10 Most Unsung Heroes In Rock History
2. Bernie Taupin - Elton John
Elton John is one of the few pop singers who can still be considered a living legend. Even though he has clearly weathered the storm of fame for longer than most others in his field, he seems to have come out on the other side unscathed, complete with a discography that runs like the soundtrack of the '70s to most. All that...and Elton has never written one lyric in his life.
Being a pure melody man, the real power behind Elton's words has always been Bernie Taupin, who has been his on-again off-again writing partner for years now. Contrary to the normal kind of partnership, Taupin does not play a single instrument on any Elton record, instead choosing to focus solely on the lyrics and handing them off to Elton to write the music for. Though the music is absolutely beautiful for what it is, there was no other wordsmith that wrote with as much passion as Taupin did at the time, from the disillusionment that comes with fame on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road to the pure declaration of love you get in Your Song.
Whereas most of these partnerships fall apart once money starts to creep in, Taupin has always remained right at Elton's side for years, providing just the right lyric to fit with Elton's music. While many of Elton's songs have become classic at this point, pay attention to the lyrics a little more next time to get a whole different feel for what he does.