Great songwriters create great characters. Elton John has a plethora in his songs some real like Princess Diana, and others purely fictional. The stories he tells in his songs are what makes him one of the greatest artists ever to come from Great Britain.

His characterizations have even been celebrated on British television. In one episode of the hit BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, the villagers of Dibley put on an "Elton John Fashion Show" -- with a rocket man, no less -- in anticipation of his rumored arrival.

5. Princess Diana in "Candle In the Wind" (1997 rerecorded version)

In 1997, tragedy struck both Elton John and Great Britain: Beloved Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed were killed in a car crash in a tunnel in Paris. The tragedy struck John especially hard because he was close friends with the Princess, and he rearranged the lyrics to the 1973 song he wrote about Marilyn Monroe as a way to cope with her death.

For the new version, he changed the lyrics, especially the first verse that now begins "Goodbye England's rose. Since her death, John has vowed never to perform the song unless asked by Diana's sons Prince Harry and Prince William.

4. The Sister in "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock'n Roll)"

The sister described in "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock'n Roll)" is essentially a party girl. However, she is one that is loved by everyone and loves life. As the song says "I really got buzzed when your sister said/ "Throw away them records 'cause the blues is dead/ let me take you honey where the scene's on fire"/ and tonight I learned for certain that the blues expired.

3. The rebel in "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting"

Though one of his biggest hits is more about John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin and his early years, it still describes a rebel -- like a British version of Happy Days' Fonzie --- from Happy Days) who frequently gets into fights at the local pub: "A couple of the sounds that I really like/ are the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbike."