Book Review: "Me" by Elton John
Publisher Synopsis: In his first and only official autobiography, music icon Elton John reveals the truth about his extraordinary life, from his rollercoaster lifestyle as shown in the film Rocketman, to becoming a living legend.
Christened Reginald Dwight, he was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star. By the age of twenty-three he was performing his first gig in America, facing an astonished audience in his bright yellow dungarees, a star-spangled T-shirt, and boots with wings. Elton John had arrived and the music world would never be the same again.
His life has been full of drama, from the early rejection of his work with song-writing partner Bernie Taupin to spinning out of control as a chart-topping superstar; from half-heartedly trying to drown himself in his LA swimming pool to disco-dancing with Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth; from friendships with John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, and George Michael to setting up his AIDS Foundation to conquering Broadway with Aida, The Lion King, and Billy Elliot the Musical. All the while Elton was hiding a drug addiction that would grip him for over a decade.
In Me, Elton also writes powerfully about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father. In a voice that is warm, humble, and open, this is Elton on his music and his relationships, his passions and his mistakes. This is a story that will stay with you by a living legend.
Rating (out of 5): 4.5
Trigger Warnings: addiction, abusive relationships, general debauchery of rock stars in the ‘70s
Review: If you haven’t realized by now that I love a celeb memoir, let me please also direct you to my review of Jessica Simpson’s memoir and my Lit Hit List of some of my other faves. Elton John’s memoir came out in the fall of 2019, and while I’m only just now getting around to it, it’s absolutely worth picking up.
My parents are children of the ‘70s and that meant being raised on a steady diet of classic rock. We cleaned the house to “(Dude) Looks Like a Lady” (yes, like that scene in Mrs. Doubtfire), I used “The Immigrant Song” as background music for a high school project, and my 16th birthday party was an Aerosmith and Kiss concert. So, reading Elton John’s brutally honest and at times hilarious anecdotes from the ‘70s and ‘80s was hugely entertaining. (It’s worth the read for the practical jokes on Rod Stewart alone.)
Obviously, I’m super familiar with Elton John’s hits. I think it’s hard not to be, even if your only exposure to his music is through “The Lion King.” But before reading this book (and watching the biopic “Rocketman,” which I did on a plane last fall), I had no idea the level of musical genius he and his writing partner Bernie Taupin truly are. John never takes their 50-plus-year partnership for granted, rhetorically asking several times what would have happened had he and Bernie never crossed paths. For those who don’t know, Bernie writes all of the lyrics, then passing them off to John, who writes the accompanying music—sometimes the entire song within minutes. John writes, “I’ve never had writer’s block, I’ve never sat down with one of Bernie’s lyrics and nothing has come out. I don’t know why. I can’t explain it and I don’t want to explain it. Actually, I love that I can’t explain it. It’s the spontaneity of it that’s beautiful.”
John’s memoir doesn’t lack for gossip about many other notable stars. His memories of John Lennon in particular were quite touching (and at times, like the story in which they wouldn’t let Andy Warhol in their hotel room because there was cocaine everywhere and Andy had his ever-present camera, quite funny). And there is plenty of extremely self-aware humor throughout. John pokes fun at his shopping habits, his clothes, and his home decor taste, among many other topics: “I liked to think I had developed a good eye for art and furniture, but I also had a remarkably high threshold for gaudy kitsch. There were things in my home that made my old stage outfits look like the last word in understated good taste.”
As expected, John also writes about the sudden deaths of John Lennon, Princess Diana, and Gianni Versace—all equally tragic and untimely. In the Venn Diagram of who would be close to all 3 of those notable figures, I’m not sure anyone else would be closer to the center than Elton John.
This isn’t a memoir about addiction per se, but it’s definitely a major part of John’s life, and he reprinted the letter he wrote in rehab effectively “breaking up” with cocaine. It’s touching and poignant to read his reflections on his addiction—both of his parents were lacking in many fundamental ways, John’s feelings of loneliness and inadequacy continued even after he was one of the bestselling artists in the world, and he was in an emotionally abusive relationship with his manager. That said, he’s gone on to become an advocate for sobriety and helped many others, celebrities and non-celebrities alike, which is commendable.
I leave you with one of the last lines from the epilogue, which I think hilariously sums up Elton John’s extraordinary life:
Those diaries are inadvertently hilarious. I wrote down everything in this incredibly matter-of-fact way, which just made it seem even more preposterous. “Got up. Tidied the house. Watched football on TV. Wrote “Candle in the Wind.” Went to London. Bought Rolls-Royce. Ringo Starr came for dinner.” I suppose I was trying to normalize what was happening to me, despite the fact that what was happening to me clearly wasn’t normal at all.
Also! The Kindle edition (and I assume the hard copy) has photos! Always a must.
TL;DR: An extremely funny and poignant memoir from one of the bestselling musicians of all time. Come for the anecdotes about Rod Stewart and John Lennon, stay for John’s honest self-reflection on his music, addiction, and family.
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