Elton John Refuses to Play 1 Beloved Song Live and Hopes Another Tune Will Expire Forever
Elton John is a musical icon in a class by himself. The singer has been a staple of pop music for more than 50 years, making him one of the most successful artists in the history of music. John’s fame extends from his native England to the United States and around the world. But with his time touring coming to an end very soon, John’s fans should bear in mind the strong feelings he has about two of his biggest tracks.
‘Candle in the Wind’ was among Elton John’s biggest hits
In 1973, John released “Candle in the Wind” as a loving tribute to Marilyn Monroe. Although it came out more than a decade after Monroe’s death, the song – who addresses Monroe by her real name of Norma Jean – compares the late actor to a candle blown out prematurely. Both failed to live up to their potential and were gone too soon. But nearly 25 years later, John revived “Candle in the Wind.”
Following the shocking death of Princess Diana, John re-released “Candle in the Wind” with updated lyrics about the late Princess of Wales. This time around, the song became an even bigger hit. The song went on to become one of the highest-selling singles of all time. So why then does John refuse to play the song live in concert?
The only reason Elton John would consider playing the song live again
Even though John’s decision to play “Candle in the Wind” at Diana’s funeral all those years ago wasn’t met with the complete approval of the royal family, the singer himself now refuses to sing the song live. While it was once reported that he would only sing it at the requests of Prince William and Prince Harry, this doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, he won’t play it for them at all. After all, John remains open about his distaste for all the attention the song received.
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry revealed that he asked John to play the song to mark his mother’s death. But the singer turned him down, believing a performance of the song to be too “macabre.” Alas, John revealed to Billboard (via Yahoo!) that he won’t play it in front of the princes at all and hasn’t done so since performing it at Diana’s funeral in 1997.
Elton John is looking forward to not playing his song ‘Crocodile Rock’ again
With his Farewell Tour in full swing, John’s days as a touring performer are rapidly coming to an end. And in addition to his adamant decision not to perform “Candle in the Wind” anymore, he is also excited about putting another of his iconic tunes behind him, he told The Mirror in 2021.
“The last time I have to sing ‘Crocodile Rock’ I will probably throw a party. It was written as a kind of a joke, like a pastiche. And it became a big hit, and people love to sing along. So who am I to say ‘I am not going to play it’ because I play to amuse and to entertain people. But I have to say when the last show is done at the end of the tour I will never ever sing that song again.”
Written by John and Bernie Taupin, “Crocodile Rock” remains a crowd-pleasing song more than 50 years after its release. And it helped John break into the United States, becoming one of his most recognizable songs.
