Bernie Taupin, the legendary lyricist best known for his decades-long songwriting partnership with Elton John, has announced his first solo album in almost 40 years.
The 76-year-old will release The Sea Has No Mercy on 23 October, marking his first solo studio album since 1987’s Tribe. The project is Taupin’s fourth solo record and follows a lengthy career spent primarily writing lyrics for one of pop music’s most successful collaborations.
Bernie Taupin returns to solo music
The Sea Has No Mercy follows Taupin’s previous solo albums Taupin (1971), He Who Rides the Tiger (1980) and Tribe (1987). He also released two albums in the 1990s as a member of the short-lived band Farm Dogs.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Taupin described the new record as the most rewarding solo project of his career.
“With age comes wisdom, which is a natural progression. I don’t regret any of the records I’ve made in the past. They all had a point at the time they were made. But this is the most satisfying record I’ve ever made.”
He continued:
“I’m talking about in my own canon, not with the Elton thing, because that’s a completely different ballpark… I wanted to be able to express my own feelings on my own level in my own writing. That’s what makes it more important than anything else I’ve ever done.”
Inspiration came while writing his memoir
Taupin explained that he believed his days of recording solo music were behind him until working on his 2023 memoir, Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton, and Me, and writing a song for an upcoming documentary.
Those projects reignited his creativity.
“I found myself just coming up with all of these ideas.”
He said the finished album reflects both his life experience and his view of the modern world.
“In the long run, the album became a manifesto of somebody who’s 76 years old looking back, reflecting, and just a little bit p**sed off at the world.”
More solo music could follow
Unlike the lengthy gap between his previous solo releases, Taupin suggested fans may not have to wait decades for another album.
“I think if and when I make another record, it won’t be so reflective. I think I might go back to storytelling.”
He added:
“In fact, I’ve already written five or six songs that I’ve been playing around with and going back and forth with. So I’m really enjoying the process of working in my own head with myself and nobody else.”
