One thing I’ve always liked about Elton John is his appreciation and championing of other artists. Whether it’s Rufus Wainwright or Eminem, John isn’t shy about proclaiming his love for the music of others.
In his Rolling Stone interview with Cameron Crowe, John says his 2001 album Songs From the West Coast was inspired by the alt-country sound of Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker.
“Hearing Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker was a seminal point for this part of my career,” John says, “I just fell in love with him and that record.”
I can relate. Adams has churned out what seems like dozens of records, good and bad, but Heartbreaker stands out as his most aching and resonant work.
John singles out the track ‘Original Sin’ from Songs From the West Coast, calling it “one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”
I wouldn’t go that far — consider the classics that have emerged from his piano — but this is a great song.
And they’re stringing the lights around you
Hanging paper angels
Painting little devils on the roof
Oh the furnace wind
Is a flickering of wings about your face
In a cloud of incense
Yea, it smells like Heaven in this place
I can’t eat, can’t sleep
Still I hunger for you when you look at me
That face, those eyes
All the sinful pleasures deep inside
chorus:
Tell me how, you know now, the ways and means of getting in
Underneath my skin
Oh you were always my original sin
And tell me why I shudder inside every time we begin
This dangerous game
Oh you were always my original sin
A dream will fly
The moment that you open up your eyes
A dream is just a riddle
Ghosts from every corner of your life
Up in the balcony
All the Romeo’s are bleeding for your hand
Blowing theater kisses
Reciting lines they don’t understand
I can’t eat, can’t sleep
Still I hunger for you when you look at me
That face, those eyes
All the sinful pleasures deep inside
(repeat chorus)
Meet Me In Montauk 
I seem to recall this album as being viewed by critics as a return to form for Elton after a number of weaker efforts. It certainly is a better collection than the forgettable work preceding it. Still, there is something about this album, including this song, that feels more formulaic and less free form and organic than the best of his earlier work.
Yep..it is bubble gum, comparatively.