BERNIE TAUPIN DETAILS ELTON JOHN’S NEW SONGWRITING PROCESS: The legendary singer adapts his creative workflow to continue making music despite vision loss

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Bernie Taupin Reveals How Elton John Continues to Write Music Despite Eyesight Problems

The “Your Song” singer is blind in his right eye and has limited vision in his left eye

Elton John and Bernie Taupin attend the 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on November 03, 2023 in New York City. (
Elton John and Bernie Taupin attend the 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony on Nov. 3, 2023 in New York City.Credit : Kevin Mazur/Getty

NEED TO KNOW
  • Bernie Taupin has shared how Elton John continues to write new music despite his eyesight problems
  • The singer-songwriter said in a recent interview that his longtime collaborator now has a “completely different way” of writing songs
  • The “Your Song” artist is blind in his right eye and has limited vision in his left eye

Bernie Taupin has shared how Elton John continues to write music despite his eyesight problems.

The songwriter, 76, said his longtime collaborator has a “completely different way” of writing songs since his vision loss.

The “Your Song” hitmaker, 79, went blind in his right eye after contracting an eye infection in 2024. He has also stated that he has limited vision in his left eye.

While teasing John’s new music in a Tuesday, July 28 interview with Rolling Stone, he said, “Well, he’s got a record coming out, I think, at the beginning of next year that I contributed to. But I literally don’t know when that is. He did it with Andrew Watt again. And he wrote it in a completely different way simply because of his eyesight problem.”

Pop singer Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin (left) pose for a portrait in circa 1971 in London, England.
Bernie Taupin and Elton John in 1971.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Taupin added that John “can’t read lyrics if they’re on the piano.”

He continued, “So he basically came up with instrumental tracks and threw basically three or four of them at me and said, ‘Can you do something with these?’ Which I contributed to. But he’s also worked with a couple of other people on there, which is great. So it’s a whole different ballgame for him.”

Taupin also told the outlet that he and John are “not really interested” in selling the rights to their music.

“We don’t need the money. We both have offspring, and why don’t we leave it up to them?” he said.

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Taupin has written music with John since the late 1960s.

On Tuesday, July 28, the lyricist announced his upcoming album, The Sea Has No Mercy. It will be the first album that he has fully written by himself, according to a press release.

Bernie Taupin at the 2026 GRAMMY Special Merit Awards Ceremony held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on January 31, 2026
Bernie Taupin at the 2026 Grammy Special Merit Awards Ceremony on Jan. 31, 2026 in Los Angeles.Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

The work, produced by Frank Liddell, is described as a “late-life manifesto” due to its personal nature.

“I couldn’t have made this album as a younger man. I couldn’t have written any of these songs. They’re all completely indicative of Bernie Taupin at 76 years old,” he said in a statement.

“They need the life behind them. Everything on this record is hugely personal. Every single line, every word, means something to me, whether from a past, present or storytelling perspective,” Taupin added.

He continues to collaborate with John on new music. There is also a documentary project inspired by his life in development.

Taupin has previously released three solo albums. His self-titled album came out in 1971, followed by He Who Rides the Tiger and Tribe.