I saw the movie Rocketman over the weekend – the musical biopic about the genius and struggles of Elton John. As important, the movie is also a tribute to Bernie Taupin and the power of collaboration.
Taupin wrote the lyrics for Elton John’s music – for 50 years. John would translate Taupin’s poems into musical magic. They worked together on over 30 albums and he penned the words for most of Elton’s hits including Candle in the Wind, Crocodile Rock, Bennie and the Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Daniel, and Your Song.
What stuck with me from the movie is that this dynamic duo found each other through pure chance. Both answered a newspaper advertisement looking for songwriters and were paired anonymously when Elton revealed he only wrote music and Taupin noted he only wrote lyrics. The two had personal chemistry as well as musical symmetry and remain friends as well as collaborators five decades later.
We often expend great energy trying to find the “right” partner for our projects or ventures, but sometimes fate does just as good of a job. Take a lesson from John and Taupin and put yourself out there – answering ads, joining groups, writing a blog or posting on social media – and see if destiny or serendipity doesn’t intervene to match you with someone who can work in concert with you.
