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Candle in the Wind

• Music and lyrics by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
• Presentation by Thomas Breeden

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Goodbye Norma JeaneThough I never knew you at
all You had the grace to hold yourselfWhile
those around you crawledThey crawled out of the
woodworkAnd they whispered into your brainThey
set you on the treadmillAnd they made you change
your name 
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And it seems to me you lived your lifeLike a
candle in the windNever knowing who to cling
toWhen the rain set inAnd I would have liked to
have known youBut I was just a kidYour candle
burned out long beforeYour legend ever did  
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Loneliness was toughThe toughest role you ever
played Hollywood created a superstarAnd pain
was the price you paid Even when you diedOh the
press still hounded youAll the papers had to
sayWas that Marilyn was found in the nude 
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And it seems to me you lived your lifeLike a
candle in the wind Never knowing who to cling
toWhen the rain set inAnd I would have liked to
have known youBut I was just a kid Your candle
burned out long beforeYour legend ever did  
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Goodbye Norma JeaneFrom the young man in the
22nd row Who sees you as something as more than
sexualMore than just our Marilyn Monroe
Rhyme scheme
Works cited
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Elton John
Elton
John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March
25, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex, England. He
started playing piano at age 4. He got
into the Royal Academy of Music when he was 11 on
a scholarship. After 6 years of study, he
graduated from the Academy and joined the
band Bluesology. He performed with the band for 5
years until he quit due to disagreements
over control of the band. In 1966, he met
with his soon-to-be writing partner, Bernie
Taupin, after failing a singing audition at
Liberty Records. Taupin had left lyrics at the
company, and Liberty had John write music for
them. The two met six months later and formed one
of the most successful songwriting duos of all
time. John and Taupin wrote hit after hit,
often writing a song in an hour or less. From
1972 to 1976, the two had 16 consecutive Top 20
hits, including Daniel and Rocket Man. They
also had 7 albums that reached platinum status.
Their success continued well into the 80s, and
even into the 90s when John wrote the music to
Disneys The Lion King (Elton John Biography).

• Discography
• Your Song (1971)
• Rocket Man (1972)
• Daniel (1972)
• Crocodile Rock (1972)
• Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting (1973)
• Dont Let the Sun Go Down On Me (1974)
• Philadelphia Freedom (1978)
• Tiny Dancer (1980)
• Can You Feel The Love Tonight? (1994)

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Norma Jeane
Norma Jeane Baker (June 1, 1926- August 5,
1962) is the birth name of actress Marilyn
Monroe. As a child she was left in many foster
homes and orphanages due to her mother being
diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. At 16, she
chose to marry James Doughtery so she would not
have to go to another foster home. Their marriage
did not last long because he joined the Merchant
Marines a year later.
Norma Jeane was discovered by photographers
while she was working at Radio Plane Company in
Van Nuys. In 1946, she signed a contract with
Twentieth Century Fox for 125 a week. At the
suggestion of Ben Lyon, the head of casting, she
changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and dyed her
hair blonde (Marilyn Monroe Biography).
Though not initially being successful at Fox, she
eventually found her way into the film industry
as an actress, working for Columbia Pictures and
returning to Twentieth Century Fox with a seven
year contract. She was a successful actress, with
her movies grossing over 200 million, and became
one of the most well known symbols of beauty
around the world (Marilyn Monroe).
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You had the grace to hold yourself, while those
around you crawled
This line of the song suggests that the
songwriters believe that she was at a higher
moral level than the people around her, and that
while the others are corrupted she has the poise
and character to remain above that way of life.
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They crawled out of the woodwork, and they
whispered into your brain
Another reference to the manipulative nature of
the people of Hollywood. By using the word
crawled, the song uses a metaphor of sorts to
relate the people to bugs. In a way they are
trying to infect Marilyn to get her to do what
every they need her to do to make them more money.
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They set you on a treadmill
The treadmill could be a literal treadmill, or
it could be a metaphorical one. Marilyn often
posed for nude photo shoots so she needed to be
in top shape. People in the modeling and acting
industries want their models to be the thinnest
and sexiest around, so she would need to exercise
often. This could also be taken in a
figurative sense. She went through many changes
when she became an actress and model, some of
which were changing her name and dying her hair.
