Elton John's Songwriting Partner Bernie Taupin Announces New Solo Album 'The Sea Has No Mercy'
Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Jill Augusto, Courtesy of Vertigo Records/MCA Nashville
Bernie Taupin, best known as Elton John's longtime songwriting partner, has announced his first solo album in almost 40 years.
'The Sea Has No Mercy' is set for release on October 23 via Vertigo Records and MCA Nashville. It marks the first album Taupin has written entirely on his own and is inspired by his 2023 autobiography, Scattershot, and an upcoming documentary about his life. He explained:
"I couldn’t have made this album as a younger man. I couldn’t have written any of these songs. They’re all completely indicative of Bernie Taupin at 76-years-old. They need the life behind them.
"Everything on this record is hugely personal. Every single line, every word, means something to me, whether from a past, present or storytelling perspective."
Joining Taupin on his fourth solo record are a number of special guests, including country star Lee Ann Womack, Brandi Carlile, with whom he previously collaborated on her and John's 2025 joint album 'Who Believes In Angels?', and his daughter, Georgey Devon Taupin.
Alongside the announcement, Taupin has shared the record's title track, a haunting, atmospheric ballad that pairs his vivid storytelling lyrics with delicate fingerpicked acoustic guitar. He said: "The sea is the most intimidating, frightening element on earth. … But it fascinates me. … In the song, I use the sea as a metaphor for too many past experiences that weren’t particularly positive."
Taupin's most recent solo album is 'Tribe', released in 1987. Before that, he put out 'He Who Rides The Tiger' in 1980 and his debut solo effort 'Taupin' in 1971. He also released two albums in the 1990s with his short-lived band Farm Dogs.
'The Sea Has No Mercy' tracklist:
1. Fisherman
2. Old Church Road
3. The Sea Has No Mercy
4. Elephant Boy
5. Ghosts of Greater Men
6. Joker
7. Come On California (feat. Brandi Carlile)
8.The Favor
9. Old Dog
10. One Hundred Ways (feat. Georgey Devon Taupin)
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