‘Elton John: Never Too Late’ Review: The Original King of Pop Gets the Satisfying Documentary He Deserves

As a child of the ’70s, I vividly remember Elton John’s music echoing through my childhood home, filling our living room with a unique blend of raw emotion and unparalleled melodies. The documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late” has resurrected those memories, bringing back the nostalgia that comes with revisiting one’s past.

In the heartfelt and fulfilling documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late,” there’s a scene that strikingly exposes Elton John during his peak ’70s period.

The video you’re watching captures a 1971 television interview where a youthful-looking Elton John, sporting rectangular glasses and lots of shaggy hair, discusses his songwriting process at an upright piano. He pulls out a stack of handwritten lyrics penned by his collaborator Bernie Taupin. To illustrate his approach, he points to the song “Tiny Dancer” and locates the lyrics for it. He shares that when he spotted the word “ballerina,” he knew it had to be a slow-paced tune. He then demonstrates how he spontaneously chooses the chords. As he begins to sing along, he reveals that he follows Taupin’s lyrics as his guide. Typically, it takes him around 20 minutes to a half hour to write a song.

What stands out, beyond Elton’s obliviousness to the impact “Tiny Dancer” would eventually have, is the effortless ease with which he creates his songs. He makes it seem as if the songs simply materialize, a testament to Elton John’s unique genius and the nature of pop music, particularly during that era.

I’m not implying that these iconic ’70s albums like Elton John’s (and those by Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, ABBA, Queen, and others) were hastily put together. Instead, they showcased exceptional songwriting and studio skills. However, Elton John, a titan of pop during his time, the first king of pop, had an unconventional career due to his constant innovation, which he often didn’t anticipate. His songs seemed to flow effortlessly from him, as if he had simply breathed them into existence.

In the late 1960s, he was a charming yet reserved young British gentleman, deeply passionate about singing and playing the piano. For some time, he wrote songs for artists such as Tom Jones and Lulu. His collaboration with Taupin was a stroke of luck: Responding to an ad in New Musical Express, he walked into Liberty Records’ offices and encountered their A&R manager who handed him a sealed envelope containing Taupin’s lyrics.

In their first collaboration, the duo’s debut album, “Empty Sky” (1969), didn’t achieve much success. However, for their second album, “Elton John” (1970), Elton aimed to work with the producer he believed was behind the best song at the time, which was David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”. That producer was Gus Dudgeon, who would later be instrumental in shaping the 1970s Elton John much like George Martin shaped the Beatles. Dudgeon introduced Paul Buckmaster, a string arranger, and decided to record the album live, with Elton singing alongside an orchestra – a method reminiscent of Phil Spector’s approach. This led to the creation of the early, eerie Elton John sound.

Yet none of that could have prepared anyone for what happened when Elton performed his fabled three-night stint at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, a club that accommodated all of 250 people, on three hot August nights in 1970. The documentary includes footage of that legendary gig, which I’ve never seen before. Elton is bearded, looking different than he’s ever looked before or after, and he sounds transcendent. You can see why the audience of industry heavies was spellbound. (Later, in 2022, we see Elton revisit the Troubador, and standing in the empty club he can’t believe how small it looks, and neither can we. It’s basically just…a bar.)

Nothing could have predicted the extraordinary spectacle that Elton transformed into on stage: a man who defied gravity by standing upright while playing the piano, with his legs shooting skyward. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were an acrobatic performer by nature, like Mick Jagger or Pink, but Elton, on stage, was an anomaly: a flamboyant nerd, sporting outfits never seen before, donning his unique goggle glasses, moving about the stage with the passion of Freddie Mercury. However, as he himself admits, Elton had an unconventional physique and lacked rhythmic grace. He was like the epitome of the clumsy kid putting on a show in spandex and feather boas in his bedroom.

Entering “Elton John: Never Too Late,” I must admit I carried a certain bias. It seemed to me that the tale of Elton John was already known, or at least the phase where he became a depleted drug addict and alcoholic, the biggest star globally but still miserable, allowing this state to continue for an indefinite amount of time before finding salvation through sobriety and love. I felt that Elton had shared this narrative so frequently that I no longer needed to listen to it again.

In the film “Never Too Late,” directed by R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue,” “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”) and David Furnish, who is Elton’s husband, the turbulent tale of Elton’s rapid rise to fame and subsequent struggle with stardom is presented in a comprehensive and richly detailed documentary format. This re-telling resonates deeply as it offers a vivid portrayal of Elton’s meteoric success, the euphoria of his music, intertwined with the apprehension and emptiness he experienced during that time. Hundreds of poignant photographs, snippets of film footage, and extended interviews from decades past bring this narrative to life once more, making it feel fresh and relevant.

Cutler and Furnish wisely chose to concentrate on Elton’s most illustrious artistic period (1970-1975), which climaxed with his performance at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 1975, where he mesmerized over 110,000 people. His unique charm began to dwindle soon after this event. I vividly recall purchasing the album “Blue Moves” in 1976, and despite repeatedly playing “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word,” I sensed a decline in Elton’s fervor. He penned several good songs following that time, but it never regained its former glory.

The movie alternates between scenes of Elton John’s extravagantly creative peak years at the top of the mountain, reminiscent of the glam era, and his current self in 2022, during the final stages of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. This tour concludes with his performance at Dodger Stadium, marking his last concert in America. Although it may seem a little neatly arranged, the portrayal of Sir Elton today – the kind and humble man he is, his family life, and his role as a loving father to sons Zachary and Elijah – is both insightful and emotional.

Elton John, who’s now deeply committed to family life, often downplays his ’70s era. He might say, “At that time, my life consisted only of work,” which may seem familiar to many 27-year-olds. However, his work – composing hits like “Your Song”, “Amoreena”, “Philadelphia Freedom”, and others – was arguably not just ordinary ‘work’. It’s more like the creative output of a Beethoven orchestrating symphonies. Elton could perhaps be more understanding towards his younger self.

Absolutely, the complex emotions surrounding his hidden sexuality are intertwined in the portrayal of Elton. It’s astonishing to listen to the authentic tape recording from a 1976 Rolling Stone interview, where he bravely disclosed his bisexuality (and loneliness) for the first time. At that time, there was some skepticism towards the “bi” aspect, as people questioned why he didn’t just label himself as gay. However, upon reconsideration, considering the societal norms and what celebrities were willing to share at that time, his bravery becomes more apparent. In retrospect, Elton considers this revelation as a liberating moment for him, marking the beginning of his struggle against personal demons. His next significant milestone came 14 years later, when he decided to become sober in 1990.

Occasionally, I find myself expressing a grievance about music documentaries, and this instance was no exception. Some subjects seem to necessitate analysis by insightful commentators – individuals who can help us comprehend the significance of their work. In the ’70s, Elton John’s musical prowess was so immense that it warranted a critical examination of his music’s magic, its uniqueness, how it functioned, and how it revolutionized the art form. Similarly, Elton’s flamboyant stage persona, which conveyed much beyond mere performance, could have benefited from such analysis (it’s worth noting that he might have been one of the most openly gay figures in history, even though he was not open about his sexuality at the time). Unfortunately, “Elton John: Never Too Late” didn’t delve as deeply as it could have, settling for being very good rather than exceptional. However, it does manage to capture Elton John and his contributions accurately: a level of joy no other pop musician has ever surpassed.

2024-09-07 23:17

‘Elton John: Never Too Late’ Review: The Original King of Pop Gets the Satisfying Documentary He Deserves

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