Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s love and respect for one another were impossible to ignore when they made an appearance at the Gershwin Prize ceremony earlier this year. Elton played piano and sang whilst Bernie stood next to him, listening intently to Elton’s iconic interpretation of his own beautiful lyrics. Fans can’t get enough of this emotive performance that has already brought tears to the eyes of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
The musicians shared many a fond look during the performance, symbolizing their special connection both as friends and songwriters. As such, this incredibly sweet rendition really captures the essence of the pair’s relationship, the result being an iconic moment in music history that proves ‘Your Song’ is more than deserving of the huge levels of acclaim it has won over the years.
Originally released by Elton John in 1970, ‘Your Song’ has come to be known as one of the greatest love songs in the history of British music, with its poetic lyrics (composed by Bernie) and poignant melodies (composed by Elton) representing the effectiveness of the pair’s songwriting partnership. Given that the Gershwin Prize is intended to honor the most talented pop songwriters of our time, it is consequently little surprise that they were selected as the recipients of the prize this year.
Indeed, those who watched the Gershwin Prize ceremony live when it was aired may have caught the moment when Elton and Bernie accepted their award. The pair’s emotional speeches paid tribute to their musical relationship, with Elton saying, “Bernie and I have been together for over fifty-something years, and we’re closer than we’ve ever been…I think that’s pretty remarkable in this day and age.” We have no doubt that many readers will agree with this touching sentiment.
Many of our readers also probably already knew that Elton John and Bernie Taupin are one of the greatest songwriting partnerships to come out of Great Britain over the last 60 years. The fact they have now been honoured with the Gershwin Prize, however, proves this to an irrefutable extent, whilst Elton’s beautiful, humbling performance of ‘Your Song’ with Bernie standing watching as he played made it very clear that their relationship as songwriters and friends still survives to this day.
