Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote so many great songs over the years that it was impossible to pick a single one for Strong Songs. So, why not do two? Kirk dives into a pair of classics by the storied songwriting duo, talking about Elton's chameleon-like voice, his love of pedal tones and embrace of the circle of fourths, the fascinating relationship between lyricist and songwriter, and what it means for a song to sound "piano-y."  Both songs by: Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin Album 1: Madman Across the Water, 1971 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify Album 2: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED: "I'm Still Standing," "Your Song," and "Grey Seal," all by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. "I Want Love" by John/Taupin, as performed in the 2019 movie Rocketman. NEW THEME MUSIC! Strong Songs has a new theme song! It'll evolve a bit over the next few episodes as Kirk adds a couple more musicians to the mix, so that should be fun. Hope you dig it. NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe STRONG MERCH! Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON! The new theme music was a result of the Strong Songs Patreon hitting its first goal of 150 backers. It's juuuuust about to break the next goal of 200, too. At 250, Kirk will do a bonus interview episode with an interesting musician or educator. Find out how you can support the creation of this show over at the Strong Songs Patreon: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs A huge thank you to all of the show's backers this first month, in particular those who've signed up for the Half- and Whole-Note tiers. WHOLE-NOTE BACKERS: Caleb Rotach Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Sara Walsh HALF-NOTE BACKERS: Andre Bremer Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Chas Lednicky Earl Lozada Emily Williams Fishbones Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeff Dixon John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Kyle Simons Max Schechter Michael Blackwell Shane DeLeon Tom Lauer Thanks, everyone. You're making it possible to put in the extra time and work to make episodes like this one shine.

Songwriter Bernie Taupin joins the show to discuss his new memoir Scattershot. The panel plays games like 'Whose Bill' and Bluff the Listener. They also talk about a battle over Celine Dion music, a humorous Whole Foods mic takeover, and NASA's struggle to open a canister. The hosts discuss a new technology for treating diabetes with music and make Halloween costume predictions.

Bernie Taupin, songwriter responsible for beloved songs, talks about his partnership with Elton John, friendship with Alice Cooper, influence of The Band, and the timelessness of his music. They also delve into discussions about Western movies, influential impact of American music, discipline in songwriting, meeting Graham Greene, and the editing of Taupin's book.