Bernie Taupin appeared on Q104.3 to discuss his new book, ‘Scattershot.’ In the book, he shares details about his career, working with Elton John, and meeting Frank Sinatra.
While chatting about the creation process of ‘Scattershot,’ the songwriter was recalled to have met Frank Sinatra, which the interviewer called a ‘big deal.’ Taupin then expressed his admiration for the singer and recalled the time Sinatra gave him a stamp of approval:
“Frank Sinatra, man, he’s probably one of the greatest cultural icons of the 20th century, and even at that particular point and time, I had a huge appreciation of him. And also the fact that I say in the book, he’s the only person who’s ever introduced me from the stage and used the correct French pronunciation of my name, which is ‘Toppa.'”
He then recalled feeling overwhelmed when he got on stage with Sinatra and reminisced about getting his approval:
“Frank Sinatra always credited songwriters and arrangers before he sang a song on stage or after. So to hear Frank Sinatra not only introduce our song and credit us but also to pronounce my name correctly the French way was pretty overwhelming, but yeah, I definitely became sort of a complete marshmallow when he put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Good job, good job.’ It was remarkable.”
In an earlier interview, also to discuss his book, Taupin shared that Sinatra was one of the people he had been affected the most, referring to him as one of the greatest voices of the 20th century.
Elton John and Taupin wrote a song titled ‘Remember‘ for Sinatra around his ‘Trilogy’ sessions. Although the song was never officially released, Sinatra sang the piece at the Radio City Music Hall Concert in 1978. The song still remains unreleased to this day.
Below, you can watch the interview.