Elton John releases Wonderful Crazy Night - but there's more to the influential man than the music

Elton John's new album is released today - and after nearly 50 years at the top he's not just a pop star but a national treasure
New surprises: Elton John makes sophisticated piano, boogie and even jazz on the new album
Guy Pewsey5 February 2016

For almost 50 years, Elton John has rolled out a steady stream of hits, with an attempt to choose one’s favourite an almost impossible pursuit: no karaoke session is complete without a rendition of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and Crocodile Rock can’t fail to fill the dance floor. The decision is made even more difficult with today’s release of the new album Wonderful Crazy Night, an upbeat blend of a little bit of country and a little bit of rock ’n’ roll. But with it comes a reminder that Elton’s reach goes far beyond his recording career. Behind those distinctive spectacles lies a very influential man.

Sticking with the piano but straying from the concert tours, Elton John is one of the few pop stars to make an impressive transition into film and stage success. His partnership with Tim Rice — of Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar fame — led to The Lion King, arguably one of the greatest movie soundtracks of all time that, inevitably and lucratively, was transformed into a stage musical that has become the biggest earner in history.

Later, the pair collaborated on the underrated yet epically romantic Broadway show Aida, but it is Billy Elliot — at Victoria’s Palace Theatre for the past decade — which has proved Elton’s worth. His score is moving, energetic and guiltlessly emotional, and the show celebrated the combined misery and joy of youth long before the capital began its love affair with Tim Minchin’s Matilda.

So crowd-pleasing is his music that no one can resist offering covers, with varying success. Ironik and Chipmunk put a rap spin on Tiny Dancer, The Who offered a rendition of Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, and Kate Bush gave us Rocket Man. Your Song, that ultra-romantic love ode, was recycled as a showstopper in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge and even provided The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their first dance at their wedding, performed at Buckingham Palace by Ellie Goulding. Presumably Elton had other plans.

But with great power, as the superhero adage goes, comes great responsibility, and Elton has never shied away from using his fame to raise awareness of more important things. The Elton John Aids Foundation may have been placed at the forefront of the public consciousness through its glittering parties but it has raised more than $200 million in the fight against the disease.

He has also been vocal in his defence of his right to a family, speaking out against designers Dolce & Gabbana when they made controversial comments against gay parents. Eminem acknowledges him for getting him off drugs, and even Russian President Vladimir Putin holds him in high enough regard to drop him a line over LGBTI rights.

Elton John has come a long way since his humble, Pinner beginnings as Reginald Kenneth Dwight. But his approach to music, his indomitable work ethic and his unique style — one could credit his love of a decorative blazer for many a catwalk trend — prove that he has never been anything but extraordinary.

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