On the occasion of Elton John’s birthday, it would only feel fitting to revisit the first song Bernie Taupin wrote about the man who would become the, well, Elton John of the world.
All the Nasties was a song written for Elton with the sole intention of him being a mouth piece, a song about Bernie’s ponders on whether the world would still accept an artist such as Elton if they knew one thing about him: that he was gay.
In 1971, the duo had already seen some moderate success in the States, their self titled album and Tumbleweed Connection were proving that a budding superstar was about to explode, and Madman Across the Water truly solidified this even if it wasn’t their biggest commercial success with singles at the time. It leaned into the singer/songwriter image for the two, some of Bernie’s best writing and Elton’s best composing are here, despite its struggle to produce a single upon release.
All the Nasties starts as the narrator asks a series of rhetorical questions about the world he’s about to become part of, opening with: If it came to pass / What could I tell them? / Would they criticize behind my back? / Maybe I should let them / If only then they could understand, they turned a full blooded city boy into a full blooded city man. Bernie confronts the issue head on, the idea of homophobia holding such a high stake over Elton’s career, how if he were to answer a question about himself honestly he may lose everything. Full blooded city boy to man tracks the progression those critiques would have on a performer so young, the focus to grow up and learn the tightrope walk fame would force upon him. It’s easy to reads Bernie’s use of help them understand two different ways: help them understand their prejudice or help them understand the dangers of their thinking.
If they could face it / I could take it in their eyes, I know I’d make it / The tiny minds / And sacred cows all can fake it / If then, and only then, they could understand. There’s a certain level of defiance Bernie gives Elton within this song, this idea that Elton would eventually adopt of if you can face the fact of his homosexuality he would still make it as a completely competent and talented performer. In 1976, after the biggest year of his [or anyones, really] career, Elton would tell Rolling Stone magazine that he was bisexual. There was an uproar, sales of his LP that year [Blue Moves] tanked, but Elton was still comfortable in his fame. To be fair, there is no de-throning Elton John, but by 1976 there was a certain understanding that he had proved himself as an insanely talented performer, composer, and exemplar celebrity, this fear he could’ve had years before could no longer fester in a world of reality. In 1971 there was a worry that even if he did beat around the bush of explaining his sexuality it would potentially shoot his career down before it ever went up. Still today there’s a certain level of this homophobia that seeps through, that performers feel they won’t hit a peak as successful as contemporaries if out and proud. There’s differences, of course, but a big one is Elton himself, someone who by all accounts would never let that happen to any performer. But, in 1971, and any of the years immediately following, there was no Elton John for Elton John. Tiny minds can refer to those who were truly incapable of seeing Elton and his art through one lens after knowing about his personal life, they can fake not having an appreciation for his music for all Bernie may care. The sacred cows could be a religious dig, its meaning attributed to things immune from questioning - alla those lucky enough to not be Elton, his flamboyance, and his career at the time. Bernie layered the verse with digs at those who potentially harm the Elton he knew, the one he stills refer to as Reg, that he wouldn’t care about those who were luckier, nor those who were bound to create a false veil of contempt over their work for such an arbitrary reason.
But I know the way they want me / In the way they publicize is a line that strikes this idea that there was always an idea given to Elton that was never exactly him. From his first album he was a stoic singer/songwriter who was writing somber tunes for somber people, a contemporary of James Taylor yet less prolific and with a sidekick even though, as anyone can see now, that was not and never would be Elton John. His debut in the States at the Troubadour stomped on these conceptions of him with winged heeled boots, ones that complimented his yellow overalls and starry shirt. Elton was more digestible in the way people expected him to be, his melodies and lyrics safer coming from someone who fit into the idea of the boy next door. As his persona got grander these expectations of who he should be washed away a bit more, even publications like Hit Parader saying he “became more gay” in his styling before he even said anything about his sexual preferences. If they could turn their focus off / To the image in their eyes follows this same idea as its predecessor, that if they could see past their preconceived notions on something like a man's sexuality, would it help them understand that it really isn’t something to destroy a life over? Bernie asks via Elton’s delivery, making things terribly poignant. Elton says the song was able to exist as such an open questioning about these topics because of how well Bernie had folded them into the lyrics. A simple reading of the lyrics make it completely obvious what the song is about, but it was able to stand firm within its 1971 release because of how keen Bernie was on answering his own rhetoric questions about how little these things should matter in favor of letting art and its artists prosper.
Bernie wrote about Elton countless more times throughout their still active 50 year career, but there’s something so special about this first song. In Lester Bangs criteria of a great piece of art, All the Nasties passes with flying colors, its face towards the homophobia of its own time and its face towards the man Elton has become are equally profound. In it’s time of creation, this song acted a love letter to Elton’s very specific and personal battle between honesty and self preservation, one that it would be difficult to fully understand for most people, the feeling of seeing everything you wanted so close yet knowing there has to be a certain veil between your authentic self and the whole world. It was Bernie’s acknowledgement of understanding to someone who knew they were completely alone in their predicament. Today, it showcases just how important Elton John has become as not only an artist, but as an icon and figurehead within the world. He fulfilled the prophecy written by Bernie here, being able to help people understand concepts once foreign to them with his tireless commitment to being true to himself. He’s become who he never had within the industry, a figure to look out for up and coming artists to make sure they never have to feel the way he had. It’s a testament to how much more popular Elton has become after his initial openness about his identity, as it was after his 1976 and 1988 clarifications on his sexuality he would hit some of his biggest career milestones. In part, it was easier because other artists were so open now, once more in part because of him. It all cycled back to him. In a way, most things do - something about being one of the most important figures in popular music and culture does that to a guy.
Elton John performing All the Nasties on the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1971
Comments