ON ELTON JOHN

An admiring overview of Elton John’s musical career.

Restall, who has written on Latin American history as well as popular music, focuses not so much on John’s biography as on his songs and their popularity. The book emphasizes the undeniably impressive superlatives John has amassed during his career: the No. 1 hits, the album sales, the record-breaking concert tours. Although this may seem a superficial way to measure a performer’s impact, Restall points out that John himself is a “consummate chart-watcher,” always keeping an eye on his sales. The author states up front that he is not a musicologist and doesn’t try to dig into whatever musical elements contribute to John’s success. Each of the 10 chapters puts the spotlight on one song and on one person who illuminates “the larger pop cultural context” of John’s career. Some are fellow musicians—David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, and, not surprisingly, John’s lyricist partner, Bernie Taupin. Others are drawn from the broader arena—Princess Diana, tennis great Billie Jean King, and John’s husband, David Furnish. These pairings are often illuminating, although the two chapters on Bowie (and other mentions elsewhere in the book) tend to treat Bowie’s career as a series of cynical self-promotions in contrast to John’s supposedly less calculated trajectory. Of course, given that Restall is a self-described fan of the singer, a certain degree of adulation is to be expected. And overall, the book gives an interesting perspective on the course of rock and pop music over the past half-century, with notable insights into how the public’s attitude toward gay performers has evolved. Especially recommended for Elton John fans.

An opinionated, well-documented treatment of one of the most successful entertainers of the modern era.