Elton John Opened Up About His "Whirlwind Romance" With John Lennon
The crowd roared when they saw John Lennon walk out as a surprise guest at Elton John’s 1974 concert at Madison Square Garden. The two had collaborated on a song, so it made sense that the Beatle would appear on stage that night. But behind the obvious creative relationship shared by the two musicians, Elton has now revealed that they were much more than colleagues.
They had a special bond
Elton opened up about his special bond with John in a BBC Radio 2 interview with Sean Lennon, the late star’s son, in commemoration of what would have been John’s 80th birthday.
He covered the breadth of their relationship, starting with its very innocent beginnings in the year prior to that special show when they shared the stage at Madison Square Garden. Elton told Sean that he and the former Beatle had “just hit it off immediately.”
A "whirlwind romance" took place
The pair obviously had much in common – both musicians, they inevitably had lots to talk about. But their shared craft wasn’t what drew Elton to John, although his talent would be alluring to anyone.
Rather, it was his sense of humor, Elton revealed. From there, the relationship that they built became something of “a dream come true.” The “whirlwind romance” did more than just infuse the “I’m Still Standing” singer’s life with extra creativity and good music, though.
“Such an important thing”
He admitted to John’s son Sean that the pairing had been “such an important thing” to him. But the relationship fizzled out soon after that heady evening in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The relationship's demise was a subject Elton covered in the interview, too. You’re probably wondering how the world missed out on the close relationship between the two famous singers. But it seems Elton felt ready to talk about it nearly 50 years later.
John is still in people's thoughts
The interview with Elton conducted by John’s son Sean was only one of a trio of fascinating conversations with those who knew the late Beatle best. BBC Radio 2’s three-part series welcomed the “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” singer as well as John’s eldest son, Julian, and his former songwriting partner and bandmate Paul McCartney.
Each part of the series brought to light new and fascinating information about the legendary musician, whose life was fated to end in tragedy when he was assassinated in 1980. McCartney, for one, admitted that he continues to think about John whenever he writes new music.