"The Shower of Cards"
John Tenniel - 1865
John Tenniel - 1865
I hear tell some playboy has kidnapped your heart
With his plane and his plans for games after dark
Just a pain in his pocket, and the price of a room
Where the second hand sheets smell of stale perfume
Just a pain in his pocket, and the price of a room
Where the second hand sheets smell of stale perfume
If there's sharks in the water, don't swim where it's deep
For the taste of success can be bitter and sweet
It could be you're right that I act like a child
But you'll be the loser when the jokers run wild
For the taste of success can be bitter and sweet
It could be you're right that I act like a child
But you'll be the loser when the jokers run wild
You're just playing the game, but the stakes are too high
What will you do when the chips start to fly ?
When the deck's stacked against you, and the living gets hard
Oh it's four walls of madness in this House of Cards
What will you do when the chips start to fly ?
When the deck's stacked against you, and the living gets hard
Oh it's four walls of madness in this House of Cards
'Common' you call me, but I know there's time
In a handful of diamonds, a heart's hard to find
And your House of Cards starts weighing you down
All your nights become restless when the clubs start to pound
In a handful of diamonds, a heart's hard to find
And your House of Cards starts weighing you down
All your nights become restless when the clubs start to pound
Released 23 June 1975
I received a phone call recently from an old friend asking me if I thought "House of Cards" might be about Elton's former fiance.
After he had finished laying out his evidence, I gave the subject a brief thought and answered him by saying "Yes, I have to agree."
Given the fact that the song was recorded during the sessions for "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy", and the song is coupled with "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", it appears to follow a certain logic.
It makes sense lyrically and fits into the theme of the album.
It's exclusion from the LP was likely due to two possible reasons; it does nothing to move the story forward, and it was the obvious choice to omit because of time constraints.
Never wanting to waste a good song, it found it's home as a B side.
This practice was in keeping with Elton's philosophy of giving his fans value for their money.
Great post. As the "old friend" above, I wanted to make a couple of additional points.
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that the Captain Fantastic album was a concept album about the early struggles of Elton and Bernie's songwriting career. The storyline ends just before they became famous.
While I believe, yes, House of Cards is about Elton's former fiance (Linda), I think it's also about the situation that found Elton, Bernie, Long John Baldry and Linda, co-existing in a environment that was less than stable or ideal due primarily to Elton's fiance not being particularly thrilled with the notion of a young Elton (or Reg) being in the music industry - hence, the overall metaphor of living in a "house of cards."
Among careful review of the lyric, I think Taupin, as usual, shifts the narrative from several points of view.
For example, in the first verse, I think Taupin is speaking to Elton's fiance: "I hear some playboy has kidnapped your heart, with his plane and his plans for games after dark", and further, "with a pain his pocket and the price of a room, where second hand sheets smell of stale perfume" is Taupin defending Elton. He's telling her: you think you're in love with him, it's probably some sort of puppy love and it won't last (as with most playboys).
The pain in is pocket and price of stale perfume are references, I believe, to young lust and desires. Though Elton was hardly a playboy, he was getting famous and his "plane" was about to take off, or so he thought.
The next verse, I think is Bernie warning Elton about this relationship and how it's not going well: "if there's sharks in the water, don't swim where its deep" and "the price of success can be bitter and sweet" i.e. watch out, there is going to be a price to pay if you don't heed and recognize dangerous situations that could stop your impending path to stardom.
Bernie goes on in the chorus to tell Elton that "your playing the game but the stakes are too high" and "the deck is stacked against you and the living is hard, its four walls of madness in this house of cards".
In other words, stop messing around with this woman (perhaps the first hints of Elton's real sexuality), she's making it difficult, it's all-n-all madness and it's going to fall down. As we all know from our childhood games of building a house of cards, one simple wrong move and it will collaspe.
The last verse, I believe is clearly Taupin speaking as if he were Elton talking to Linda: "Common, you've called me but I know there's time" i.e. she doesn't believe Elton is going to make it, he's common, ordinary. Taupin continues: "In a hand full of diamonds, a heart is hard to find" - again, he's holding the cards and the diamonds could represent jewels, something of real value and potential gold ("thank God my music's still alive"), while finding love "hearts" is not easy particularly in this situation.
I agree, that while this is a good song, it's not as strong as the rest of the material on that album and Someone Saved My Life Tonight captured this topic better and certainly with more emotion.
David Sigler
Great post regarding a great song. Keep up the great work Mr. Scarecrow!
ReplyDeleteAnd touche David regarding your comments. But I respectfully disagree that House Of Cards stands head and shoulders with any other song written and recorded for Captain Fantastic. Luckily with the advent of computer playlists, I can listen to this gem right after side one ends with Someone Saved My Life Tonight and it is a great palate cleanser before digging into side two and (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket.
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy is Elton John's twelfth LP and it was released on 05.19.75 in the US [05.26.75 in the UK], the first LP in the history of the music business to debut at the number one position in Billboard magazine. I believe it to be Elton John's greatest and most sustained piece of work in his entire career.