Elton John Quotes

I don't have to compete in the charts. I can just be myself as a musician, a songwriter and play with the musicians that I really love.

I am in deep shock. I have lost a beloved friend [George Michael] - the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family and all of his fans.

I do like my rock stars to be a little larger than life. I don't mind the earnest ones at all, but I do like a bit of individuality.

If you're stuck at piano and you're not a lead guitarist or a lead vocalist, you're kind of at a nine-foot plank then and you should do something about it.

I'm not walking around the stage, I'm not moving.

For me music is so passionate. I have to give it my all every time I go onstage.

Onstage, it was always comfortable for me, because that's where I felt at home. Offstage, it was a different situation. I was still shy offstage.

Cocaine made me talk forever. The most nonsensical rubbish that you could ever think of.

I do work a lot. I mean, most of my income, I would say, comes from live performances. And then you've got publishing, you've got record royalties.

I had progressed on stage as a performer, but I hadn't progressed as a human being.

On a street of right and wrong in every inch of sadness, rocks and tanks go hand in hand with madness.

I am totally against the war but violence is part of mankind and it's going to happen, but as musicians I think we've got to step up and say 'come on'.

On Keith Richards: He's like a monkey with arthritis.

I can't think of anything until I've got printed words in front of me. I never wake up in the middle of the night with a song in my head.

Until I can visualise what the lyrics are about and see the story or whatever, I can't hear the melody.

There is such a thing as good interference from your record label. I don't think I get enough interference from my record label.

What record companies do these days is drain the blood dry of an album, take six singles off it, and harm the longevity of artists' careers by doing it.

What we should be doing as musicians is trying to bring people together.

Lawdy Mama, those Friday nights when Suzy wore her dresses down tight.

And there are men behind bars who pray for the light and there are men in the suburbs who pray for the night.

I am such a Luddite when it comes to making music. All I can do is write at the piano.

And I trusted someone to look after me on the business side of life.

I just think you shouldn't expect people to pay money to see someone sing live and then lip-synch.

I've had an amazing professional life, personal life, but at 64 to have a son who gives us that much love and enjoyment is, wow!

I'm very relaxed. I have a family, I have a partner of 20 years, I have a wonderful life; nothing could be better.

I'm so proud to be on a Kate Bush record; she's always marched to the beat of her own drum.

I tour as many countries as possible, and I've toured every state in America, plus every province in Canada.

I cannot bear successful people who are miserable.

People in England are so bloody nosy.

I spent the last week of Ryan's life in Indiana, Indianapolis, with Jeanne and Andrea, Jeanne, his mother, Andrea, his sister, and some other beautiful people who came. And it taught me a lesson.

He's been dead for so many years, but I'm still trying to impress him. That's what gave me my drive. 'Look at me, Dad, I've succeeded.'

Once I'd heard 'Modern Times' by Bob Dylan, it really changed the way I wanted to make records.

Simon Cowell and I are great friends and we wind each other up. Rod Stewart and I do the same thing.

The thing about Vegas is, I don't have to fly anywhere, and that really helps. It means I stay in one place for three weeks at a time instead of flying backwards and forwards.

Well, as I was saying... everyone's so nice to me, usually.

And I agreed with that, and I couldn't wait to change my name anyway, because I'm not too fond of the name of Reginald. It's a very kind of '50s English name.

I've always enjoyed and loved playing live. I relish and cherish it more than anything else because you never know what the performance is going to be.

Children are extremely important. They are the future of the world.