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Elton John · S1 E6
The Name
Why Reginald Dwight had to die. Taking 'Elton' from Elton Dean and 'John' from Long John Baldry, and legally becoming someone else
Reginald Kenneth Dwight walks into a deed poll office and walks out as Elton Hercules John. It is not a marketing decision, it is a disappearing act.
Believe, released in 1995. The song is about faith in reinvention, the idea that you can shed your old self and become someone entirely new. That is exactly what Reg did the day he chose a new name.
Why the Name Had to Go
Reg Dwight was shy, overweight, and convinced he would never be a frontman. He needed an alter ego, a suit of armor he could wear on stage. "Elton" came from bandmate Elton Dean, "John" from Long John Baldry, and together they became someone Reg could never be on his own.
TAP TO REVEAL: Where did the middle name 'Hercules' come from?
“I created Elton John to hide behind. Reg Dwight wasn't going to get anywhere.”
— Elton John
What is Elton John's legal middle name?
Lady Samantha
Released in 1969, this early single shows Elton finding his voice for the first time. The theatrical arrangement and character-driven storytelling hint at the larger-than-life performer waiting to break through. This is the bridge between Reg Dwight and Elton John.
He has a name, a piano, and five years of stage hours, but no lyricist. A seventeen-year-old farm boy named Bernie Taupin has just answered the same newspaper ad.
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