While Elton John is known for his vocal chops, it’s his piano playing that really set him apart from his peers in the early days of his career. While Bernie Taupin took on lyricism duties, John would come up with powerful, timeless melodies. That combination proved to be very successful in pushing John to stardom. However, as his star took off and his career got more and more demanding, John’s personal life (and health) went into decline. So much so, that he couldn’t be moved to play the piano for one of his biggest hits of the late ’70s. Find out which song made John all but give up in the studio, below.
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The Hit Song That Saw Elton John All But Give Up in the Studio
Baby, so they give you anything
Darling, all the joy money can bring
Baby, do they bring you happiness?
Darling, you’re no different from the rest
Can’t you see that it’s love you really need?
Take my hand and I’ll show what a love could be
Before it’s too late
John has been very open about his struggle with substance abuse in the ’70s. In an effort to raise awareness of addiction, he has not pulled any punches when describing his life while on drugs.
“This is how bleak it was: I’d stay up, I’d smoke joints, I’d drink a bottle of Johnnie Walker and then I’d stay up for three days and then I’d go to sleep for a day and half, get up, and because I was so hungry, because I hadn’t eaten anything, I’d binge and have like three bacon sandwiches, a pot of ice cream and then I’d throw it up, because I became bulimic and then go and do the whole thing all over again,” John once said. “I’m not being flippant when I say that, when I look back I shudder at the behavior and what I was doing to myself.”
“I mean, I would have an epileptic seizure and turn blue, and people would find me on the floor and put me to bed, and then 40 minutes later I’d be snorting another line,” John added.
That self-destructive cycle accounts for his lack of drive towards the end of the ’70s. According to producer Thom Bell, John asked him to arrange and play all of the instruments while recording “Mama Can’t Buy You Love.” Though the song eventually became a massive success, it saw a departure from John’s typical creative process. John reportedly let the producer take the reins–an unprecedented move.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Bell once said. “I kept saying, ‘are you sure that you want to do this? Are you positive?’ Because we don’t want to get into midstream and all of a sudden we start ‘I hear it one way, you hear it the other way.’ He stuck to his word!”
Bell’s direction worked out well for John. It produced a chart-topping hit for him, which remains one of his calling cards to this day. Revisit this track, below.
Mama don’t want you, Daddy don’t want you
Give it up baby, baby, Mama can’t buy you love
Mama don’t want you, Daddy don’t need you
Give it up baby, baby, Mama can’t buy you love
Baby, fancy friends showing you a smile
Darling, rich relations for a while
Baby, I can only give you love
Darling, this old heart should be enough
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for FLC)
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