Over his more than five decades of writing songs with Elton John, Bernie Taupin has only occasionally stepped into the spotlight. But he’s about to do it again with his new solo album, The Sea Has No Mercy.
Due Oct. 23, the album is the first Taupin has written entirely on his own. He describes it as a “late-life manifesto,” inspired by his 2023 autobiography, Scattershot, and an upcoming documentary about his life.
“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 says in a statement. “They need the life behind them.”
“Everything on this record is hugely personal,” he adds. “Every single line, every word, means something to me, whether from a past, present or storytelling perspective.”
Among the guests on the album are country star Lee Ann Womack, Brandi Carlile — who worked with Taupin on her and Elton’s joint album Who Believes In Angels? — and Taupin’s younger daughter, Georgey Devon Taupin.
The title track is out now. Taupin says, “The sea is the most intimidating, frightening element on earth. … But it fascinates me. … In the song, I use the sea as a metaphor for too many past experiences that weren’t particularly positive.”
As for his day job, Taupin tells Rolling Stone that Elton has “got a record coming out, I think, at the beginning of next year that I contributed to.” He explained that because Elton could no longer read Taupin’s lyrics at the piano because of his vision problems, he wrote the instrumental tracks first and then asked Taupin to write lyrics for them, reversing their usual creative process.
“It’s a whole different ballgame for him,” notes Taupin.
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