ELTON JOHN

Bernie Taupin: "It was just an idea that came to me one morning at Elton's mum's place. I remember writing it in the kitchen, after a plate of bacon and eggs, with Elton in the bath in the next room. The original lyrics have got an egg-stain on them."

Bernie Taupin: "It was one of the first songs we wrote when we really got locked into writing. And when we had really honed our craft, after writing all this sort of early nits and pieces that never surfaced. I wrote that song one morning when Elton and I shared an apartment in Northwood Hills, just outside of London. And I remember writing it as I was having breakfast -- the original lyric had tea-stains on it. He wrote it the same day. We went into the room where the piano was and just hammered it out. The great thing about that song is that the naiveté of it is truly honest. It's real. It's not somebody pretending to write a song that is simple and naive. It is a simple, naive song. And it still stands up." (2001:Blue Railroad)

Bernie Taupin: “It’s like the perennial ballad ‘Your Song,’ which has got to be one of the most naïve and childish lyrics in the entire repertoire of music, but I think the reason it still stands up is because it was real at the time. That was exactly what I was feeling. I was 17 years old and it was coming from someone whose outlook on love or experience with love was totally new and naïve. Now I could never write that song again or emulate it because the songs I write now that talk about love coming from people my age usually deal with broken marriages and where the children go. You have to write from where you are at a particular point in time, and ‘Your Song’ is exactly where I was coming from back then.” (1989:Music Connection)

Elton John: "I always thought 'Your Song' was written about one of his girlfriends, and when I asked him that, he just said, 'No it wasn't!' He gets fairly defensive."
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – piano, vocals
Colin Green – guitar
Clive Hicks – 12-string guitar
Frank Clark – acoustic guitar
Dave Richmond – bass
Barry Morgan – drums
Paul Buckmaster – arrangement, conducting

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineer: Robin Geoffrey Cable
Recorded: Trident Studios, London, England, January 1970
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "I like to be more interesting than a good old 'I love you, you love me, my heart will break if you leave me. Throw in a curveball. 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me.' Put a dark twist on them.

My only recollections of this is that we wanted to write something big. I mean, big in that dramatic Spectory (as in Phil Spector) style, like 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.' Hopefully being powerful without being pompous. I'm not sure that with this in mind it made me fashion the lyrics any differently. Although, in retrospect, they do seem to have a slightly more Brill Building flair to them, so it's entirely possible that I did.

Of course, I always seem to have to revert to a crib sheet to check these things, as I just seem to have a really bad memory of my own work. In fact, it makes me think of a situation that I found myself in a few years ago watching some TV with some friends of mine. There was a game show on where one of the categories happened to be my lyrics. And there were, I believe, five questions, and four of them I got wrong."

Bernie Taupin: "I like to be more interesting than a good old 'I love you, you love me, my heart will break if you leave me. Throw in a curveball. 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me.' Put a dark twist on them." (Esquire)

Elton John: “I said “if you (Gus Dudgeon) put this on the album I’ll sodding well shoot you. I thought it was the worst vocal of all time”

Gus Dudgeon: "When Elton recorded this track, he was in a filthy mood. On some takes, he'd scream it, on others he'd mumble it, or he'd just stand there, staring at the control room. Eventually, he flung off his headphones and said, "Okay, let's hear what we got." When Gus played it for him, Elton said, "That's a load of crap. You can send it to Engelbert Humperdinck, and if he doesn't like it, you can give it to Lulu as a demo." (Sir Elton: The Definitive Biography)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano, organ
Davey Johnstone – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Dee Murray – bass
Nigel Olsson – drums
Ray Cooper – tambourine, bells
David Hentschel – mellotron
Toni Tennille – backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Billy Hinsche – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston, vocal arrangement
Daryl Dragon (The Captain) - vocal arrangement
Del Newman - horn arrangement

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Clive Franks, David Hentschel
Recorded: Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado, USA, Jan 1974
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "We came to California in the fall of 1970, and sunshine radiated from the populace. I was trying to capture the spirit of that time, encapsulated by the women we met - especially at the clothes stores up and down the Strip in L.A. They were free spirits, sexy in hip-huggers and lacy blouses, and very ethereal, the way they moved. So different from what I'd been used to in England. And they all wanted to sew patches on your jeans. They'd mother you and sleep with you - it was the perfect Oedipal complex. Why ‘Tiny Dancer’? Well, I guess that’s just poetic license. It just sounds better than ‘small dancer’ or little dancer.’" (Rolling Stone)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
Caleb Quaye – electric guitar
BJ Cole – steel guitar
Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar
David Glover – bass guitar
Roger Pope – drums
Lesley Duncan – backing vocals
Sue & Sunny – backing vocals
Barry St. John – backing vocals
Liza Strike – backing vocals
Roger Cook – backing vocals
Tony Burrows – backing vocals
Terry Steele – backing vocals
Dee Murray – backing vocals
Nigel Olsson – backing vocals
Paul Buckmaster – arrangement

