Simple Life is yet another great song from Elton John’s underrated 1992 album The One (image inset). It is more restrained and introspective than his high-energy, piano-driven music of his 1970s and 1980s peak. The song – the final single from The One was written during a period when John was actively rebuilding his life after overcoming drug addiction and bulimia in the early 1990s. It features a slower tempo, and understated piano, and a prominently featured yet plaintive harmonica that lends the song a rootsy texture. Overall, the song creates a quiet, determined energy and a sense of optimism.
This personal journey as represented in the song is an affirmation of a new, more grounded lifestyle, emphasizing independence and resilience after a history of dependency. Also the lyrics, penned by his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, are more directly autobiographical than many of their earlier works. The song’s message of seeking simplicity and inner strength after a turbulent past is similar to the reflective tone of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
The following was abridged from the Wikipedia article below:
Simple Life was John’s thirteenth number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and reached number 30 on the Billboard. This song’s appearance in the US top 40 set a record, as John had achieved a top-40 hit for 24 consecutive years, breaking the old record of 23 years set by Elvis Presley in 1977. John regularly performed Simple Life at his concerts from 1992 to 1998. He often paired the song with The One.
[Verse 1]
There’s a breakdown on the runway
And the timeless flights are gone
I’m a year ahead of myself these days
And I’m locomotive strong
My city spread like cannon fire
In a yellow nervous state
I can’t cut the ties that bind me
To horoscopes and fate
[Chorus]
And I won’t break and I won’t bend
But someday soon we’ll sail away
To innocence and the bitter end
And I won’t break and I won’t bend
And with the last breath we ever take
We’re going to get back to the simple life again
[Verse 2]
When we break out of this blindfold
I’m gonna take you from this place
Until we’re free from this ball and chain
I’m still hard behind the eight
My city beats like hammered steel
On a shallow cruel rock
If we could walk proud after midnight
We’d never have to stop
References:
1. Simple Life (Elton John song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
While I think I will always mostly be drawn to ‘70s Elton John and 1983’s “Too Low For Zero,” there’s no denying “Simple Denying” is a well crafted pop song. From a musical perspective, the harmonica is an interesting feature!