Not to overanalyze, but I can't help but wonder what this Elton John fund-raising concert that Team Hillary keeps hawking tells us about her candidacy.
Sir Elton. The man is without doubt a musical legend--and a knight to boot. As celebrated in Wikipedia:
In his four decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s. He has sold more than 250 million albums and over one hundred million singles, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. He has more than 50 Top 40 hits including seven consecutive #1 U.S. albums, 59 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, 4 #2 hits, and nine #1 hits. He has won five Grammy awards and one Academy Award. His success has had a profound impact on popular music and has contributed to the continued popularity of the piano in rock and roll. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him #49 on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
That said, Elton is also a guy whose glory days are clearly behind him. His best work came out of the 1970s: "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player," "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy," "Madman Across the Water," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"... By the '90s (if not late '80s), he was already a parody of himself, a kitchy symbol of a bygone era producing very little that wasn't cheesy and/or wretchedly sentimental. (Grammy aside, the 1994 "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" was absolute swill. And the Princess Diana-themed remake of Candle In the Wind? Atrocious.) Since 2000, Elton has spent much of his time collaborating with other artists or playing to nostalgic middle-aged fans (like my parents) at his Red Piano show in Vegas.
So is Hillary an enduring legend in her chosen field? Or is she a beloved but no longer terribly relevant icon whose moment has passed? Put differently, which Elton song will the end of this primary see her team singing?
This:
This:
Or, of course, this:
--Michelle Cottle