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Robin Geoffrey Cable
Recorded: Trident Studios, London, England, Aug 9, 1971
**KILL ME**

Elton John: "This time I wanted to do something that was a send-up of the early '60s rather than an out-and-out rocker," he told . I wanted it to be a tribute to all those people I used to go and see as a kid. That's why I used the Del Shannon-type vocals and that bit from Pat Boone's 'Speedy Gonzales.' We also tried to get the worst organ sound possible... something like Johnny and The Hurricanes used to manage to produce. This type of song is actually a very hard thing to write because the temptation is to try too hard and go beserk." (Beat Instrumental)

Elton John: "I wanted it to be a record about all the things I grew up with. Of course it's a rip-off." (Elton John: The Definitive Biography)

Bernie Taupin: "Crocodile Rock" is a strange dichotomy because I don't mind having created it, but it's not something I would listen to.

Elton John: "It was just a one-off thing. It became a huge hit record, and in the long run, it became a negative for me."

Elton John: "disposable pop"

Bernie Taupin: "I don't want people to remember me for 'Crocodile Rock.' I'd much rather they remember me for songs like 'Candle In The Wind' and 'Empty Garden,' songs that convey a message. Well, they don't really need to convey a message, as long as they can convey a feeling. But there are things like 'Crocodile Rock,' which was fun at the time, but it was pop fluff. It was like, 'Okay, that was fun for now, throw it away, and here's the next one. So there's a certain element of our music that is disposable, but I think you'll find that in anybody's catalog." (1989:Music Connection)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano, Farfisa organ
Davey Johnstone – electric guitar
Dee Murray – bass
Nigel Olsson – drums

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Ken Scott
Recorded: Château d'Hérouville, France, Jun 1972
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "I'd seen this article in Time magazine on the Tet Offensive. And there was a sidebar next to it with a story about how many of the soldiers that were coming back from 'Nam were these simple sort of down home country guys who were generally embarrassed by both the adulation and, depending on what part of the country you came from, the animosity that they were greeted by. For the most part, they just wanted to get back to a normal life, but found it hard, what with all the looky loos and the monkeys of war that they carried on their backs. I just took it from there and wrote it from a younger brother's perspective; made him disabled and wanting to get away. I made it Spain, basically, because it rhymes with plane." (Bernie Taupin website)

Bernie Taupin: "Daniel had been the most misinterpreted song that we'd ever written. The story was about a guy that went back to a small town in Texas, returning from the Vietnam war. They'd launded him when he came home and treated him like a hero. But he just wanted to go home, go back to the farm, and try to get back to the life that he'd led before. I just embellished that and like everything I write, I probably ended up being very esoteric, but it is a song that is important to me, because it was the one thing I said about the Vietnam War. I wanted to write something that was sympathetic to the people that came home" ("Two Rooms" tribute project)

Bernie Taupin: "Daniel's nobody. I don't have any set idea on who he is. I just started the song with that corny rhyme "plane" and "Spain"". (Rolling Stone)

Elton John: "The last verse explained everything but it just made the song too long" ("Two Rooms" tribute project)

Davey Johnstone: "Elton had written this song which inmediatily we all loved. And he call me over and said "look at this last verse, I think Taupin's on drugs. He must be taking acid or something". And we looked at this verse, and I can vaguely remember something about a ship's dog named Paul. And I'm like "What the fuck is he talking about?" Suddenly out of nowhere he starts talking about this dog. So Elton just kind of took the page and ripped that bottom part off very slowly and very definetely and said "Well, that's the end of that". And that's why that verse was lost" (EEL #35)

Bernie Taupin: "We had that whole thing about the missing verse that everybody seems to believe explained the true meaning of the song. I think that's just an urban legend. It didn't really explain anything. Sure, it was cut out. But that used to happen all the time with our songs. I would often overwrite, and Elton felt it necessary to edit somewhat. But believe me, it didn't say anything that the rest of the song didn't say."
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, "flute" Mellotron
Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, banjo
Dee Murray – bass
Nigel Olsson – drums, maracas
Ken Scott – ARP synthesizer

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Ken Scott
Recorded: Château d'Hérouville, France, Jun 1972
**KILL ME**

"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is a lively throwback to early rock and roll with a glam edge; the lyrics discuss a night out in town in which the narrator plans to "get about as oiled as a diesel train". Taupin has said that the song was meant to be an American rock and roll song set in Britain. It was inspired by his raucous teenage days. In particular this was the fist fights happening in his local pub, the Aston Arms (Wikipeidia)

**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
Davey Johnstone – electric guitars
Dee Murray – bass
Nigel Olsson – drums

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: David Hentschel
Recorded: Château d'Hérouville, France, may, 1973
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "the idea of fame or youth or somebody being cut short in the prime of their life. The song could have been about James Dean, it could have been about Montgomery Clift, it could have been about Jim Morrison ... how we glamorize death, how we immortalize people."

