring and passionate vocals but he is also a dramatic and flamboyant personality who has absolutely no problem saying what is exactly on his mind. He is the true definition of a male diva.

Elton John was one piano man that was going to be noticed for more than just his playing. At the height of his fame, he would put on his outrageous eye wear and wear one of his extravagant stage costumes but he really didn't need any of that. All he needed to do was just sit behind his piano and perform any one of his many powerful songs to make an audience stop and pay attention to him..

There is only one Elton John and you will definitely not confuse him anybody else.

He began life as Reginald Dwight, born in 1947 and raised in Pinner, Middlesex in England. Both of his parents were music lovers and they introduced young Reginald to all of the popular artists of the day but it was the rock & roll records that truly made an impression on him.

Reginald began playing the piano at the age of three and he could pick up music by ear. He would play at parties and family gatherings but he would not begin formal lessons until he was seven. Later at eleven, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. While he enjoyed playing classical music and singing in the choir, he was not challenged by his classes. At fifteen, he got a job as a piano player at a local pub on the weekends.

In 1964, he formed a band called, Bluesology and they would back-up touring American soul artists like, Doris Troy, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells and the Isley Brothers. After unsuccessfully auditioning for lead vocalist for other bands, Reginald answered an ad placed by Ray Williams, an A&R manager for Liberty Records looking for a musician. During the meeting, he gave Reginald a stack of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who had also answered the ad. Reginald wrote music to those lyrics and sent them to Taupin and a musical partnership was formed, which has remained to this day.

Six months later, the two finally met and recorded their first song collaboration, "Scarecrow" in 1967. It was at this time that Reginald became "Elton John", which was the combination of the names of Bluesology sax player, Elton Dean and musician, Long John Baldry.

 In 1969, Elton John released his debut album, "Empty Sky" in the UK but it was not released in the United States until 1975, well after he had already established fame internationally.

His next album,"Elton John" was released in 1970 and the first in the U.S. It produced his first big hit single, "Your Song" which went to number four on the pop charts. The album would later be nominated for a Grammy for "Album of The Year"

This was the beginning of a long string of hits where he has amassed fifty-six top forty U.S. singles, seven consecutive number one albums and has sold thirty-seven million copies of his tribute song to the late Princess Diana, "Candle In The Wind (1997)" which is the world's best selling single of all time. Elton John has also sold a total of over two hundred and fifty million records worldwide.

The price of fame did take it's toll on Elton John where he suffered from depression, bulimia and battled addictions to alcohol and cocaine but he managed to overcome them all.

In 1976, Elton John revealed that he was bisexual in Rolling Stone magazine. He married Renate Baluel, a close friend and his sound engineer in 1984 and the marriage lasted for four years. He met David Furnish, a Canadian advertising executive in 1993 and they have been together ever since. The couple were joined together in a civil union in 2005.

Elton John has been involved in many charities and he started his own, The Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 which brings awareness to the disease and assists individuals with HIV/AIDS related illnesses. He also participated on the 1985 hit song, "That's What Friends Are For" with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder, which part of the proceeds went to AIDS research.

Sir Elton John was knighted in 1998, entered in to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994, was the 2004 recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor, and has won five Grammy awards, a Tony award for the musical he wrote the score with Tim Rice, "Aida" and an Academy award for "Best Original Song" for the animated film, "The Lion King" in 2000.

It is quite clear that Elton John has had a long and rich career but it's far from over. He has an upcoming album called "The Union" where he is teaming up with legendary artist, Leon Russell.

I loved this music video for "I'm Still Standing". I remember when I first saw it thinking (and before he came out officially as gay), "Boy, he really is into his male dancers." plus there is a great shot of him wearing a collection of some of his crazy eyewear.