Spoiler alert! If you haven't seen Rocketman, this blog post contains some spoilers. Proceed with caution! :)
On my weekend away from Rudd House I finally got around to watching Rocketman, which is a biography of the great Sir Elton John. I had no idea he led such a troubled life with alcohol and cocaine addiction although now he has been clean for 29 years and he has two kids with his partner. This movie revealed many secrets that I did not know.
The first secret was that Elton John did not write any of his music. He only wrote the melodies. Also, his good friend Bernie Taupin wrote all of the lyrics. The music was great. Bernie must have had really known Elton John to write these songs, because every song seemed to represent what Elton John was feeling that moment in the movie- without giving too much away. Also, I did not that he had tried to commit suicide by drowning himself in 1975.
Elton John's real name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight. I did not know his mother hated him so much, and that his father was an alcoholic. In the movie, his mother actually told him that she wished that he had never been born. My response to that was "ouch!" Needless to say, this movie isn't for small children. I learned that Elton John just wanted to be loved and he did not love himself until the end of the movie. He was a prodigy who learned music at the age of five.
I loved all of the costumes and the way the music was woven into the movie. It almost reminded me of Mama Mia, in that way. I got that he was just another human being struggling with their demons like all of us seem to do.
It was a great look into Sir Elton John's life and the musical genius that he is. I only wish I could have seen him play live, but as this is his farewell tour, I guess I'll just have to settle for his amazing music. Sir Elton John's music will outlive him and inspire generations to come. It is truly his legacy.