Bernie Taupin: "I think the biggest misconception about 'Candle In The Wind' is that I was this rabid Marilyn Monroe fanatic, which really couldn't be further from the truth. It's not that I didn't have a respect for her. It's just that the song could just as easily have been about James Dean or Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain. I mean, it could have been about Sylvia Plath or Virginia Woolf. I mean, basically, anybody, any writer, actor, actress, or musician who died young and sort of became this iconic picture of Dorian Gray, that thing where they simply stopped aging. It's a beauty frozen in time.

In a way, I'm fascinated with that concept. So it's really about how fame affects the man or woman in the street, that whole adulation thing and the fanaticism of fandom. It's pretty freaky how people really believe these people are somehow different from us. It's a theme that's figured prominently in a lot of our songs, and I think it'll probably continue to do so."

Bernie Taupin: "As regards that remake, I'm not really sure what to make of it. I did it because EJ asked me to and I felt good enough. I don't know why it seems to bend a lot of people out of shape, which is rather peculiar, if you consider the outcome. I mean, it's a bit uncharitable. After all, it raised I think something like $14 million for the Princess trust. And then my original handwritten lyrics fetched like a further half million at auction for the LA Children's Hospital.

So, you know, I guess my conscience is clean. Hey, I guess if you hear anything enough, it's going to get up your nose. But at the same time, in this case, I think it might be in your best interest to hold your breath and cut it some slack. Whatever you think of it, it's totally your prerogative. But it would serve you much better to get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and say, 'I wonder what I can do today to really make a difference.' So, you know what they say, people in glass houses and all that."

It was originally written in 1973, in honor of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier. ... Taupin was inspired to write the song after hearing the phrase "candle in the wind" used in tribute to Janis Joplin. ... In 1997, John performed a rewritten version of the song as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. This version of the song was released as a single and reached No. 1 in many countries, proving a much greater success than the original, officially being listed as the second best-selling single of all time. (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John - lead vocals, piano
Davey Johnstone - guitars
David Paton - bass
Charlie Morgan - drums
Ray Cooper - percussion
Jody Linscott - percussion
Fred Mandel - keyboards, synthesizers
Alan Carvell - backing vocals
Gordon Neville - backing vocals
Shirley Lewis - backing vocals
James Newton Howard - orchestral arrangements, conductor

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Clive Franks
Recorded: Sydney, Australia, Dec 14, 1986
**KILL ME**

Elton John: "It was the first song I wrote for the album. Bernie came with a pile of lyrics and I wanted to pick something positive to begin with. The songs on the album are almost about relationships and I wanted to start with one about a relationship that was working well". (album promo)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John - lead vocals, piano
Davey Johnstone - guitars
John Jorgenson - guitars
Bob Birch - bass
Guy Babylon - keyboards
Charlie Morgan - drums and percussion
Paul Carrack - organ
Carol Kenyon - backing vocals
Jackie Rawe - backing vocals
Guy Babylon - string arrangement
Anne Dudley - string arrangement, conducted

Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered: Pete Lewis
Recorded: The Townhouse, London, England;
..... and Air Lyndhurst, London, England, 1997
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "There was a period when I was going through that whole "got to get back to my roots" thing, which spawned a lot of like minded songs in the early days, this being one of them. I don't believe I was ever turning my back on success or saying I didn't want it.. I don't believe I was ever that naïve. I think I was just hoping that maybe there was a happy medium way to exist successfully in a more tranquil setting.

My only naiveté, I guess, was believing I could do it so early on. I had to travel a long road and visit the school of hard knocks before I could come even close to achieving that goal. So, thank God I can say quite categorically that I am home."

Bernie Taupin: "I don't think it was about disillusionment [with] fame. I think it was more about this battle I had about being the sort of country kid coming to town. Being originally a little out of my depth, it was sort of the Dick Whittington tale. You know, the country kid going to the big city. But at the same time, yes, I think it could have been the all-encompassing world of fame... It could be rock & roll. Is it everything it's cracked up to be? Possibly not.”
**KILL ME**

The Yellow Brick Road is an image taken from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, Dorothy and her friends are instructed to follow the yellow brick road in search of the Wizard of Oz, only to find that they had what they were looking for all along. The road leads to the Emerald City in the land of Oz, often referred to as a metaphor for "The road that leads to life's fantasies" or "The road that leads to life's answers." The lyrics describe wanting to go back to a simpler existence after living what the narrator thought was the good life, but realizing they had simply been treated like a pet. The Wizard of Oz was reportedly the first film that Elton John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin had ever seen, and he used the imagery in the lyrics relating to his own life as his desire to "get back to [his] roots" (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
Davey Johnstone – Leslie electric guitar, backing vocals
Dee Murray – bass, backing vocals
Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
Del Newman – orchestral arrangement

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: David Hentschel
Recorded at: Château d'Hérouville, France, May 1973
**KILL ME**

