Elton John formed a friendship with John Lennon in the early 1970s. He was deeply saddened by Lennon’s sudden death in 1980 and wrote a song as a tribute to the former Beatle. However, the track brings out an emotional response in the “Tiny Dancer” singer, and John said he struggles to perform the song live.
Elton John spoke to his godson and John Lennon’s son, Sean, in an interview for BBC Radio 2’s two-part John Lennon at 80 special. During the interview, John recalled the day Lennon died and how he reacted to the news.
“I remember when we got the news of your dad’s death, we were on a plane coming from Brisbane in Australia to Melbourne, and we were told to stay on the plane, and I thought my grandmother had died,” John said. “Then when we were told about John, none of us could believe it, and we organized a service at the cathedral in Melbourne…we got up and we did it, and we sang hymns, and we paid our tribute at the same time as the service was going on in New York. Because I was very, very much affected by the death of your father, as everybody was.”
About a year after, John and frequent collaborator Bernie Taupin decided to write “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)” to honor Lennon. While it’s a song John loves, he doesn’t play it often as it can be tough to get through.
“I played it when I was in Vegas [on] the million-dollar piano, and there was a video with your mum and your dad walking through Central Park,” Sir Elton told Sean. “It’s very hard for me to sing it, I get quite emotional singing that song and it moves me so much because it reminds me of how…god, if your dad was alive today can you imagine what he’d be doing?!”
Elton John has only played the song a few times live
“Empty Garden” was released on May 28, 1982, as a single for his album Jump Up!. It’s one of several songs honoring Lennon, including “Here Today” by Paul McCartney and “All Those Years Ago” by George Harrison. While it received praise from critics and audiences, “Empty Garden” was a minor hit, peaking at No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Since its release, John has only performed it a few times, and it was mainly played around the time of its debut. He played it at Madison Square Garden in 1982 with Sean and Lennon’s wisdom, Yoko Ono, in the audience. He also performed it on a 1982 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Johnny Cash.
Sir Elton and Lennon had collaborated a couple times in their careers
As Elton John described it, he and John Lennon had a “whirlwind romance” and “hit it off immediately.” The pair collaborated on several songs, including one of Lennon’s biggest hits. Lennon had helped John on his cover of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”, so John paid him back by playing on Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through the Night”.
The track was a massive hit, earning Lennon his first and only No. 1 single in the U.S. The track’s success led to a surprise performance where Lennon joined Sir Elton on stage at a concert in Madison Square Garden.
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