He's not the one wanting to get out of the city - it's other people telling him to go back to the country - he wants to see the city because he';s left the country ways behind
Keep in mind, the perspective of Elton’s songs are often from lyricist, Bernie Taupin, a cowboy at heart who lived for years on a 30 acre Santa Ynez ranch. The album Capt. Fantastic & Brown Dirt Cowboy refers to Elton and Bernie respectively. The most notable exception is Someone Saved My Life tonite (a must react) about a moment in Elton’s life.
This is my favorite Elton/Bernie song, easily. And one of my top ten all time favorites. It's a conversation between him (wants to see the wider world) and the back home folks who want him to stay home- or maybe in another sense he's having this conversation with himself and weighing the pros and cons
There is no mystery about the identity of the honky cat in question; Elton's first and most endearing lyricist Bernie Taupin was born on a farm in Lincolnshire, and like several of their early collaborations including "Tell Me When The Whistle Blows", it leaves the listener in no uncertain terms as to where he would rather be, unlike city kid Elton, who was born at Pinner and served his apprenticeship in the capital under his birth name (Reginald Dwight), playing piano, among other things.
One of my great uncles was gay and moved from southwest Louisiana to San Francisco in the early 60's. He moved back to Louisiana 6 months later and opened a restaurant. When my father asked why he left so quickly my great uncle replied "honey, that ain't no place for a country boy."
His heart is in the city, it's a response of other people telling him to get back to the country. His heart says no. He's going to be in the city now. He was "blind" in the country, but now he "sees"; but he's surrounded by naysayers.
Elton John is one of THE BEST live shows you can go to if you get a chance. I've seen him twice and he plays hard non-stop the whole time, just hit after hit after hit. He's in the middle of his Farewell tour - he's 75 now and so he's going to stop touring after this tour. I think he's heading your way around October or November or something like that - would HIGHLY recommend you go since it's his last tour - it's well worth it for such a legend. Cheers.
I had to comment on this! When I was a kid and I bought one of my 3rd or 4th albums, one them was "Honky Chateau" which I played constantly. My Mom absolutely loved this song!!! To put things in perspective, she was born in 1917 and served as a "Wave" during WWII. She loved classical music, but there was something about Elton that captured her and she just loved him, God rest her soul. I actually saw her dancing to this several times while she was doing laundry down in the basement, where my bedroom and "Stereo Get High area" was! Lol.
This is another song that's a lot of fun to watch live. He goes off on the piano. I once saw him in concert get under the piano and play it upside down. Unreal.
An underrated Elton hit, "Honky Cat" is about a country boy heading to the big city. For the reverse, one song might be "Rocky Mountain Way" by Joe Walsh, or "Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver. An Elton hit about regretting moving to the big city might be "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."
@@matthawkins8880 Walsh appeared in studio on The Howard Stern Show on June 12, 2012, and talked about how the lyrics to the song came to him in 1972 shortly after releasing his first solo effort, Barnstorm. "I'm living in Colorado and I'm mowing the lawn. I look up and there's the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and there's snow on them in the summer. And it knocked me back because it was just beautiful. And I thought, 'Well I have committed. I'm already in Colorado and it's too late to regret the James Gang. The Rocky Mountain way is better than the way I had, because the music was better.' I got the words. Bam!" Walsh has varied that story over the years, however, telling the Rocky Mountain News that he wrote the lyrics while recording the album at Caribou Ranch Recording Studio.
@@matthawkins8880 Quite possibly. However, it's good to keep in mind that publicists were always trying to make song lyrics seem more salacious than they were in order to get rebellious teens to buy records.
This was the 1st Elton John song I had ever heard , It was the 4th of July 1972 , I was 9 years old , Once I heard this I was hooked ! He's been my favorite ever since !
Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Honkey Chateau, Yellow Brick Road, Cpt Fantastic ... Those early albums are chock full of excellent, can't miss Elton
Yeah, I'm also just now realizing the thematic similarity between these two songs for the first time. And I've been listening to them for about 40 years!
You ought to hear him sing Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting. This one is about a country bumpkin who has seen the bright city lights & pretty girls of the city- now fishing in the stream ain't doing it. The CITY boy is trying to tell him all that glitters is NOT gold- go back home boy!