Elton John: "I was messing around in the studio on the electric piano and came up with the title line"
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin) as (Ann Orson, Carte Blanche)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
Kiki Dee – lead/backing vocals
Davey Johnstone – electric guitars
Kenny Passarelli – bass
Roger Pope – drums
James Newton Howard – Fender Rhodes electric piano, orchestral arrangements
Ray Cooper - tambourine, congas, bongos
Curt Boettcher - backing vocals
Cindy Bullens - backing vocals

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: ??
Recorded: Mar 1976
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: “I knew in the back of my mind that everybody would be doing the same thing. I thought: “God, am I cashing in? Am I being cold and calculating?” But then I realized it was the only thing I could do. I couldn’t cry because that comes later”

Elton John: “When Bernie came up with the lyrics, I didn’t think anyone would be able to say anything without being clumsy or cheesy”
**KILL ME**

The song is a tribute to John Lennon, who had been shot and killed one and a half years earlier. ... Lennon and John were good friends. ... After Lennon's death, John was concerned that a tribute song to the late Beatle would be "clumsy" – until he saw Taupin's lyrics. The song is titled "Empty Garden", as Lennon's last live performance was at Madison Square Garden (with John in 1974). It has been said that the line "Can't you come out to play?" is a reference to Lennon's song Dear Prudence. (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, harpsichord
Richie Zito – acoustic guitars
Dee Murray – bass
Jeff Porcaro – drums
James Newton-Howard – synthesizers
?? - castanets
?? - maracas
?? - tambourine

Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered: Bill Price
Recorded: AIR Studios, Montserrat
..... and/or Pathe Marconi Studios, France, Sep-Oct 1981
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: (A sad song is) “hearing something on the radio and remembering what you were doing at a time in your life”

Bernie Taupin: “This is going to be a number one all over the world!”
**KILL ME**

The lyrics describe how it sometimes helps for someone who is feeling sad, or who has lost a partner, to listen to old radio blues classics. In the years since its issue, radio airplay has been modest compared with some of John's other 1980s singles. (Wikipedia)

Elton’s intention was to put “Here Comes Miss Hurt Again” on the album, a country and western number, but finally prevailed the idea of that song didn’t fit. So, Elton angrily took another lyric of Bernie’s set and composed “Sad Songs” tune in four minutes, using a synthesizer and a drum machine. The first recorded version took a slower, more gospel approach; it was scrapped. (Elton John All Songs List)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John - lead vocals, piano, keyboards,
Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Dee Murray - bass, backing vocals
Nigel Olsson - drums, backing vocals

Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered: Renate Blauel
Recorded: Air Studios, Montserrat, Dec 1983
**KILL ME**

Elton John: "I said to Bernie: could you write a song called Philadelphia Freedom for me? Thank you, Elton".

Bernie Taupin: "I can't write a song about tennis. ... It's not exactly the easiest title to deal with"
**KILL ME**

The first song wrote consciously as a single, is a tribute to Elton's friend Billy Jean King and her tennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. Elton had told her he would have Bernie write lyrics for her, capting the idea of winning despite all odds, and she thought "No way!". Elton, who met Billy Jean and Jimmy Connors in 1973, had been allowed to play against her on court and the song should be in return for that. ... Bernie claims that lyrics mean nothing. (Elton John All Songs List)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, electric piano
Ray Cooper – tambourine, maracas, congas
Davey Johnstone – electric & acoustic guitars
Dee Murray – bass
Nigel Olsson – drums
Gene Page - orchestral arrangement

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: ??
Recorded: ??
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "I wrote this in Montserrat, an island that, tragically, no longer exists. Basically, it's a letter home with a small tip included about making the most of time, not wishing it away just because you can't be with the one you love. Time is precious; read books, paint a picture, bake a cake. Just don't wallow, don't be content."

Bernie Taupin: "The whole 'loving you more than I love life itself' is something I would never say now. It's kind of a crass sentiment and totally false. It's quite another thing to love someone deeply with your whole heart without stooping to this kind of lie. I loathe giving songwriting advice, but were I pushed, I'd say, 'Never say you love someone more than life or that you'd die for someone in a song.' It's just such a disservice to your own spirit. I'd like to think that I'd lay down my life for my children, but until you're faced with the reality, it's kind of a moot point. Rambling, I know, but relative nonetheless."
**KILL ME**

A letter that Bernie wrote to his second wife, model Toni Russo (the sister of actress Renée Russo) resulted in the lyrics. ... He tells, on the lyrics, that he will be back home soon, asking her to think of what they will do when he returns and remembering his devotion to her in the meantime. (Elton John All Songs List)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John: lead vocals, piano, keyboards
Davey Johnstone: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Dee Murray: bass, backing vocals
Nigel Olsson: drums, backing vocals
Stevie Wonder: harmonica

Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered: Bill Price
Recorded: AIR Studios, Montserrat
..... and/or Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California, USA, Sep 1982
**KILL ME**

In the song, Elton John describes his crush on a man called (Nikita Boylan) border guard whom he cannot meet because he is not allowed into the country. (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead/backing vocals, Yamaha GS1 piano, synthesizer
Dave Mattacks – drums, percussion
David Paton – fretless bass
Nik Kershaw – electric guitar, backing vocals
Fred Mandel – synthesizers
George Michael – backing vocals
Davey Johnstone – backing vocals

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Stuart Epps
Recorded: Sol Studios, Cookham, Berkshire, England, Jan 1985
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "The words just came into my head: 'She packed my bags last night, pre-flight. Zero-hour is nine am.' I remember jumping out of the car and running into my parents' house, shouting 'Please don't anyone talk to me until I've written this down.'" (1991:“Two rooms” project)

Bernie Taupin: "I've been in horrible situations sometimes where I've not been in the vicinity of paper and pen, where I've come up with several lines strung together. And driving along and repeating them, till I can get somewhere where I can write it down. I came up with the first verse of "Rocket Man" like that. It was in my head as I was driving to my parents' house in England many years ago. I drove like crazy down these backroads trying to get there in time so I'd remember it, and rushed in the door to write it down. I had the whole opening bit: "She packed my bags last night, pre-flight/zero hour, nine a.m., and I'm gonna be high as a kite by then." That all came to me at once." (2001:Blue Railroad)
**KILL ME**

The lyrics in the song, inspired by the short story "The Rocket Man" in The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, and written by John's longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, describe a Mars-bound astronaut's mixed feelings at leaving his family in order to do his job. ... Another song called "Rocket Man" (and also based on Bradbury's short story "The Rocket Man")[clarification needed] was released by the musical group Pearls Before Swine on their 1970 album The Use of Ashes. In an interview in Billboard magazine, Taupin acknowledged that the song, written by Tom Rapp, had been a direct inspiration for his own lyrics. Rosenthal's account indicates that Rapp's version was inspired by the writings of noted science-fiction author Ray Bradbury. (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
Davey Johnstone – electric slide & acoustic guitars, backing vocals
Dee Murray – bass, backing vocals
Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
David Hentschel – ARP synthesizer

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Ken Scott
Recorded: Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France, Jan 1972
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "An updated version of the Four Tops' Reach Out I'll Be There, only slightly more religious." (1000 UK #1 Hits)

Elton John: "The Impressions were a big influence on this album and Healing Hands is probably where they left their mark." (1000 UK #1 Hits)
**KILL ME**

According to Judy Parkinson, the song was written to express thanks for a woman's love, it was of special significance to Elton, following his break-up marrige with Renate, and would become poignant testimony to Bernie's marriage, which was also coming to an end. (Elton John All Songs List)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John - lead/harmony vocals, keyboards
Davey Johnstone - guitar, backing vocals
Romeo Williams - bass guitar
Jonathan Moffett - drums
Guy Babylon - keyboards
Fred Mandel - keyboards
Marlena Jeter - backing vocals
Natalie Jackson - backing vocals
Mortonette Jenkins - backing vocals
Peter Iversen - Fairlight and Audiofile programming

Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered: John "Puk" Quist, David Nicholas
Recorded: Puk Recording Studios, Randers, Denmark, late 1988
**KILL ME**

: "" ()

: "" ()

: "" ()

**KILL ME**

(LeRoy Bell, Casey James)

Produced: Thom Bell
Engineered:
Recorded: Kaye-Smith Studios, Seattle, Washington, USA
..... (overdubs) Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

**KILL ME**

Bernie revealed that his then wife Maxine coined the song’s recurring phrase in response to one of Elton’s notoriously bad moods “Oh God! The bitch is back” and the song was born. (Elton John All Songs List)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
John Lennon – tambourine
Ray Cooper – tambourine
Davey Johnstone – electric guitars
Dee Murray – bass, phased Pignose bass
Nigel Olsson – drums
Lenny Pickett – tenor sax solo
Tower of Power horn section - brass
Clydie King – backing vocals
Sherlie Matthews – backing vocals
Jessie Mae Smith – backing vocals
Dusty Springfield – backing vocals

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Clive Franks, David Hentschel
Recorded: Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado, USA, Jan 1974

**KILL ME**

: "" ()

: "" ()

: "" ()

**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Tim Rice)

Elton John - lead vocals, piano
Davey Johnstone - guitar, backing vocals
Chuck Sabo - strings, drums
Phil Spalding - bass, backing vocals
Guy Babylon - keyboards
Rick Astley - backing vocals
Gary Barlow - backing vocals
Kiki Dee - backing vocals
Robert Englund - backing vocals
Gary 'Spike' Murphy - backing vocals

Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered:
Recorded: 1993

**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "It's perhaps one more example of the original idea being interpreted by everyone into something quite different. I think people see it as an anthem based on Elton's strong sense of survival in the face of adversity. Which, believe me, is perfectly fine by me. In fact, it's probably infinitely more interesting, perhaps, than what it was initially written about. Which, if my memory serves me correctly, it was a sort of kiss off to an old girlfriend. You know the sort of thing, 'Don't you worry about me, I'll be perfectly fine.' Unlike George Jones' 'She Thinks I Still Care,' where, in fact, he really did, I really didn't."
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John: piano, synthesizer, vocals
Davey Johnstone: electric guitars, backing vocals
Dee Murray: bass guitar, backing vocals
Nigel Olsson: drums, backing vocals

Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered: ??
Recorded at: (LP) AIR Studios (Montserrat) and Sunset Sound Recorders (Hollywood, CA).
**KILL ME**

Elton John: "I was going to get married once when I was younger, and I went out and got drunk with Long John Baldry and Bernie and John said I shouldn't get married. I knew he was right but I didn't know how to get out of it so, I just got drunk and went home and said I'm not getting married." (1991:Two Rooms tribute project)

Bernie Taupin: “One day I was coming out of my room and coming out of my room and walking down the hall I smelt gas. I thought oh, great, somebody's left the oven on in the kitchen. I walk in the kitchen and there's Elton lying on the floor with the gas oven open. My inmediate thing should have been oh, my God, he's tried to kill himself. But I started laughing because he'd got the gas oven open, he was lying on a pillow and he'd opened all the windows.”

Bernie Taupin: "It tells a story that actually happened. For the most part, most of the things I write are an amalgam of several subjects or feelings that I then cut and paste to create one entity. Not always, but a lot of the time, I mean, I guess you could even say that with this song, the crux of its meaning is sort of surrounded with visual props that are intended to help set the scene for the main event, which was Elton saying adios to this woman who was pushing him into a marriage that he knew deep down in his heart would be a lie on a multitude of levels.

It's packed with imagery, like most of the songs from that album. I was most definitely trying to conjure up an atmosphere and project a moment in time when we were struggling with the mundane areas of life, the everyday struggles to make ends meet. So when I hear that song now, it really makes me think of grey skies and wet streets, smoky pubs; in all, that fragile feeling you just kind of get inside when you're unsure of the future." ()
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano, Rhodes piano, ARP String Ensemble synthesizer
Davey Johnstone – Leslied electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Dee Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals
Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
Ray Cooper – tambourine, shaker, cymbal

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Jeff Guercio
Recorded: Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado, USA, June-July 1974
**KILL ME**

Gary Osborne: "Elton was recording in Montserrat and I was in Regents Park working on the lyrics, and every now an then I would get a phone call or a telex message asking, 'Have you done "Blue Eyes" yet? I'd then telex back saying, 'Not yet, but I've just finished "Princess".'Then one day a tape arrived in th post containing a backing track for 'Blue Eyes', and I thought, 'My God, he's really going to record it!' Fortunately, it's short; its only got two verses, and was one of the quickest things I ever did - two hours later I'd written it. Basically, the song simply has a guy saying in the first verse that his girl's eyes are like a deep blue sea because she's sad that he's going away, while in the second verse she's got blue eyes like a clear blue sky, becaues she's happy that he's coming back. I asked Elton if I could change the title, and it was the one time when he said no. I felt there'd been a lot of songs about blue eyes which I didn't really want to duplicate.

He had to take five stabs at the vocal. The first time he sounded too much like Dean Martin, because it is a corny song. On the second try he sounded like Elvis, and producer Chris Thomas would say, 'No, that's too much like so and so.' Eventually, on the fifth take, Elton said, 'If I don't get it this time, I'm not doing it again.' I was thinking, 'Blimey, you mean I've written it in spite of myself and he still might not do it..' But he did, and thank God he did, because people like it. I still don't know quite what appeals about the song, but it does. I like corny stuff, but it didn't really appeal to me at first. It does now, because it bought me a house!"
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
Dee Murray – bass
James Newton-Howard – synthesizer, Fender Rhodes electric piano, string arrangements
Jeff Porcaro – drums, possible tambourine

Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered: Bill Price
Recorded: AIR Studios, Montserrat
..... and Pathe Marconi Studios, France, Sep-Oct 1981
**KILL ME**

“Little Jeannie” is about love of a higher order, singing by a man whose life has been transformed by the younger Jeannie, hurting her instead of welcoming her into his life. (Elton John All Song List)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Gary Osborne)

Elton John – lead/backing vocals, overdubbed piano
James Newton Howard – Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CS-80
Richie Zito – acoustic guitar
Reggie McBride – bass guitar
Nigel Olsson – drums
Chuck Findley – trumpet, trombone
Jerry Hey – flugelhorn
Jim Horn – brass arrangement, piccolo flute, alto saxophone
Dee Murray – backing vocals
Bill Champlin – backing vocals
Max Gronenthal – backing vocals

