Test 2

Please select your preferred language.

請選擇你慣用的語言。

请选择你惯用的语言。

English
中文简体
台灣繁體
香港繁體

登入

记住我

初到 Fridae?

Fridae Mobile

Advertisement
Highlights

More About Us

新闻&特写

« 较新的 | 较旧的 »
1 Nov 2001

elton john: songs from the west coast

The veteran is back with a new album where he touches on some gay issues and mourns the 1998 death of a young gay man who was beaten and left to die.

On the night of October 6, 1998 in Wyoming, Matthew Shepard, 21, was bludgeoned with the butt of a gun, burned, and tied to a wooden deer fence by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney. His unconscious body was found the next day by a passer-by that mistook his lifeless cadaver for a scarecrow. He died five days later. The motive of the murder was simple: Matthew Shepard was gay.

It's been three years, but Elton John vividly brings back the memory of Shepard's tragic death with American Triangle in his latest release, Songs From The West Coast. "God hates fags from where we come from", he sings with conviction. "I've seen a scarecrow wrapped in wire / Left to die on a high ridge fenceIt's a cold wind blowing, Wyoming".

It's utterly agonising listening to those lyrics, but at the same time it relights the fire of disgust that we have for the people (and society) responsible for the daily crimes committed against the gay and lesbian community around the world.

Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes emphasizes an equally important issue in the gay community: AIDS. It tells of a man dying of AIDS and requesting his "red shoes" for a last dance: "Gonna miss the sunlight / When I lose my eyesight / Give me my red shoes / I want to dance".

Songs is a departure from his "animated feature soundtrack" persona that we've gotten so familiar to. Elton returns to his roots with the help of Bernie Taupin to a more raw and soulful sound that the younger generations of his fans have forgotten about.

Interestingly, the video for the first single I Want Love features a weary Robert Downey Jr. trying his best but failing miserably in either acting straight or sober.

Elton's wheel has come full circle indeed, and where he began, there shall he end (but hopefully not very soon).

读者回应

抢先发表第一个回应吧!

请先登入再使用此功能。

Social


请选择新闻及专栏版本

精选个人档案

Now ALL members can view unlimited profiles!

Languages

View this page in a different language:

赞好

合作伙伴

 ILGA Asia - Fridae partner for LGBT rights in Asia IGLHRC - Fridae Partner for LGBT rights in Asia

Advertisement