As a preteen, I spent a great deal of time sitting in front of our console record player, my ear pushed against the mesh covering of the speaker. On the floor next to me lay the open jacket of any Elton John album that I owned. All of them had the great musician’s lyrics written on the back of the cover or inside with intriguing illustrations framing the words.

During those long hours, I realized that Elton did not write the meaningful, intricate and sometimes confusing words that matched the emotions of his remarkable melodies. Instead, they came from Bernie Taupin. Elton had the unique voice and the exemplary musical stylings, but Taupin gave those gorgeous sounds a great deal of depth, along with some fun and rocking-and-rolling verve. These are words that any fan would find deeper and deeper as they progressed in age and listened to the songs anew in different phases of their lives.

"SCATTERSHOT stands high amongst the very best rock-and-roll memoirs. And the beautiful shot of a wise Bernie Taupin on the cover in black and white is a perfect, elegant introduction to the stories within."

Taupin kept a low profile, while Elton wore three-foot-high boots and a Donald Duck costume while performing. Who was Bernie Taupin, and what was his experience like?

In SCATTERSHOT, Taupin’s memoir about “Life, Music, Elton, and Me,” it is clear from page one that the playful, poetic and outrageous lyrics that Elton sang came from a playful, poetic and outrageous Englishman who found his yin in Elton’s performative yang. Growing up in the East Midlands in England, there was little to ensure that a young Taupin was going to find his soul mate and embark on a musical journey that would sell millions of records and create iconic songs that would shape the contemporary cultural landscape for decades to come.

Meeting John Prine, embracing American cowboy culture and songwriting, and cheering on the Yankees with Ralphie from Jersey, it is clear that this young British intellectual was very much seduced by all things American, high- and low-brow. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the landscape he most coveted taking over. His behind-the-scenes stories are impeccable and entertaining, told in a style so conversational that no one would suspect this was his first time writing such a tome about himself.

As with the thousands of lyrics preceding him, Taupin’s literary style is lively, cheeky and extremely funny. His stories about Princess Margaret and Hollywood are great. His behind-the-scenes look into the writing process that created “Candle in the Wind” is eye-opening (it wasn’t originally supposed to be about Marilyn Monroe). His hilarious takedown of the dirty, disgusting Playboy Mansion is another notable tale.

The difference between the just-starting-out duo’s life and the wild ride that it became just a few years later is a major highlight of the book. Taupin has an eye for details that perhaps none of us would have asked him about if we were to interview him. He seems to have a perfect memory of everything that ever happened to him and Elton along the way, for better or worse. SCATTERSHOT actually does not live up to its title, since Taupin is anything but. The specifics of the events of this highly successful partnership will keep readers turning pages faster than they may have thought possible.

It did for me, as I learned the whys and wherefores of the amazing work that defines several decades of rock-and-roll history (especially as fans bid farewell to Elton on his long goodbye tour, his age catching up with him in a way that it seems not to have caught up with Taupin). The book is gold for any longtime fan, new admirer or classic rock aficionado.

There is such a plethora of engaging stories here that I cannot single one out for extensive critique. Just take it from me: SCATTERSHOT stands high amongst the very best rock-and-roll memoirs. And the beautiful shot of a wise Bernie Taupin on the cover in black and white is a perfect, elegant introduction to the stories within.