Bernie Taupin Memoir Has Little Mention of Elton John

Bernie Taupin has a memoir out now titled Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton & Me. Despite dropping his name in the title, Taupin's book isn't really about Elton John.

Taupin told the Associated Press, "What people don’t realize is that we were joined at the hip at the beginning. It was sort of me and him against the world. But I think once that we gained a modicum of success, it was natural that we would sort of separate and find our own lives."

Of course, that's not to say the book is completely devoid of Sir Elton. As John's lyricist, Taupin does delve into the stories and inspirations behind some of the pianist's biggest hits. He even touches on a pass John made at him very early in their writing partnership. Taupin says he delicately declined the offer, but it led to him and John being friends for over 50 years.

As with other memoirs, Taupin's does feature some fun gossip and other scandalous stories. AP notes Taupin recalls punching John Belushi in the face, what it was like to hang out with Andy Warhol and his not-so-pleasant memories of Hugh Hefner.

In other words: If you wanted to know the story behind the man who wrote the lyrics to Elton John's classic songs, you're going to want to pick up a copy.

Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton & Me is available via HachetteBookGroup.com.

Elton John has some absolutely iconic hit singles, but one of the great pleasures of being a big Elton John fan is finding the lesser-known gems.

We’re partial to his hit-free album Tumbleweed Connection from 1970 (as you’ll see), as well as his criminally underrated Songs From The West Coast from 2001, and a few of the diamonds in the rough from albums that you may have overlooked.

For this list, we’re going with the best version of each song, which sometimes means a live version. And in one case, an alternate studio version that you may not have heard before. Enjoy!

In 2024, Sir Elton has earned two major honors. In January, he became an EGOT winner.

John achieved the entertainment milestone thanks to winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger’s Stadium. The special streamed live on November 20, 2022 on Disney+. It was John's final show in North America. It was also the first time Disney+ presented a live global event.

Before his Emmy win, John won five Grammy Awards in his career. In 2000, he won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for Aida. Additionally, John has won two Oscars. The first came in 1994 for Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King. The second Oscar came in 2020 for "I'm Gonna Love Me Again" from Rocketman.

In March, just before his 77th birthday, John and his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin were honored with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Per the Library of Congress's website, "The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song celebrates the work of an artist whose career reflects the influence, impact and achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding."

Past Gershwin Prize recipients include Joni Mitchell (2023), Lionel Richie (2022), Garth Brooks (2020), Gloria and Emilio Estefan (2019), Tony Bennett (2017), Smokey Robinson (2016) and many more iconic musicians.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement, "Elton John and Bernie Taupin have written some of the most memorable songs of our lives. Their careers stand out for the quality and broad appeal of their music and their influence on their fellow artists."