Music and lyrics by Elton John and Bernie Taupin

Presentation by Thomas Breeden

Goodbye Norma Jeane

Though I never knew you at all 

You had the grace to hold yourself

While those around you crawled

They crawled out of the woodwork

And they whispered into your brain

They set you on the treadmill

And they made you change your name 

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to cling to

When the rain set in

And I would have liked to have known you

But I was just a kid

Your candle burned out long beforeYour legend ever did  

Loneliness was tough

The toughest role you ever played 

Hollywood created a superstar

And pain was the price you paid 

Even when you died

Oh the press still hounded you

All the papers had to say

Was that Marilyn was found in the nude 

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the wind 

Never knowing who to cling to

When the rain set in

And I would have liked to have known you

But I was just a kid 

Your candle burned out long before

Your legend ever did  

Goodbye Norma Jeane

From the young man in the 22nd row 

Who sees you as something as more than sexual

More than just our Marilyn Monroe

Works cited

Rhyme scheme

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex, England. He started playing piano at age 4. He got into the Royal Academy of Music when he was 11 on a scholarship. After 6 years of study, he graduated from the Academy

and joined the band Bluesology. He performed with the band for 5 years until he quit due to disagreements over control of the band.

In 1966, he met with his soon-to-be writing partner, Bernie Taupin, after failing a singing audition at Liberty Records. Taupin had left lyrics at the company, and Liberty had John write music for them. The two met six months later and formed one of the most successful songwriting duos of all time.

John and Taupin wrote hit after hit, often writing a song in an hour or less. From 1972 to 1976, the two had 16 consecutive Top 20 hits, including “Daniel” and “Rocket Man”. They also had 7 albums that reached platinum status. Their success continued well into the 80s, and even into the 90s when John wrote the music to Disney’s The Lion King (“Elton John Biography”).

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Discography•“Your Song” (1971)•“Rocket Man” (1972)•“Daniel” (1972)•“Crocodile Rock” (1972)•“Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” (1973) •“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” (1974)•“Philadelphia Freedom” (1978)•“Tiny Dancer” (1980)•“Can You Feel The Love Tonight?” (1994)

Norma Jeane Baker (June 1, 1926- August 5, 1962) is the birth name of actress Marilyn Monroe. As a child she was left in many foster homes and orphanages due to her mother being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. At 16, she chose to marry James Doughtery so she would not have to go to another foster home. Their marriage did not last long because he joined the Merchant Marines a year later. Norma Jeane was discovered by photographers while she was working at Radio Plane Company in Van Nuys. In 1946, she signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox for $125 a week. At the suggestion of Ben Lyon, the head of casting, she changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and dyed her hair blonde (“Marilyn Monroe Biography”).

Though not initially being successful at Fox, she eventually found her way into the film industry as an actress, working for Columbia Pictures and returning to Twentieth Century Fox with a seven year contract. She was a successful actress, with her movies grossing over $200 million, and became one of the most well known symbols of beauty around the world (“Marilyn Monroe”).

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“You had the grace to hold yourself, while those around you

crawled…”

This line of the song suggests that the songwriters believe that she was at a higher moral level than the people around her, and that while the others are corrupted she has the poise and character to remain above that way of life.

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“They crawled out of the woodwork, and they whispered

into your brain…”

Another reference to the manipulative nature of the people of Hollywood. By using the word “crawled”, the song uses a metaphor of sorts to relate the people to bugs. In a way they are trying to “infect” Marilyn to get her to do what every they need her to do to make them more money.

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“They set you on a treadmill…”

The “treadmill” could be a literal treadmill, or it could be a metaphorical one. Marilyn often posed for nude photo shoots so she needed to be in top shape. People in the modeling and acting industries want their models to be the thinnest and sexiest around, so she would need to exercise often.

This could also be taken in a figurative sense. She went through many changes when she became an actress and model, some of which were changing her name and dying her hair. In this way, the treadmill is a metaphor describing the changes she went through.

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“And they made you change your name…”

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Although they didn’t make her change her name, she did change her name by choice. When she got her contract with Twentieth Century Fox, she changed her name at the suggestion of Ben Lyon (“Marilyn Monroe Biography”).

In addition to changing her name, she also famously dyed her hair blonde and helped to create the “dumb blonde” stereotype that is still around today (though much to her chagrin in later years).

“And it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the

wind…”This line is a simile describing her life

and that although she had so many fans and followers she never really had anyone there to support her. She grew up without parents and her two big relationships that she had throughout her life ended up badly. The “candle in the wind” represents the lonely spirit of Marilyn who is alone and helpless “when the rain sets in”. Back

“Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did…”

This metaphor says that even though her physical body, her “candle”, has passed away her influence on the world is still around and her accomplishments and her legend will live on after her.

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“The toughest role you ever played…”Marilyn had a very successful acting career in

which she made 29 movies over 16 years. Her first film, The Asphalt Jungle (1950), got her a lot of attention and other jobs. She started to become an international star after films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, There’s No Business Like Show Business, and The Seven Year Itch. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy for her performance in Some Like It Hot in 1959 (“Marilyn Monroe”). Her last films in 1961 and 1962 were box office flops, mostly due to Marilyn either not showing up to film or coming in tears. She was fired from Fox due to her behavior (Marilyn Monroe Biography”).

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“Pain was the price you paid…”

Marilyn lived a hard life. Behind all of the glamour of Hollywood, she was a heavy drinker and had to take sleeping pills due to her insomnia. She was found dead with an empty bottle of sleeping pills next to her (“Marilyn Monroe”).