In this way, the treadmill is a metaphor
describing the changes she went through.
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And they made you change your name
Although they didnt make her change her name,
she did change her name by choice. When she got
her contract with Twentieth Century Fox, she
changed her name at the suggestion of Ben Lyon
(Marilyn Monroe Biography). In addition to
changing her name, she also famously dyed her
hair blonde and helped to create the dumb
blonde stereotype that is still around today
(though much to her chagrin in later years).
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And it seems to me you lived your life like a
candle in the wind
This line is a simile describing her life and
that although she had so many fans and followers
she never really had anyone there to support her.
She grew up without parents and her two big
relationships that she had throughout her life
ended up badly. The candle in the wind
represents the lonely spirit of Marilyn who is
alone and helpless when the rain sets in.
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Your candle burned out long before your legend
ever did
This metaphor says that even though her physical
body, her candle, has passed away her influence
on the world is still around and her
accomplishments and her legend will live on after
her.
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The toughest role you ever played
Marilyn had a very successful acting career in
which she made 29 movies over 16 years. Her first
film, The Asphalt Jungle (1950), got her a lot of
attention and other jobs. She started to become
an international star after films like Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes, Theres No Business Like Show
Business, and The Seven Year Itch. She won a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy
for her performance in Some Like It Hot in 1959
(Marilyn Monroe). Her last films in 1961 and
1962 were box office flops, mostly due to Marilyn
either not showing up to film or coming in tears.
She was fired from Fox due to her behavior
(Marilyn Monroe Biography).
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Pain was the price you paid
Marilyn lived a hard life. Behind all of the
glamour of Hollywood, she was a heavy drinker and
had to take sleeping pills due to her insomnia.
She was found dead with an empty bottle of
sleeping pills next to her (Marilyn Monroe).
She was constantly followed by press and media
attention wherever she went. At her funeral, Joe
DiMaggio, her ex and soon-to-be husband, didnt
invite any press because they had only hurt her
(Norma Jeane).
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Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio
The two married on January 14th, 1954. Joe was
jealous of the attention that Marilyn got from
other men. Her career caused her to travel to
many different places around the world. Joe only
wanted a housewife, not the famous star that
Marilyn was. The two of them separated later
that year and got a divorce soon after. They
were set to be married again on August 8th, 1962
three days after Marilyn passed away.
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Oh the press still hounded you
This is an apostrophe to Marilyn. The whole song
is addressed to her, and it is almost like a
letter. The use of hounded gives a sense
that the press are like dogs and in a way they
are. They follow celebrities around ruthlessly
and rarely let them live in peace and
privacy. Also, the press did hound her after
her death. They wanted to attend her funeral, but
Joe DiMaggio only invited close friends and
family (Norma Jeane).
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Marilyn was found in the nude
On August 8th, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found
dead naked on her bed with an empty bottle of
sleeping pills beside her. The general consensus
is that she died of a drug overdose, but there
are different opinions and speculations
surrounding her death. Some people think that she
was murdered while others think that she may have
committed suicide (Marilyn Monroe). However,
some have ruled out suicide because in her
biography she is quoted saying I feel like Im
just getting started just a day before her death
(Barris). All of the newspaper articles
surrounding her death focused more on the fact
that she was nude than reflecting on her life and
career as an actor. This again shows that
Hollywood and the media care more about public
image than someone as a person.
Hollywood is a place where theyll pay you a
thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for
your soul -Marilyn Monroe
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Candle in the wind
This phrase was inspired by an article that
Bernie Taupin read about the death of Janis
Joplin in 1970. Taupin then wrote the lyrics to
Candle in the Wind and gave them to Elton John
to write the music. The phrase was used again
for Candle in the Wind 1997, a dedication to
Princess Diana, who was a close personal friend
to Elton John (Doyle).
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But I was just a kid
Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote this song 11
years after Marilyn passed away, and neither of
them knew her personally. As the lyrics say, I
would have liked to have known you. The two of
them (mostly Taupin) wrote the song without
having inside knowledge on her life, just from
the outside and what they guessed she must have
been like. However, the 1997 version of this
song was much more personal because Elton knew
Princess Diana personally.
