Elton John has had many ups and downs in his life, and by now he’s learned to roll with the punches. For example, he says the issues he’s been having with his eyesight have forced him to adopt a completely different way of making albums.
Elton was awarded the Glenn Gould Prize, which is given to a living artist whose “unique lifetime achievement contribution has enriched the human condition,” in Toronto on Saturday.
According to the Toronto Sun, Elton told the crowd at the ceremony, “Music is about learning and learning all the time. I’ve had eye trouble recently and I’ve always made my music by looking at lyrics.”
Elton, who lost the sight in his right eye due to an infection and has compromised vision in his left eye, was likely referring to the fact that he’s no longer able to read the lyrics that his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin gives him. In the past he’s looked at Bernie’s lyrics first, then written songs around them.
But, Elton went on to say, “What my eye has given [me] is a challenge, completely reversing how I write. Writing melodies first, the lyrics come second. I’ve never done that and I’ve just done that. I’ve just done an album.”
No word yet on when the album is coming out, but when it does, it’ll be the follow-up to his Grammy-nominated 2025 joint project with Brandi Carlile, Who Believes in Angels?
During his speech, Elton also noted that his husband, David Furnish, is from Toronto. “It’s so nice to be in Canada … to be in a country that has common sense.” He added, “I am a Canadian and I can tell you, it’s not the 51st f****** state!”
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