She was constantly followed by press and media attention wherever she went. At her funeral, Joe DiMaggio, her ex and soon-to-be husband, didn’t invite any press because “they had only hurt her” (“Norma Jeane”).

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Marilyn and Joe DiMaggioThe two married on January 14th,

1954. Joe was jealous of the attention that Marilyn got from other men. Her career caused her to travel to many different places around the world. Joe only wanted a housewife, not the famous star that Marilyn was. The two of them separated later that year and got a divorce soon after.

They were set to be married again on August 8th, 1962; three days after Marilyn passed away.

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“Oh the press still hounded you…”

This is an apostrophe to Marilyn. The whole song is addressed to her, and it is almost like a letter.

The use of “hounded” gives a sense that the press are like dogs and in a way they are. They follow celebrities around ruthlessly and rarely let them live in peace and privacy.

Also, the press did hound her after her death. They wanted to attend her funeral, but Joe DiMaggio only invited close friends and family (“Norma Jeane”).

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“Marilyn was found in the nude…”On August 8th, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was

found dead naked on her bed with an empty bottle of sleeping pills beside her. The general consensus is that she died of a drug overdose, but there are different opinions and speculations surrounding her death. Some people think that she was murdered while others think that she may have committed suicide (“Marilyn Monroe”). However, some have ruled out suicide because in her biography she is quoted saying “I feel like I’m just getting started” just a day before her death (Barris).

All of the newspaper articles surrounding her death focused more on the fact that she was nude than reflecting on her life and career as an actor. This again shows that Hollywood and the media care more about public image than someone as a person.

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“Hollywood is a place where they’ll

pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss

and fifty cents for your soul”

-Marilyn Monroe

“Candle in the wind…”

This phrase was inspired by an article that Bernie Taupin read about the death of Janis Joplin in 1970. Taupin then wrote the lyrics to “Candle in the Wind” and gave them to Elton John to write the music.

The phrase was used again for “Candle in the Wind 1997”, a dedication to Princess Diana, who was a close personal friend to Elton John (Doyle).

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“But I was just a kid…”

Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote this song 11 years after Marilyn passed away, and neither of them knew her personally. As the lyrics say, “I would have liked to have known you”. The two of them (mostly Taupin) wrote the song without having inside knowledge on her life, just from the outside and what they guessed she must have been like.

However, the 1997 version of this song was much more personal because Elton knew Princess Diana personally.

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“Something more than sexual…”

Marilyn Monroe was widely known as a symbol of sex and beauty. Her signature blonde hairdo was world famous and still is today. She posed nude many times for Playboy magazine.

She filmed her famous “skirt-blowing” scene from The Seven Year Itch in front of photographers and fans alike, showing how famous she was for being beautiful (“Norma Jeane”). Back

Rhyme Scheme

There is a loose ABCB rhyme scheme throughout the song. For the most part every other line rhymes, but it is not always a perfect match. For example, “wind” and “in” in the chorus. There are the same sounds present in the words, but they do not rhyme exactly like “kid” and “did” do, for instance.

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Works CitedArchive Photos, Inc. Marilyn Monroe. N.d. Encyclopedia of World Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/ Mo-Ni/ Monroe-Marilyn.html>.

Barris, George. Marilyn: Her Life In Her Own Words. N.p.: Kensington Publishing      Corporation, 2001. N. pag. Print.

Doyle, Jack. “Candle in the Wind, 1973 & 1997.” PopHistoryDig.com. Pop History Dig, LLC, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 29 May 2010. <http://www.pophistorydig.com/ ?tag=candle-in-the-wind>.

Eisenstaedt, Alfred. Marilyn Monroe on patio outside of her home. 1953. LIFE: n. pag. Print.“Elton John Biography.” Sing365.com. N.p., 2007. Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Elton-John-Biography/E98916284BE40C2F48256876001FCECF>.

“Elton John Discography at Discogs.” Discogs. Discogs, 2010. Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.discogs.com/ artist/ Elton+John>.

Elton John Song Lyrics: Candle in the Wind 1997. David Bodoh, n.d. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.eltonography.com/ songs/ candle_in_the_wind_1997.html>.

“Insomnia Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention.” eMedicineHealth. WebMD, Inc., 2010. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.emedicinehealth.com/ insomnia/ article_em.htm>.

“Joe Dimaggio Biography.” Notable Biographies. Advameg, Inc., 2010. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/ De-Du/ Dimaggio-Joe.html>.

"Marilyn Monroe." Angelfire. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2010.      <http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/favorites/mm.html>.

Cont…

“Marilyn Monroe.” Biography.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.biography.com/ articles/ Marilyn-Monroe-9412123>.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio. N.d. Since1910. N.p., 2010. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.since1910.com/ engagement-ring-blog/ celebrity-engagement-rings-that-might-give-you-ideas/ joe_marilyn54/>.

“Marilyn Monroe Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Advameg, Inc., 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/ Mo-Ni/ Monroe-Marilyn.html>.

“Marilyn Monroe’s Official Web site.” MarilynMonroe.com. Marilyn Monroe, LLC, 2006. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.marilynmonroe.com/>.

NABEF Leadership Award recipient Sir Elton John. N.d. National Association of Broadcasters. National Association of Broadcasters, 11 Dec. 2006. Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.nab.org/ documents/ newsRoom/ photos/ Elton_John_hi.jpg>.

“Norma Jeane.” ElectricScotland.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.electricscotland.com/ history/ women/ wh38.htm>.

“Paranoid Schizophrenia.” Health Square. HealthCentral Network, Inc., 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.healthsquare.com/ mc/ fgmc2415.htm>.

Works Cited (cont.)

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