After six years of formal training, he left the Academy to write and perform popular music. During the 1970's John, along with lyricist Bernie Taupin, produced a remarkable amount of material. The '70s was John's golden decade, during which he yielded such unforgettable classics as "Your Song," "Rocket Man," "Tiny Dancer," "Daniel," "Crocodile Rock," "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," "Benny and the Jets," "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." The '80s also saw the release of major hits including "Little Jeannie," "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues," "I'm Still Standing," "Sad Songs Say So Much," and "Candle in the Wind." In the '90s, songs such as "Sacrifice," and "Blessed," and "The One" hit the top 10 on the US charts, and his collaboration (in 1994) with lyricist Tim Rice on Disney's massively successful The Lion King produced the instant classics "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"--the latter winning an Oscar for Best Original Song. The collaboration was so successful, the pair were recruited once again by Disney to write the music for their Broadway musical adaptation of the classic opera Aida--an album of this effort was released in 1999. The critical and commercial success of John's 2004 release, Peachtree Road, further solidifies his position as one of the most successful and enduring artists in pop music history.