Elton John says writing Tiny Dancer was ‘a bit like having a w**k’

Elton John waving

Sir Elton John, ever the wallflower, has compared writing his iconic 1971 hit ‘Tiny Dancer’ to masturbating.

2019 has been a year of reflection for Sir Elton, between the release of his musical fantasy biopic Rocketman, his ongoing Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour (which will have racked up more than 100 dates by the year’s end) and the publication of his autobiography Me.

From talking about losing his virginity aged 23, to opening up about his friendship with Freddie Mercury, Sir Elton has treated fans to frank, touching and sometimes racy anecdotes from his colourful past.

In true form, the singer shared a very personal tidbit in a new interview with The Guardian.

You want the climax to be good, but you don’t want it to be over too quickly.

Sir Elton fielded questions from celebrity friends and fans including Bob Dylan, who asked how he’d written his platinum-selling single ‘Tiny Dancer’.

“Writing a song like that’s a bit like having a w**k, really,” Sir Elton replied.

“You want the climax to be good, but you don’t want it to be over too quickly – you want to work your way up to it.”

Sir Elton John said he’d love to be Elizabeth Taylor.

In the same interview, Eminem asked whether the singer and his husband David Furnish had used the wedding gift he had bought them: two diamond-encrusted c**k rings.

“Ah, no,” he replied.

“They’re wonderful to look at. I don’t know if any guests we’ve had have used them. God, I hope not.”

Elton John

Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish. (Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty)

Cara Delevingne asked Sir Elton which woman from the past he’d most like to be – “Elizabeth Taylor, because (a) she was f***ing talented and brilliant, (b) she was beautiful, (c) she had a lot of sex, and (d) she had the most fantastic jewellery” – while he revealed to Charli XCX that “wouldn’t have minded writing Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’.”

Tilda Swinton asked Sir Elton about his three drag names, which he revealed to be “Sharon Cavendish” “Régine Pouffe” and “Tallulah Buckhead”.

“And I’ve been known to check into hotels as Chlamydia Schiffer, which David came up with,” he added.