Today, we celebrate the birthday of songwriting genius Bernie Taupin.
The man behind the lyrics of many songs, Bernie, is a name that we should all know and thank. Without him, many much-loved classics wouldn’t be as great as they are.
For almost six decades, this musical wordsmith has helped write almost 500 tracks, some of which you may be surprised to know were penned by him.
While he is more commonly known to have been the longtime writer of Elton John, he is also one of the masterminds behind plenty of other songs, too.
Here are five tracks he’s credited with lending his songwriting skills to:
‘How You Gonna See Me Now’ - Alice Cooper (1978)
From Alice’s ‘From the Inside’ album, a project which was completely co-written by Bernie, comes a tender ballad.
‘How You Gonna See Me Now’ was a song that expressed the singer's more vulnerable side. Written, with a touch of Bernie’s lyricism, for Alice’s wife, Sheryl Goddard, the song told the tale of a man wondering if he would still be loved upon his return home.
A true enough story, around that time, the rock icon had checked himself into a rehabilitation centre to help with his alcoholism. A theme that was explored throughout the album.
‘We Built This City’ - Starship (1985)
An 80’s classic through and through. ‘Starship’ has a killer beat and lyrics that make you want to get up and sing.
It’s an anthem of a tune and one that has reached icon status thanks to the writing of Bernie Taupin and Martin Page. In it, they used their storytelling to help call out corporations that were closing down rock venues.
Originally written about Los Angeles, it was San Francisco that was alluded to in the song, as this was the hometown of Starship.
‘These Dreams’ - Heart (1985)
A song passed up by Stevie Nicks but taken on by Heart, the power ballad featured Nancy Wilson as lead vocalist, instead of her sister Ann.
Although written by Bernie Taupin and Martin Page, Wilson resonated with the lyrics and dedicated the song to her friend Sharon Hess, who had passed away from Leukemia prior to the song's release.
‘The Rumour’ - Olivia Newton-John ft Elton John (1988)
The title track from Olivia Newton-John's 13th album. With Elton John on this one, it’s not much of a surprise that it was co-written by Bernie Taupin.
‘Good Morning’ - Kanye West (2007)
Okay, this one’s quite the curveball. ‘Good Morning’ is nowhere near being an 80s classic, and it’s perhaps a wee bit modern for some of our listeners, but it threw us off guard to see Bernie and Elton credited as lyricists.
After doing a little digging, it became apparent that the Kanye track had sampled 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight'. However, the source of the sample isn’t so obvious.
Listen out for the “oohs” on the Elton track at the one-minute and forty-second mark and again around three and a half minutes.
Not the most groundbreaking of lyrics to sample, but sampled they were, and so onto the credits the original songwriting duo went.
On the Kanye tune, those “oohs” kick in just after he lays out the opening “good morning” and then again after every uttering of the greeting. Honestly, the song wouldn’t sound the same without that iconic sample.
Bernie Taupin’s words have shaped some of the most memorable songs in music history. Whether it’s through chart-topping hits or in samples, his lyrics have gladly fallen on the ears of plenty.