I love the movie version of this in ROCKETMAN. Taron Egerton stars as Elton John in what is a proper musical where people burst into song. So it's Taron singing but it's this great production number and I love love love it. I'm gonna go watch it again right now.
I grew up with the music of Elton John & had a lot of his records. He was really big in the 70's-80's. He collaborated with Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums. They were one of the best song writing teams. Bernie wrote the lyrics & Elton supplied the melody. They had so many great hits together such as "Your Song", "Levon", "Daniel", "Candle In The Wind", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting", "The Bitch Is Back", "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", "Island Girl", "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" etc.
Elton,s best numbers are from the 70,s , when he was playing rock .. Check out “ goodbye yellow brick road” “ Saturday night,s alright for fighting “ “ song for guy” “ sorry seems to be the hardest word” “ pinball wizard” “ someone saved my life tonight” “ The bitch is back “ 🇬🇧😉🎸
Back about that time most of us "honkey cats" out in the country thought we needed to see what the city life could offer. That's a song I would have written back then. Some of us found out the grass was greener where we were to start with. Now I would be more likely to write The Green Green Grass of Home. 😀
He's a country boy wanting the city life. People in the city tell him to get back to the country because he doesn't belong in the city. People in the country tell him to get back to the country. But he's not listening to either of them. His "heart says no," his yearning is for those "city lights."
THERE WAS NOBODYYYYYY BETTER THAN ELTON ON THE KEYS :) HE STARTED SLAMMING AND POUNDING KEYS WHEN HE WAS 4, THINK ABOUT THAT! :) OVER 70 YEARS NOW IS ALL, INSANE!
He needs time to adjust to the city life. Convincing himself the change will do him good! He's open and READY for it. Those horns and 🎹 though! Come on with it!
Elton John wrote more songs about ladies of the evening than any other artist I know ! Not sure where he gets all that inspiration from ? Lol ... Shout out to BJ for supporting the St. Louis Cardinals !!
Hey Asia and BJ! This Song is lit! One of my favorite Elton John songs. I was singing the whole video lol! When I was 6th grade, all I would listen to Elton John, Queen, and Michael Jackson 🤣🤣🤣 I remember I was at summer camp one year, I was on a field trip and me and one of my friends, I got him on Elton John . We were on the bus, we were Singing Rocketman lol good times!
Bernie Taupin is often mentioned alongside Elton John, which is totally appropriate. But some of Alice Cooper's best material was also cowritten by Bernie Taupin.
This has always been one of my favorite Elton songs. I love all the instruments, especially that baritone sax! The song is just so fun and sassy! I remember cruising around in my ‘67 Mustang blasting this on my 8-track player! 😁👍❤️
F***n cool!I need this .a nice mix of instruments and style groove.its almost like he's saying I'll go back but the music is reporting the opposite? Message, I could be wrong.
WELL I HAVE NOTICED THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE 1'S TO DO ALOTTAAAA FIRSTS, I LOVE THAT! :) I DON'T BELIEVE AND I DON'T WHY THAT ANYONE HAS DONE THIS YET :( IT COMES OFF OF ELTON'S 72 MULTI PLATNUM ALBUM ( HONKY CHATEAU ) WITH THE OTHER BIG HUGE HIT BEING ( ROCKET MAN ) :) TAKE IN THIS PIANO WORK, HOPE IT'S THE ORIGINAL STUDIO :) AND HAPPY PRE 4TH BJ AND ASIA. YOU WANT A DEEP TRACK FROM THE ALBUM : MONA LISAS AND MAD HATTERS
@nancynolan9011 there is no but. Bernie Taupin wrote almost every lyric that Elton wrote a song to, and btw, Elton has stated that he wrote songs to Bernie's lyrics, not the other way around. Either way, we can all agree that his music compositions and arrangements are incredible, but even Elton John himself would acknowledge he is no "lyrical god", as stated in the comment above, which is what my original comment was referring to.
Gotta admit that I didn't like him in the beginning! Some of us Rock &Rollers thought he was bublegum. But as I matured and checked out his storytelling and great musicianship, I was won over👍🎶 A fantastic composer and musician!!!
Yeah it’s people telling him to go back to the farm but he loves the city life, he’s quit his redneck ways.. he was exploring his sexuality.. he’s gay so his upbringing he considers that redneck…
