If you’re a music fan, you likely know lyricist Bernie Taupin for his work with pop icon Elton John. And who could blame you? The guy’s basically John’s musical other half. He’s the mind behind the words of songs like “Your Song”, “Tiny Dancer”, and so many other classics.
However, that doesn’t mean that Taupin doesn’t have range. In fact, the songwriter has another No. 1 hit with an entirely separate artist. Ever hear “We Built This City” by Starship? You have Taupin’s lyrical abilities to thank for that one.
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As the songwriter told Rolling Stone, the original “We Built This City” was a lot different than the version that ended up being released.
“It was a very dark song about how club life in LA was being killed off and live acts had no place to go,” he shared. “It was a very specific thing. If you heard the original demo, you wouldn’t even recognize the song.”
The catchy melody of “We Built This City” was constructed by Martin Page. If you listen to the words of the song, however, it’s easy to see how the lyrics have bitter undertones.
Even though the song went No. 1 in the 80s, later on, it would receive a little pushback for being too commercial to be an anti-commercial anthem.
It seems that Taupin, however, couldn’t care less.
“A lot of the people that have knocked it aren’t around anymore, so…” he told People. “I have no regrets about that whatsoever.”
The First Song That Elton John and Bernie Taupin Wrote Together
John and Taupin met in 1967 when they both responded to an ad in the paper, looking for other people to write with. Ray Williams, an A&R manager, thought they would make a good fit, seeing as Taupin wrote lyrics and John was more melody-focused.
In 2021, John released “Scarecrow”, which was the first song that the musical partners ever collaborated on. The original song lyrics were a part of a bunch that John had been given before he even met Taupin.
“‘Scarecrow’ goes right to the heart of that… naive compositions of a time and place that went on to become something very special, indeed,” the pop star explained of the song.
(Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
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