Ahead of her Songwriters Hall of Fame induction, Gloria Estefan joined Billboard to answer 20 questions about herself. While talking about her biggest influences as a songwriter, Estefan admitted that an Elton John song helped her open her mind.

Claiming that their music touched her soul, Estefan listed her influences:

“Carole King, as a child. Stevie Wonder. Elton John. The Beatles; I was the biggest Beatles fan. All of them. I admired the novelty of it, like Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,’ I would listen to it and listen to it and listen to it, and I would read the lyrics and say, ‘What is this about?’ because I was a girl. And it kind of opened my mind. That and Stevie Wonder. ‘Songs in the Key of Life, Innervisions.’ It’s not that I said ‘I want to be like them,’ it’s that their music touched my soul.”

Gloria’s 1994 cover album ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,’ featured songs with a special meaning to her. On this album, there was also an Elton John song titled ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me.‘

Released in 1973, ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ was written by John and Bernie Taupin. The titular road is a reference to ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ and the song’s lyrics contain elements referring to Taupin’s childhood on a farm.

Estefan is getting ready to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame on June 15 as the first female Latina inducted.

You can listen to ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ below.

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