Speaking of the bitch...

According an A. V. Club article from 2012, “There are varying accounts about the origin of “The Bitch Is Back”—most of them focused on who, exactly, is [being sung about].  Some sources have claimed the song is about [Bernie] Taupin’s wife at the time.”  But Bernie later revealed that rather than being a song that described her, it was actually a song inspired by her, specifically a comment she once made.

You see, Elton John was notorious for his bad moods.  He’s got a short fuse and a penchant for drama.  You never knew when something might unexpectedly set him off.  And when that happened, it could be pretty spectacular.

So it was that on one occasion following an especially histrionic tantrum, Bernie’s wife remarked to her husband in the aftermath, “Oh, God.  The bitch is back.”

And as a songwriter, Bernie knew a good line when he heard it.