A lively and imaginative exploration of the career and music of the Rocket Man Elton John is not only "still standing," he is a living superlative, the ultimate record-breaking, award-winning survivor of the great era of pop and rock music that he helped to shape during his six decades in the music industry. Yet few of his numerous biographies and song guides take him as a historical subject worthy of scholarly study. In contrast, On Elton John approaches the artist seriously and analytically, while still couched in a highly accessible style. Author Matthew Restall offers a new way to explore Sir Elton's career and music within the contexts of other artists and of sweeping shifts in popular culture during his lifetime. Each of the ten chapters is anchored to an Elton song, rooted in its pop culture history, and advances a clear argument, pairing him with figures ranging from Bernie (Bernie Taupin, his lyricist) to Bennie (of the Jets), from "frenemy" David Bowie to artists like Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, and Dua Lipa, from Diana (the princess) to Jesus (yes, that one). Restall contends that Sir Elton's career offers us a novel way to see and understand the last half century of pop music and culture history--whether we call the era that of the album, of rock, of postmodernism, or of something else. The yellow brick road of Sir Elton's career has been long, winding, and bumpy, but, as Restall argues, his success has come not just despite but because of those challenges. The artist's transformations from Reg to Elton to Sir Elton to Uncle Elton, from ugly duckling to bedazzled swan, from the world's biggest rock star to creator of the world's largest AIDS fundraising organization, from tabloid punching bag to pop royalty, have all served as survival strategies that illuminate the era he has thereby navigated. A must-have for fans, On Elton John will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in music history, popular culture, and the social issues of our era.

... interesting perspective on the course of rock and pop music over the past half-century, with notable insights into how the public's attitude toward gay performers has evolved. * Kirkus *
On Elton John brings the Rocket Man back to earth, in the best possible way. John's influence on culture is so outsize, his story so well known, that it's easy to forget the precise artistry and work ethic that made him a superstarin the first place. By writing in the same way John composes-with style, passion, and a bit of cheek-Matthew Restall enacts a kind of reverse myth-making. His assiduous research and probing analysis show how John's best work emerged through a shifting web of collaborations, rivalries, and restless creativity, and it reveals the manifold ways John's music resonates through our modern world. * Nate Sloan, Assistant Professor of Musicology, USC Thornton School of Music *
The best thing any book about pop music can do is send us back to records we thought we knew in order to hear the many things that we missed and to learn how they came to be. With this absorbing book about the restless musical life of Elton John, Matthew Restall has done us all that service. * David Hepworth, author of Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars *

Matthew Restall is a historian of early Latin America, focusing on Aztec and Maya history, on the Spanish Conquest period, and on the African diaspora, as well as a popular music historian, having authored books on Elton John and pop music. He teaches at the Pennsylvania State University, where he is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History, Anthropology, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Director of Latin American Studies. A recipient of Guggenheim, NEH, and other fellowships, he has published books in seven languages. On Elton John is his 39 at 61 (hint: Elton John's 21 at 33).