Elton and Bernie: lots of hits, lots of lore

Somehow, Montgomery Clift turned into Marilyn Monroe and then into Princess Diana.
And that begat the No. 1 (or maybe No. 2) single record of all time.
Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s lyricist, had lots of such stories, while discussing a top honor: They’re this year’s winners of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. ‘It’s a joy,” he told the Television Critics Association. “I’ve got the best job in the world, man.”
John (shown here in a previus concert) and Taupin seemed joyful during the ceremony, which airs at 8 p.m. Monday (April 8) on PBS. Their songs were done by stars with roots in country (Garth Brooks, Maren Morris), gospel (Jacob Lusk), rock (Metallica), Broadway (Billy Porter) and pop: Joni Mitchell, Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile … and, for the final three songs, John himself.
Then there’s a song that isn’t included, but is a key part of the duo’s lore:
“I already had the title of ‘Candle in the Wind’ from a Solzhenitsyn book,” Taupin said.
Aleksander Solzhenitsyn’s story described a Russian prison camp, but Taupin considered the phrase “a great idea about a life sort of snuffed out too soon.”
After seeing “The Misfits,” with Monroe and Clift, he was going to write the song about him, then switched it to her. (Both had died young, Clift at 45, Monroe at 36.)
“I wasn’t really a Marilyn Monroe fan, especially in that movie, because she kind of whined the whole movie,” he said. “But ultimately, I … figured people would relate more to Marilyn Monroe.”
In 1974, the song reached No. 11 on the British charts; in ‘88, a live version reached No. 6 in the U.S. Then, in ‘97, John was set to sing at Diana’s funeral.
There was talk of writing a new song, Taupin said, but “time was of the essence …. Somebody on the periphery had suggested reworking ‘Candle in the Wind.’”
The new version (“I wrote it very quickly”) was “performed only once. (John) went directly from the funeral to record it and that was the last time he sang it.”
That was enough. The new “Candle in the Wind” was No. 1 in Australia for six weeks, Germany for seven, the U.S. for 14. It’s variously listed as No. 1 or 2 (behind “Silent Night”) on the all-time sales list, with the money going to Diana’s charities.
“I did it as a favor to my friend, because he was close to Diana,” Taupin said. “I’d never met her.”
In some ways, the friends had little in common. Taupin, 73, grew up in a comfortable rural-England family, with parents who encouraged him; John, 77, grew up in London, with a disapproving dad. Taupin ducks the spotlight; John seems to savor it. Taupin has been married to Heather Kidd (his fourth wife) for 30 years; John has been with David Furnish for 30 years, marrying as soon as it was legal in England.
But they clicked as a duo – “we met through an ad in a music paper,” Taupin said – and as friends … albeit ones who often live on different continents.
Producer Ken Ehrlich packed the PBS special with stars. “No one said no,” he said.
It was was a cross-generation event, Puth told the TCA, a chance “to sing your father’s favorite song in front of the guys who wrote it.”