With an impressive 30 studio albums under his belt, Elton John is finally taking a break from the studio. Despite the fact that he's sitting on a clutch of new lyrics from collaborator Bernie Taupin still awaiting melodies — the “Rocket Man” is choosing to chill out. Elton, who's been receiving raves for his new career-spanning, rarity-packed, eight-disc Jewel Box retrospective, Elton hasn't released a new album since 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night.
Elton spoke candidly about his life and career to Record Collector, admitting, “I have no idea what the f*** I’m going to do next, and that feels great. I just don’t think this is a time for me to think about recording. I’m a dad, and I love being a dad. I will get in the mood to record again — and I’ll get in the mood to write. But no one needs another Elton John record out at the moment.”
Bernie Taupin, whose partnership with Elton John started back in 1967, shed light on his songwriting process these days: “I don't write very often. I mean, I really only write when we deicide we wanna make a record. So, prior to it, I'll probably start writing a few months ahead of the recording dates. And, what I do, is collect ideas. Over any time period; I could be walking down the street and tomorrow and come up with and ide. . . a title. Titles are very important to me. I often work off of titles.”
Bernie Taupin On Writing Around Titles :