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A Pre-Emptive, Though Hopefully Temporary, Bowing Out: “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” by Elton John

By Marcello Carlin


This isn’t quite the last piece of music I’ll be writing about before taking a long break from writing this blog (and most other things) – there’s one more song tomorrow that I’ve been persuaded to write up before I disappear – but the situation is this; I am imminently due to go into hospital for major surgery to treat a long-standing and hugely-annoying hernia. This should have been sorted out years ago but for reasons too tedious to document it’s only being sorted out now. It is going to be a long, fairly complex and in places possibly pioneering procedure. I am being operated on by world-class surgeons whom I trust implicitly and there has been much liaison between my local hospital (where I’ll be going) and the hospital where I myself work to enable this to happen.

However, I have to warn you that the procedure carries a fairly high risk of what medical people call “morbidities,” mainly to do with breathing and cardiac issues, for which I will be closely monitored in Intensive Care. Everyone involved is optimistic that I will come through this and make a full recovery from the silent agony which has been plaguing me over the last eleven months or so in particular. Nonetheless, this operation can go wrong and there is a very small risk that I will die from it. The risk is no more than 2.4%, but it has to be borne in mind.

If anything happens to me, therefore, I would anticipate that somebody else take over the writing of this blog and carry on what I have left undone. As I say, these are surgeons of the highest international esteem, I have been fully warned of the potential risks, and if things do go wrong, no blame is to be attached to any of the people involved. In the meantime, Lena plans to resume her UK number two blog, which will hopefully give you plenty to read while I am away.

Since we have already written extensively about this song on several occasions, I can say nothing further apart from noting that as a (hopefully temporary) sign-off point, its appearance here is very timely and I should not need to spell out the song's relevance in this context. In the meantime, many thanks to everybody who has been reading this blog as well as my other writing, and especially to Lena without whom none of it would have been written. And thanks to those Beach Boys who came back right at the end to ensure that this story doesn't, yet, end.

Date Record Made Number Two: 27 July 1974
Number Of Weeks At Number Two: 2
Record At Number One: “Annie’s Song” by John Denver
UK Chart Position: 16

Comments

  1. David Ellis18 April 2018 at 13:17

    Very best wishes Marcello.

    ReplyDelete
  2. victorvector18 April 2018 at 20:07

    I hope it all goes well (mostly for your sake, but I want to know about "Raise...to the Stars".) But good news about Lena returning; now you won't have to worry about stealing her potential thunder when you return.

    ReplyDelete
  3. jabartlett19 April 2018 at 06:58

    I have been enjoying your writing immensely and I'll miss it while you're gone. Be well and return soon. Best wishes to you and yours.

    ReplyDelete
  4. intothefireuk20 April 2018 at 00:45

    Longstanding reader of your blogs - good luck and get well soon.

    ReplyDelete

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