Elton John album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" debuted at number one in the U.S., the first album ever to do so, and stayed at the top for seven weeks. Elton John revealed his previously ambiguous personality on the album, with Taupin's lyrics describing their early days as struggling songwriters and musicians in London. The lyrics and accompanying photo booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that is otherwise rare in his music. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was the hit single from this album and captured an early turning point in John's life. The album's
Faster Horses (The Cowboy and the Poet) aspiring poet who turns to a rugged cowboy for advice and inspiration. The cowboy spits tobacco on the ground and affirms his philosophy on life: ""It's faster horses/younger women/older whiskey/and more money"." The poet tries to dispute the man's values and said he was looking for simple inspiration, to which the cowboy strongly reaffirms his stance on life. Disillusioned, the poet tries to start a fight, but eventually realizes (at gunpoint) the cowboy may have a point and leaves poetry behind. The chorus was given in evidence to a U.S. Senate subcommittee by the banking consultant Alex Sheshunoff: Faster Horses