If you ask anyone about classic artists from the ’90s, they will always mention the kings and queens of music in the era, and without fail mention rock and pop artists like Elton John.
For those who don’t know, Elton John is one of the top artists in the 20th century, having a diamond album and multiple other platinum, multi-platinum, and gold albums under his name.
The best Elton John songs are those that have been in the top 40 hits for so long; Elton John doesn’t disappoint, having over 50 tracks getting on the top 40 hits in his whole career.
In this article, we’ll be listing down the best Elton John songs, as well as what album they belong to and what year they were released.
Additionally, we will list down the awards of the songs as well as where they appeared on.
Contents
Cold Heart (The Lockdown Sessions, 2021)
Cold Heart is the most recent track by Elton John; collaborating with pop star Dua Lipa, she and Elton sing an electronic remix of his previous top hits “Sacrifice” and “Rocket Man”.
The song comes as the lead single of Elton John’s 32nd studio album “The Lockdown Sessions”, to be released sometime around October of 2021.
Crocodile Rock (Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player, 1973)
Another of Elton John’s rock n’ roll songs, “Crocodile Rock” is simply a song that describes the evolution of rock n’ roll music as John sees it, singing of the fun he had dancing to the music.
The song peaked as the U.S. No. 1 single in 1973; it has also been certified Gold in 1973 and Platinum by 1995 by the RIAA.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
Dubbed as one the best songs Elton John has ever written with Bernie Taupin, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” delivers the message of John wanting to give up the glamour of his music career for something much simpler, even if it meant having to face a ton of challenges to set himself back up.
The track had been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003, and 17 years later found itself ranked as the 112th of Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Sacrifice (Sleeping With the Past, 1989)
“Sacrifice” is a song about the jealousy that eventually occurs in almost all relationships, as temptations to be with another besides the partner become more and more evident, creating an obvious rift between the lovers.
This was the only song composed by Elton John that reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom in 1990 and stayed there for five weeks, all the while reaching No. 1 in France as well and retaining the position for 26 years.
Bennie And The Jets (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
This rock n’ roll track by Elton John was composed together with Bernie Taupin, wherein Bennie and The Jets is a fictional band that John himself would be a fan of, which producer Gus Dudgeon adds an effect to by making the song seem like it was recorded live with the help of audience applause and cheers.
After releasing it as a single, the song gained even more fame and peaked at No. 1 in the U.S. Singles Chart in 1974.
I’m Still Standing (Too Low For Zero, 1983)
Elton John sings of coming back from one of the most challenging points in his life; after getting beat down from a bad relationship that broke his heart, John bravely picks himself up and becomes stronger than ever.
After releasing a music video on MTV, the second single from the “Too Low For Zero” album gained fame and peaked at No. 1 in Canada, No. 4 in the U.K., and No. 12 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (Rock of the Westies, 1975)
From the title alone, the song is already familiar, having been titled as the No. 1 single in the United Kingdom for six whole weeks, and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States for four weeks.
The upbeat song talks about the joy that John’s partner brings in his life, all while pleading them not to leave him with a broken heart and as a broken man.
The song has been featured on many TV shows and movies, like “Ella Enchanted” and “The Muppets Show”, which might also be why quite a lot of people have heard of it.
Also Read: 10 Best Duet Songs of All Time
Tiny Dancer (Madman Across The Water, 1971)
Elton John was also known for the love songs he sang along with his rock n’ roll tracks, and “Tiny Dancer” is one great example of these songs being such a light and heart-warming song.
The beautiful track describing Elton’s lover in the song through his own point of view was written by his lyricist Bernie Taupin, who had said the tiny dancer in the song alluded to his first wife.
The love song was certified Gold in 2005, platinum in 2011, and by 2013 had already been certified as triple platinum.
Your Song (Elton John, 1970)
Your Song by Elton John is another track that was written by Bernie Taupin and composed by Elton John himself.
This track can easily be considered a love song, where John thanks and praises the person he wrote the song for, but also thank his fans for giving him the motivation to pursue his career.
By 1998, nearly 28 years after it was first released, the song had been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; 2004 saw the song at 136 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.
Rocket Man/I Think It’s Going to Be A Long, Long Time (Honky Chateau, 1972)
This song was actually written by the same producer of “Space Oddity” by David Bowie, Bernie Taupin, following the same theme about space.
Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s story “The Rocket Man” from the book “The Illustrated Man”, Bernie Taupin and Elton John create a song that speaks for astronauts and rock stars while alluding to the fame they draw from their career titles.
The song also appears in the 2019 musical drama entitled “Rocketman”, which follows the story of a young rockstar who finds both fame and chaos in his life and career, a perfect depiction of the message in the song.
Conclusion
Elton John is a famous pop and rock n’ roll musician of the ‘90s, having multiple songs reaching No. 1 all over the world, as well as innumerable tracks certified as Gold, Platinum, and multiple Platinum, and a single track certified as Diamond.
While it may seem that most artists from the ‘90s are having their years catch up to them, Elton John proves that he is not just any other artist, releasing his 32nd album “The Lockdown Sessions” in the year 2021.
