Elton John Reveals How Heartbreak Shaped Album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”

For Elton John, 1973 was a career-defining year. The release of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road catapulted him to global stardom with hits like the title track and Candle in the Wind. But behind the music, Elton was wrestling with heartbreak, betrayal, and personal demons.

In his new Disney+ documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, the legendary artist opens up about the emotional turmoil that fueled some of his greatest songs. At the time, Elton was in a rocky five-year relationship with his manager, John Reid. Their romance, which lasted from 1970 to 1975, deeply influenced his music and left lasting scars.

“When I wrote those songs, I was miserably unhappy,” Elton, 77, shares in the documentary. 

“That kind of came through in the songwriting. It was very, very moving to me, and it was very, very cathartic,” he added.

Elton recalls how John’s infidelity shattered him. “I was very naive,” he admits, adding, “I didn’t know he was having sex outside the relationship. When I found out about it, I was crushed.” 

The relationship hit its breaking point during a heated argument. “I had a party at the house, and we had a fight, and he smacked me in the face. He made my nose bleed, cut my face. I loved John a lot, but I said, ‘I can’t go through this anymore,’” Elton recalled.

When their relationship ended, Elton spiraled. “John left an emptiness within me. I thought being alone was a sense of failure. Why isn’t someone with me? I’m not good enough. I chased relationships. I chased love — always looking for love all the time,” he shared.

While recording his 1974 album Caribou, Elton was introduced to cocaine, marking the start of a long battle with addiction. “I was desperately wanting happiness and going the wrong way about it,” he reflects, comparing his struggles to those of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe.

Despite the personal fallout, John remained Elton’s manager until their professional relationship ended in 1998. Elton eventually found lasting love with filmmaker David Furnish, whom he married in 2014 after 21 years together. The couple shares two sons, Zachary, 14, and Elijah, 11.

David, who co-directed the documentary with R.J. Cutler, shared his thoughts at the film’s Toronto International Film Festival premiere in September. “He’s genuinely so happy. So for us to be at this moment right now, after so much hard work and so much anticipation, there’s a lot of heightened emotion,” he said.