Produced: Elton John, Clive Franks
Engineered: Clive Franks, Patrick Jaunead
Recorded: Super Bear Studios, Berre-les-Alpes, France;
.... and/or Rumbo Recorders, Los Angeles, California, USA;
.... and/or Sunset Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California, USA, Aug 1979
**KILL ME**

The lyrics are about a prostitute in New York City and a man who wants to take a prostitute back to Jamaica. (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead/backing vocals*, piano
Davey Johnstone – Ovation guitar, slide electric guitars, banjo, backing vocals
Caleb Quaye – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Kenny Passarelli – bass, backing vocals
Roger Pope – drums
James Newton Howard – ARP synthesizer, Mellotron solo
Ray Cooper – congas, tambourine, marimba
Kiki Dee – backing vocals

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: Jeff Guercio
Recorded: Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado, USA, Jun-Jul 1975
(*backing vocals credited as "Ann Orson")
**KILL ME**

The song describes someone ending a relationship due to not feeling exclusive and important to their partner. (Wikipedia)

Bernie's lyrics relate a bland tale of serial betrayal except for one verse that alludes to things getting out of hand. (Elton John All Song List)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John - lead/harmony vocals, Roland RD-1000 digital piano Davey Johnstone - acoustic guitar, backing vocals David Paton - bass Charlie Morgan - drums Fred Mandel - synthesizers Dee Murray - backing vocals Nigel Olsson - backing vocals Produced: Chris Thomas
Engineered: Bill Price, Michael Mason, Paul Wertheimer
Recorded: AIR Studios, London, England,
.... and/or Westside Studios, London, England,
.... and/or Circle Seven Recording, Los Angeles, California, USA
.... and/or The Record Plant, Los Angeles, California, USA, 1987-88

**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "'Bennie And The Jets' was almost Orwellian - it was supposed to be futuristic. They were supposed to be a prototypical female rock 'n' roll band out of science fiction. Automatons." (2012:Esquire)

Elton John: "I fought tooth and nail against 'Bennie' coming out as a single."

Davey Johnstone: "'Bennie and the Jets' was one of the oddest songs we ever recorded. We just sat back and said, 'This is really odd.'"

Bernie Taupin: (stuttering the vocal: "B-B-B-Bennie...") "That's a little quirk of the song which I'm sad to say I had nothing to do with. That and that wonderful big chord at the beginning. I think those two things are what probably made that song so popular. Neither of which I had anything to do with."
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "Interesting thing about 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word' is that it's one of the rare occasions when Elton played me a melody line that inspired a lyric, as opposed to our routine of the lyrics always coming first. He was messing around on the piano one day and was playing something and asked me what did I think. It was actually pretty immediate, the title and the first couple of lines came into my head in a way that I guess I felt they were already there and just needed a little prompting.

It's a pretty simple idea, but one that I think everyone can relate to at one point or another in their life. That whole idealistic feeling people get when they want to save something from dying when they basically know deep down inside that it's already dead. It's that heartbreaking, sickening part of love that you wouldn't wish on anyone if you didn't know that it's inevitable that they're going to experience it one day."
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
Kenny Passarelli – bass
James Newton Howard – electric piano, strings arrangement
Ray Cooper – vibraphone
Carl Fortina – accordion

Produced: Gus Dudgeon
Engineered: (LP) Arun Chakraverty, Gus Dudgeon, Mark Howlett, John Kurlander, Earle Mankey, John Stewart
Recorded at: Eastern Sound, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, March 22, 1976
**KILL ME**

Elton John: “”The One” is a powerful song. The lyrics sort of describe my life-style of the past and present: “Each man is his time is Cain, until he walks along the beach” are two of my favourite Taupin lines because they apply to me, and to him too. We’ve done our walking along the beach now and we’re both happy” (1992-93 World Tour)
**KILL ME**

On bonus footage on his Live in Barcelona DVD, John states that he felt an intense connection to Taupin's lyrics for "The One" in light of his personal circumstances around the time of making the album, in particular the line "For each man in his time is Cain until he walks along the beach." (Wikipedia)

Altough the first day of recording, pressure overcame Elton and left the studio after twenty minutes of the starting, he returned the next day and wrote music to the Bernie’s lyrics, most supplied by fax. (Elton John All Song List)

“The One” sounds “like a love affair everyone would want to have, while illustrating the simple joys of spiritual rebirth”, from the beginning of a relationship, with a promise fullfilled, to the acceptance of a fresh perspective. (Liz Rosenthal’s analysis)
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: “A lot of it has to do with the pain of losing” (“Two in one” interview)
**KILL ME**

depicts a chaotic underworld of runaway trains Elton and Eric must dodge and the music grows as it evokes their determination to reach a positive end (Liz Rosenthal’s analysis)
**KILL ME**

