Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

“Oh I've finally decided my future lies beyond the yellow brick road.”

Bernie Taupin / Elton John

December 15, 2018

Music has always been always been an important part of my life. When asked when I was 10 years old what I wanted to be when “when I grew up,” the answer was a rock and roll singer. However, that dream was squelched when the S.S. Presidents (the short-lived rock band I organized with my sister when I was in the 5th grade) failed to secure us a record deal, and consequently, dashing my hopes of being catapulted into fame and fortune. Of course, the reason could have been my lack of harmonizing vocal skills! Whatever. Although my future career path changed, my love of music didn’t.

Like many teenagers, I spent hours listening to the music created by talented singers and bands. In the past several years, I’ve been fortunate to attend concerts of many of the legends of rock and roll, including the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Those concerts were fun, but their songs weren’t the ones blaring from my car speakers (no offense to Stones or Beatles fans). The music I listened to was Rod Stewart, the Eagles, Abba, and Elton John.

Elton John was already a pop icon in the mid 1970s when I was in high school, but I probably spent more time listening to Elton John because my friend Robin loved him. If we were in Robin’s car, she would pop in one of Elton’s 8-track tapes and off we would go. For those who were born after 1985 and don’t have a clue what I’m talking about – Google it! While I was be bopping to the tune, Robin would be explaining the genesis behind the Bernie Taupin lyrics.

In February 1975, Elton John released “Philadelphia Freedom.” Later that year, when I was a senior in high school and Robin a junior, we would both make the cheerleading squad. I loved “Philadelphia Freedom” because it had been written for one of my idols, tennis star Billie Jean King, who played for the Philadelphia Freedoms world tennis team. I don’t remember if it was my idea or Robin’s, but we choreographed a dance routine to the song that the cheerleaders performed at halftime of a basketball game. To this day when I hear that song or “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” I think of Robin.

Like my love of Rod Stewart music, Robin’s love of Elton John continued well beyond our teenage years. I vividly recall traveling to Houston with Robin and her children in 1995 shortly after Elton John released his 24th album, Made in England. The album included the song, “Blessed.” I was riding to Houston with Robin, where she lived, because we were going to a Rod Stewart concert in Houston with our friend, JoAnn. On the trip to Houston, Robin made a point of playing “Blessed” on the CD. But instead of Robin telling me about the song on that trip, it was her oldest daughter Mallory that regaled me with the story behind the song. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

Even though a lot of my teenage years were spent listening to Elton John, I had never seen him in concert. So, when the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour was announced and my husband mentioned he would like to see Elton John in concert, I got us tickets to his Dallas show.

We were not disappointed! Although our tickets were in the upper level of American Airlines Center (hence why all my photos only depict the stage), the music and performance were outstanding. It was much like the Rod Stewart concert we attended in October. For 3 hours, I was transported back to a time of driving around Ada, Oklahoma in Robin’s Chevrolet Monza when our worries were less complicated, every song on those 8-tracks made us smile, and our futures were ahead of us . . . just beyond the yellow brick road.

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