# Levon - Elton John

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levon-elton-john/745220>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [February 5, 2016, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levon-elton-john/745220 "2016-02-05T11:44:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DrCarioca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/77aa72/32.png) [@DrCarioca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCarioca)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levon-elton-john/745220/1 "2016-02-05T11:44:03Z")

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It seems that no one, or practically no one - I did just now find 6 hits on Google - gets that “He shall be Levon” = “He shall believe on”.

And he shall believe on  
And he shall be a good man  
And he shall believe on  
In tradition with the family plan  
And he shall believe on  
And he shall be a good man  
He shall believe on

Or does everybody actually get this and it is so obvious that no one thinks it’s worth mentioning?

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levon-elton-john/745220/2 "2016-02-05T12:43:17Z")

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I’ll provide a link to the column so that everyone can follow along.

[In the Elton John song “Levon,” who is Alvin Tostig?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1755/in-the-elton-john-song-levon-who-is-alvin-tostig)

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levon-elton-john/745220/3 "2016-02-05T13:04:20Z")

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Few people realize this, but Andrew Gold’s “Lonely Boy” was Levon’s unhappy older brother.

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**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levon-elton-john/745220/4 "2016-02-05T13:30:31Z")

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I wasn’t aware of that… be Levon is really believe on. I stopped in mainly to say that I love the piano opening riff to that song.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levon-elton-john/745220/5 "2016-02-05T13:39:27Z")

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Interesting theory, but I don’t think the rest of the song fits it quite that well.

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**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levon-elton-john/745220/6 "2016-02-05T14:34:37Z")

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From **samclem** ’s linked article:

> [@](#):
>
> According to Gus Dudgeon, who produced Madman Across the Water and wrote an essay containing this information to accompany the remastered version, the name “Levon” was inspired by Levon Helm, drummer, lead singer, and founder of The Band, a group from the 60s and 70s. The Band was apparently Elton John’s and Bernie Taupin’s favorite group in those days. (Taupin is the guy who writes or co-writes a lot of Elton John’s songs and who wrote the lyrics for “Levon.”)

[SDMB article (March 2000): In the Elton John song “Levon,” who is Alvin Tostig?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1755/in-the-elton-john-song-levon-who-is-alvin-tostig)