In 1969, George Harrison thought Elton John lacked depth. He went on to sell 300,000,000 records
George Harrison respected Elton John’s talent and showmanship but felt his early hits, including “Crocodile Rock”, lacked depth and meaningful ideas. The article presents this as a reflection of Harrison’s own priorities: after The Beatles, he focused on music that expressed something personal or spiritual rather than chasing popular trends.
Harrison said he wanted music to enrich his experience and described John as a talented entertainer whose work lacked depth and experience. The article suggests Harrison may have overlooked the range of John’s songwriting, citing later songs such as “Funeral for a Friend” and “Candle in the Wind”. Its headline says John went on to sell 300 million records.
In short
- Harrison thought Elton John’s early hits lacked depth.
- He valued music with meaning over popularity.
- John later sold 300 million records, according to the headline.
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The case for
Harrison’s criticism can be understood as a judgement about artistic purpose: he valued music that conveyed personal or spiritual meaning, and may have found John’s early hit songs more focused on entertainment than on ideas that would deepen a listener’s experience. From that perspective, popularity and showmanship alone were not evidence of artistic depth.
The case against
John’s early work can be defended on its own terms as skilful, inventive pop that used melody, performance and humour to connect with a broad audience. His later songs, including “Funeral for a Friend” and “Candle in the Wind”, also suggest a wider emotional and musical range than Harrison’s early assessment allowed, while commercial success does not by itself settle questions of depth.