Bernie Taupin in an undated promotional photo
Bernie Taupin, who has collaborated with Elton John in a songwriting partnership that spans more than 50 years, has received a CBE in the 2022 New Year Honours List. (CBE stands for Commander of the Order of the British Empire.) Taupin was recognized for exceptional services to music. The names on the list also included actor Daniel Craig (named a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George – the same given to his long-running screen alter ego, 007) and Mel B (Melanie Brown) of the Spice Girls, who received an MBE. They were revealed on Dec. 31.
On Jan. 1, John wrote on his Instagram, “Congratulations to my lyricist extraordinaire on his C.B.E. that was announced today! I love you and you so deserve this recognition. E xx”
Taupin replied, “Thanks my darling friend. It’s all a bit ironic isn’t it?”
Taupin met John in 1967 when they each responded to an ad for songwriters that had placed in the weekly paper New Musical Express. From Taupin’s biography on the Songwriters Hall of Fame website:
This photo appeared in the February 24, 1973, issue of Record World
John and Taupin have one of the most prolific and successful songwriting partnerships ever known. Their award-winning relationship spans more than 30 albums. John was introduced to Taupin in 1967, and by the time of his self-titled breakthrough album and timeless hit “Your Song” had introduced him to an international stage in 1970, the two had honed their skill to such a degree that Taupin could present John with a lyric and he could compose to it within the hour. In the period between 1970-76, with producer Gus Dudgeon at the helm, John and Taupin made an astonishing 14 albums including Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Honky Chateau, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Caribou and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.
The pair were inducted into the Songwriters Hall in 1992. They received its Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Hall, in 2013. It is exclusively reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted in a prior year, and whose body of work is of such high quality and impact, that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer.
In the late 1990s, “Candle In the Wind,” John and Taupin’s tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, sold well over 33 million copies and is the bestselling single in Billboard history.
Together they have co-written such hit songs as “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Daniel,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Don’t Let the Sun Shine Down on Me,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (duet with Kiki Dee),” “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word,” “The Bitch is Back,” “I’m Still Standing,” and dozens of others.
Taupin was born May 22, 1950, in Lincolnshire, England. He became a U.S. citizen in 1990 and lives in California.
Taupin posted a family photo on his Instagram account in Dec. 2021.
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1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationThis is fantastic. His lyrics have stood the test of time and are as beautiful today as when we first heard them. Stories of love, life, heartbreak, families and friends serve as the backbone of each song. Congratulations on an award long overdue!