Elton John: Never Too Late, released on December 13, 2024 and streaming on Disney Plus, chronicles the life of one of the world’s most successful artistes.
This has been a year of compelling music documentaries: I am Celine Dion, Luther Vandross: Never Too Much, Cyndi Lauper Let the Canary Sing and The Greatest Night in Pop, the latter recounting the events leading up to the recording of We Are the World in 1984.
The year ends with the release of a highly anticipated documentary on the incredible life of a music icon who for over half a century has written and recorded songs that transcend generations: from the best-selling physical single of all time, Candle in the Wind to rock and pop anthems like Rocket Man and I am Still Standing, to award-winning songs for The Lion King.
Elton John: Never Too Late, released on December 13, 2024 and streaming on Disney Plus, chronicles the life of one of the world’s most successful artistes, with an accompanying soundtrack contains 40 of his greatest hits.
The story of Elton John who has sold over 300 million records worldwide and performed over 4,500 concerts in more than 80 countries in a career spanning 55 years, is complicated.
He found solace in music as a child to escape his abusive parents, his phenomenal success ironically just fed into a sense of loneliness and low self-esteem, leading to two decades of drug addiction.
“There was an emptiness within me. I can have great fun but when I went home at night it really didn’t satisfy me,” he reflects.
The experiences of the piano genius who is as famous for his voice as for his flamboyantly extravagant stage costumes, is told with a mix of never-before-seen archival footage, supplemented with the occasional animation, a trove of still photos and behind the scenes access to the star’s preparations for his farewell tour (he retired from touring in 2023).
His ability to connect with a younger generation is evident in the scenes from the studio session for the 2022 hit Hold Me Closer (featuring Britney Spears) and rehearsing on stage with Dua Lipa for their 2021 collaboration Cold Heart, an interpolation of four songs including 1972’s Rocket Man (Rocket Man surpassed a billion streams on Spotify in January 2024).
On his podcast Rocket Hour, Elton holds conversations with rising stars about their music and offers them a platform to showcase their talents.
Born March 25, 1945 in England, Reginald Kenneth Dwight was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 11.
He drew inspiration from British pianist Winifred Atwell, the first black artist to have a No 1 single in the UK. “I loved her,” he says. “She loved what she did. I took a lot of that with me when I became Elton John. She was my first big influence, without question”
In 1972, Reginald Kenneth Dwight became Elton Hercules John: “It made me feel as if I could make it. Reg was never going to make it,” he says. He formed a songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin who complemented Elton’s ability to write melodies. “There was a magic that happened when I saw Bernie’s lyrics that made me write the songs. I knew that I was getting somewhere. I have to have the kick start and the inspiration of the written word. I am hopeless without it.”
Between 1970 and 1974, Elton recorded 13 chart-topping albums and his stage antics and outrageous costumes were a statement against all the things he was not allowed to do as a child by father. He recalls his dad’s admonishment: “You cannot wear this, you cannot do this, you can’t wear those glasses.”
With the fame came an addiction to cocaine from the mid 1970s and a career that had achieved stratospheric success at the beginning of that decade plummeted into a string of mediocre albums as the drugs took a toll on his creativity.
“It is not until I got sober in 1990 that everything changed. It took me 43 years to learn how to function as a human being, not a rock star,” says Elton.
His ability to overcome human frailties and to constantly remain relevant through more than half a century of many highs (pardon the pan) and lows is a very uplifting part of the Elton John story.
“There are no rules in life. I am everything that a rock and roll star is not supposed to be. I am not the best-looking person in the world so I think a lot of people identify with me, ‘well if he can do it, then I might be able to.’ I always believe that if you have an ambition no matter what you look like, no matter what you sound like, you can make it anyway. And I am ambitious.”
This year Elton John became an EGOT (individuals who have won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award) after winning his first Emmy for his live concert special Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium and TIME magazine honoured him as Icon of the Year 2024.
