I've passed from cringing over my musical guilty pleasures, to flouting them, to disowning the very term, to reclaiming the phrase and the very idea of it...whilst redefining the terms of my reacceptance.
The appearance of Elton John on any guilty pleasures list no longer makes sense to me. Unless Victim of Love appears beside his name in parentheses, including Reg among one's abashed listening is officially quizzical.
Never mind his omnipresence in pop culture, his millions sold, his more millions spent, his Princess Di tribute--this man gave us "Your Song", "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", "Levon", "Bennie and the Jets", "Healing Hands". Yeah, I actually like that last one. Love it, in fact.
Elton John is not just a "singles artist" though; every album up to and including Rock of the Westies ranks at least 8 out of 10 on the Trapper Jenn scale. No matter how goofy or vindictive Bernie Taupin's lyrics, his partner dependably delivers stirring melodies and pleasantly nagging hookage for the whole family.
Forget Victim of Love (if you even remembered it). Sip from the river Lethe if the vision of a cokehead in a Donald Duck costume is clouding your mind. No more justifying Elton John fandom. I have half a mind to ask those who don't like any of his music to justify that stance.
Elton John
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