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Elton John - Someone Saved My Life Tonight Song Meanings

Sir Elton John once tried to commit suicide by putting his head in a gas oven. The 'Rocket Man' singer's main lyricist Bernie Taupin walked in on the suicide attempt. I have been to the Red Piano show in Las Vegas which basically shows Elton's career from beginning (bath houses to the main stage.) During this song the video shows a man sticking his head in an oven trying to kill himself and someone keeping him from it. This song is about how he attempted to commit suicide and was saved. Great song and kudos to Bernie!

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2007-10-16 18:11:45     Rating:

Elton was engaged to a woman and was giving up music, getting married and taking a "normal" job. He didn't want to do that though, and one night he got really drunk and was talked out of it. He went home and told the woman he was not going to marry her.

Bernie Taupin says he woke up one night and smelled gas and went out to the kitchen where he found Elton trying to kill himself. Of course, Elton had his head on a pillow in the oven and had opened all the windows, so he never really was in danger of anything more than a headache.

The song is about both the figurative saving of his life (being talked out of marriage to stay in music) and the literal saving of his life, which wasn't in any real danger.

Submitted by: kokeen
Added: 2008-05-06 20:50:14     Rating:

Written by Bernie Taupin...

Elton is singing autobiographically. Linda Woodrow was his bride-to-be. The couple met on Christmas Eve, 1967, at a cabaret club in Sheffield, when Elton was in Long John Baldry's backuping band. They found a basement in Islington, North London, where lyricist Bernie Taupin became their flatmate.

Elton has explained: “I was going to get married once when I was younger, and I went out and got drunk with Long John Baldry and Bernie and John said I shouldn't get married. I knew he was right, but I didn't know how to get out of it, so I just got drunk and went home and said I'm not getting married”.
Bernie said: “One day I was coming out of my room and walking down the hall I smelled gas. I thought "oh, great, somebody's left the oven on in the kitchen." I walked in the kitchen and there's Elton lying on the floor with the gas oven open. My immediate thing should have been oh, my God, he's tried to kill himself! But I started laughing because he'd gotten the gas oven open, he was lying on a pillow and he'd opened all the windows”.

Bernie has stated that “Someone saved my life tonight” was about the suicide attempt and the marriage that never was. While John Baldry is the “sugar bear” of the song, Linda was the “princess perched in her electric chair” and Elton's stepfather “Derf” and mother who “They're coming in the morning with a truck to take me home” (he and Bernie).

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