Elton John cried as he prepared to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his groundbreaking album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - because he was so "innocent" when he recorded it.
Sir Elton has revealed he shed a few tears as he listened to the music he had created as a 26-year-old.
In a pre-taped interview with the US breakfast show Today, which aired in part on Monday, Sir Elton said, "I'm not someone who normally looks back, I'm not someone who gets nostalgic, but I had to listen to this album, because I had to do interviews about it.
"It made me very emotional. I cried a little at it, because it reminded me of a time when I was very innocent. I hadn't done a drug."
The hit album made the singer a star, but he struggled with the pitfalls of fame and battled a serious substance-abuse problem.
He has now been sober for over two decades, and refuses to blame the popularity of the 1973 album for his personal woes.
"I don't blame anything," he said. "I don't blame anybody or anything, it was just me being inquisitive.
"(It was like), 'OK, I'll try it, I'll join in. I'll be part of the gang.' Bad decision. If I could go back again, I would never do it."
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has since been re-released to mark its milestone, with artists including Ed Sheeran, Miguel, Hunter Hayes, The Band Perry, Emeli Sande and Fall Out Boy covering Elton's classics.