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Something more than sexual
Marilyn Monroe was widely known as a symbol of
sex and beauty. Her signature blonde hairdo was
world famous and still is today. She posed nude
many times for Playboy magazine. She filmed
her famous skirt-blowing scene from The Seven
Year Itch in front of photographers and fans
alike, showing how famous she was for being
beautiful (Norma Jeane).
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Rhyme Scheme
There is a loose ABCB rhyme scheme throughout
the song. For the most part every other line
rhymes, but it is not always a perfect match. For
example, wind and in in the chorus. There are
the same sounds present in the words, but they do
not rhyme exactly like kid and did do, for
instance.
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Works Cited
Archive Photos, Inc. Marilyn Monroe. N.d.
Encyclopedia of World Biography. N.p., n.d. Web.
20 May 2010. lthttp//www.notablebiographies.com/?M
o-Ni/?Monroe-Marilyn.htmlgt. Barris, George.
Marilyn Her Life In Her Own Words. N.p.
Kensington Publishing      Corporation, 2001. N.
pag. Print. Doyle, Jack. Candle in the Wind,
1973 1997. PopHistoryDig.com. Pop History Dig,
LLC, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 29 May 2010.
lthttp//www.pophistorydig.com/??tagcandle-in-the-
windgt. Eisenstaedt, Alfred. Marilyn Monroe on
patio outside of her home. 1953. LIFE n. pag.
Print. Elton John Biography. Sing365.com. N.p.,
2007. Web. 18 May 2010. lthttp//www.sing365.com/mu
sic/lyric.nsf/Elton-John-Biography/E98916284BE40C2
F48256876001FCECFgt. Elton John Discography at
Discogs. Discogs. Discogs, 2010. Web. 18 May
2010. lthttp//www.discogs.com/?artist/?EltonJohngt
. Elton John Song Lyrics Candle in the Wind
1997. David Bodoh, n.d. Web. 31 May 2010.
lthttp//www.eltonography.com/?songs/?candle_in_the
_wind_1997.htmlgt. Insomnia Causes, Symptoms,
Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention.
eMedicineHealth. WebMD, Inc., 2010. Web. 31 May
2010. lthttp//www.emedicinehealth.com/?insomnia/?a
rticle_em.htmgt. Joe Dimaggio Biography.
Notable Biographies. Advameg, Inc., 2010. Web. 31
May 2010. lthttp//www.notablebiographies.com/?De-D
u/?Dimaggio-Joe.htmlgt. "Marilyn Monroe."
Angelfire. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2010.
     lthttp//www.angelfire.com/poetry/favorites/m
m.htmlgt.
Cont
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Works Cited (cont.)
Marilyn Monroe. Biography.com. AE Television
Networks, 2009. Web. 18 May 2010.
lthttp//www.biography.com/?articles/?Marilyn-Monro
e-9412123gt. Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio.
N.d. Since1910. N.p., 2010. Web. 31 May 2010.
lthttp//www.since1910.com/?engagement-ring-blog/?c
elebrity-engagement-rings-that-might-give-you-idea
s/?joe_marilyn54/gt. Marilyn Monroe Biography.
Encyclopedia of World Biography. Advameg, Inc.,
2010. Web. 20 May 2010. lthttp//www.notablebiograp
hies.com/?Mo-Ni/?Monroe-Marilyn.htmlgt. Marilyn
Monroes Official Web site. MarilynMonroe.com.
Marilyn Monroe, LLC, 2006. Web. 31 May 2010.
lthttp//www.marilynmonroe.com/gt. NABEF
Leadership Award recipient Sir Elton John. N.d.
National Association of Broadcasters. National
Association of Broadcasters, 11 Dec. 2006. Web.
18 May 2010. lthttp//www.nab.org/?documents/?newsR
oom/?photos/?Elton_John_hi.jpggt. Norma Jeane.
ElectricScotland.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May
2010. lthttp//www.electricscotland.com/?history/?w
omen/?wh38.htmgt. Paranoid Schizophrenia.
Health Square. HealthCentral Network, Inc., 2010.
Web. 20 May 2010. lthttp//www.healthsquare.com/?mc
/?fgmc2415.htmgt.
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