Bernie's lyrics alluded to his decision to leave his farming birthplace Lincolnshire for the London city lights "livin' in the city boy is gonna break your heart". (Elgon John All Song List)
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "The interesting thing about that is that people keep bringing that up. I notice when it's mentioned lately, I don't know if it's because of the passing of Levon Helm, who I was a huge fan of, but people always . . . In fact, Robbie Robertson himself said to me that it confused Levon when he heard the song, because he didn't understand how it related to him. The thing is – and in the press I've seen "the song was inspired by Levon Helm." No, it wasn't. It never was. I just liked the name and, I don't know . . . As it says in the song, "Because he likes the name." [Laughs] I just noticed that. I just quoted myself! Oh, dear." (2013:Rolling Stone)

Elton John: "It"s about a guy who just gets bored doing the same thing. It's just somebody who gets bored with blowing up balloons and he just wants to get away from it but he can't because it's the family ritual." (Elton John in His Own Words)
**KILL ME**

The song referred to an imagined movie scene where Bernie became a would-be lover, but he doesn't know how to tell the affection he feels for his love, so he reminded a film he once saw. Although he didn't understand the word, he mimic the performance for his real life hoping it will work for him too. (Elton John All Song List)
**KILL ME**

Elton John: "It just send shivers up and down me spine even though it was sung in french".
**KILL ME**

The song was born in summer 1980. While driving through St. Tropez, Elton heard heard Janic Prevost version of J'Veux D'La Tendress ("I Want Tenderness") on the car radio. He was so overcome that he pulled to the side of the road to listen. He asked Gary Osborne, then lyricist, to write an English version and he did, writin' about Elton's unloving relationship with his father. (Elton John All Song List)
**KILL ME**

John has said that the song is about the alienation Taupin felt in and about London at the time, and his desire to visit home as often as he could. Some believe the song is speaking against bigotry. The last verse, written by John himself, seems to support this idea. The refrain's reference to "Moses" and the timing seems to allude to Israel and an intrusive entry experience. (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

Bernie Taupin: "It's a simple lyric, but it's an intelligent adult lyric. It's basically about the rigors of adult love, and it's a million miles away from 'Your Song.' Elton came up with a brilliant melody, and his performance on it gives it a lot of integrity and meaning. It's not a surface song, and I think you'll probably see that one in the coming months becoming a big, big hit." (Music Connection)

Bernie Taupin: "I think 'Sacrifice' is one of the best songs we've written." The song is not a typical love song, but rather a song about a breakup of a marriage where the loss of the relationship is "no sacrifice."

Bernie Taupin: "When I hear it I'm always surprised I wrote it"
**KILL ME**

"Sacrifice" is inspired both by the Aretha Franklin song "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and described as a Percy Sledge song by Elton John. The song is beloved by both John and Bernie Taupin and deemed a bookend of sorts to their first hit "Your Song". (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

Before playing the song at a concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey on October 7, 2006, John introduced it as a song that can "apply to anyone" at any time in their lives and having to move on instead of living in the past. They either cross the bridge, die trying, or fade away. (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

(Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

Elton John – lead vocals, piano
Davey Johnstone – guitars, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, backing vocals
Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
Guy Babylon – keyboards, arrangements
Bob Birch – bass guitar, backing vocals
John Mahon – percussion, backing vocals

Produced: Elton John, Matt Still
Recorded: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2006

**KILL ME**

Elton John: "I was crying all the time as I wrote the music", and it was very hard for me to sing it" (The Advocate)

Bernie Taupin: "We didn't go for the obvious. I tried to do something lyrically that would thaw the intolerance of not understanding. That's why I used the idea of a father coming to terms with his son's status in life and his sexuality, but unfortunately understanding too late. If you can melt a little intolerance along the way, I'm happy with that."
**KILL ME**

"The Last Song" marked the first of John's American singles to benefit his AIDS foundation. Taupin faxed the lyrics to him in Paris, shortly after Freddie Mercury died. The song tells of an estranged father coming to terms with the sexuality of his gay son, who is dying of an AIDS-related illness. Originally titled "Song for 1992", it was renamed to avoid dating it. (Wikipedia)
**KILL ME**

Reportedly written with Ryan White in mind, with a gospel-like tune, the song seem to hold personal reference to Elton too, putting love above all. (Elton John All Song List)
**KILL ME**

Bernie has said that he has no idea what the lyrics mean, comparing his writing style in the song to poets like "Baudelaire and Rimbaud (who) just threw things together and went "Wow! That sounds good". The lyrics possess many elements: betrayal, either political or personal ("treason"); the illusion of danger; and fearlessness toward the unknown . According to Elton, this and other songs recorded during this period were inspired by the science fiction books Bernie was reading at the time. (Elton John All Song List)
**KILL ME**

According to producer Gus Dudgeon, Elton planned to use Roy Orbison’s “Dream Baby” as the backing track and even it was recorded, but George Michael insisted Elton to write his own music tune. Bernie’s lyrics, then, alluded the joys of admiring the female sex. (Elton John All Song List)
**KILL ME**