"The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star"
About this Quote
The intent is sharply democratic but not naive. He’s not claiming the system is fair; he’s praising a genre that briefly made unfairness negotiable. Rock and roll offered a meritocracy of nerve: charisma, hooks, audacity, and the willingness to be seen. That’s why the phrasing matters. “The great thing” signals gratitude, but “can be a star” is almost astonished, as if fame is less destiny than an unlikely permission slip.
In context, it’s also self-mythmaking. Elton John’s career is built on spectacle, piano virtuosity, and a public persona that tested mainstream comfort long before pop culture learned to market “authenticity.” The quote frames rock not as rebellion for its own sake, but as a cultural machine that turns difference into mass connection. Subtext: the establishment didn’t pick him; the crowd did. That’s the thrill he’s still naming - and the quiet reminder that genres, at their best, are social technologies for letting new kinds of people take up space.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
John, Elton. (2026, January 15). The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-great-thing-about-rock-and-roll-is-that-28537/
Chicago Style
John, Elton. "The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-great-thing-about-rock-and-roll-is-that-28537/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-great-thing-about-rock-and-roll-is-that-28537/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



