Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold more than 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists. He has more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including seven number ones in the UK and nine in the US, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US. His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", rewritten in dedication to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts. He has also produced records and occasionally acted in films. John owned Watford F.C. from 1976 to 1987 and from 1997 to 2002. He is an honorary life president of the club.
That time Ricky Martin & Rosie O’Donnell teamed up for a closeted gay Christmas collab
The Rosie O’Donnell Show, the beloved daytime talk show host released her first-ever Christmas album, A Rosie Christmas.The CD featured 14 holiday standards with some of the biggest music icons of the ’80s and ’90s, including Cher, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Elton John, and Elmo, just to name a few.In 2000, she released a follow-up album called Another Rosie Christmas featuring 14 more collabs with some of music’s hottest up-and-comers at the time, including Jessica Simpson, The Dixie Chicks, Jewel, and Macy Gray, plus a veterans like Donna Summer and Barry Manilow.Among the roster of new talent was Latin heartthrob Ricky Martin, who had just made history one year earlier as the first male Latin act to debut at number one on Billboard 200 with his self-titled English crossover album.At the time, both O’Donnell and Martin weren’t publicly out, though rumors about each of them had been swirling for some time.
The song “Ay, Ay, Ay It’s Christmas” is a salsa-infused Spanglish holiday track about a man begging his girlfriend for forgiveness after he forgets to buy her a present.
It was co-written by Robi Rosa, one of Martin’s former Menudo bandmates, and Desmond Child, who also penned Martin’s signature song “Livin’ la Vida Loca”.Initially recorded by Martin in 1999 during the sessions for his self-titled album, “Ay, Ay, Ay It’s Christmas” was packaged as a b-side on the single “Shake Your Bon-Bon” in Australia.“Ay, ay, ay, it’s Christmas and I don’t know what to do,” he sings in the chorus, “Ay, ay, ay, it’s Christmas and I don’t have a gift for you!”He then asks if he can give his girlfriend some, um, “ay, ay, ay” instead.
What he means by that, however, is open to interpretation.“I can give you ay, ay, ay/All you need is ay, ay, ay/Un poquito ay, ay, ay/On this Christmas night.”Though it was never officially released in the U.S., O’Donnell still heard the track and liked it, so she asked Martin if she could add her own backup vocals and use it on her.
