When I was about eight or nine years old, a German family moved in down the street from my house. A son was close to my age and he had two teenage sisters. I will never forget the day I was invited into their home and one of the girls had Elton John’s, “Crocodile Rock” blaring from the record player. She was doing a dance called the pony that she then taught to me.
Oh! How cool and grown up I felt! I was the youngest of seven and two of my brothers had a rock and roll band, along with the kid next door. I always loved hanging around and listening to them play but this – this was different. I was dancing like the big kids and listening to big kid music on my own, with a teenager from our neighborhood!
Flash forward 46 years. I have no idea what became of the German teenager who gave me my first taste of rock and roll dance tunes but do what became of Elton John. As I write this, he is appearing on stage in my home town as part of his official, “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour. Elton has so many towns he wishes to play and say good-bye to that his final tour is expected to last three years.
His concert inside Pittsburgh’s PPG arena is sold out. I expect every venue he plays on his three-year tour will be as well. The British rock icon will stop by Michigan, New York, Massachusetts and more, before heading into Canada then onto Europe.
Since today happens to be national hug a drummer day, Mr. Nigel Olsson, John’s drummer and backup vocalist, can expect to get more than a few hugs in the Burgh, since locals there tend to be huggy people anyway, and now they’ve been given a national holiday to shower their favorite musicians with affection.
Elton John’s big hit, “Tiny Dancer” makes me laugh every time I hear it because it contains one of the most misheard lyrics of all time. For some reason, people often mistake the line, “Hold me closer, tiny dancer” for “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.” Seeing as Tony Danza wasn’t a household name when the song was written, I have no idea what those people think it said when it first hit the airwaves.
Knowing that Sir Elton John has begun his final stage performances feels like someone is slowly pulling a curtain of time closed. It is truly the end of an era. It doesn’t seem possible that time has so swiftly passed that Elton John is going to be a figure of rock and roll history rather than active participant. He may be saying farewell to the yellow brick road but I am quite confident the music he has shared with the world will live on for decades to come.
Writer Bio: Judy Dudich
Judy Dudich resides in the beautiful woods of Pennsylvania, where 24 acres of land and a home-office provide the perfect setting for her children’s home-education and her own homesteading and business ventures. Life is full of blessings (and challenges!) for Judy, as a wife, mother of 10 and Grammy to six. She is a published author, whose book, “I Surrender/A Study Guide for Women” continues to encourage and support others in Christian family lifestyles throughout the world. Judy has also previously worked in the online speaking circuit. Her passion for permaculture, re-purposing, foraging and organic gardening fills her days with learning and adventure that she loves to share.