Elton John is another artist that I remember, not only from my high school years, but long before. Like Peter Frampton, another great artist from back in the day who is still kicking, Sir Elton is still around, and he appears to be still doing some shows – that is, if you want to go to Germany or Singapore to see him.
The earliest song by Elton John I remember, for some reason, is Bennie And The Jets, which came out the year I was 13. I don’t know why I remember that one so clearly, so early on, but as time went on, all my friends and I heard a lot of Elton John’s stuff on the old KWWL-1330AM radio, blasting out of Waterloo, Iowa. That station played a lot of what was then current hits, and Elton John had plenty of those.
Here, in chronological order, are the six Elton John tunes that were first to pop into my mind, from the first few years of him in the big time, from 1972 to 1975. It could have been 20, but, well, here you are.
Rocket Man (1972): Aside from being President Trump’s derisive nickname for North Korea’s god-king-emperor Dear Leader Kim Jong Un, that stunted little gargoyle with bad hair from a long line of stunted little gargoyles with bad hair, this is a pretty good song. This was one of Elton John’s first big hits, topping out at #6 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100. The song, written by Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, was supposedly inspired by the Ray Bradbury short story “The Rocket Man,” about an astronaut who spends a lot of time in space, alone, away from his family.
Tiny Dancer (1972): No, this song isn’t about Tony Danza. I know it sounds like Tony Danza. It’s not. It’s “Tiny Dancer.” I’m not sure Tony Danza was even acting in 1972. Not that he’s not cool; I first saw Tony, like so many people, on the TV show “Taxi,” then in that great feature-length ad for Popular Hot Rodding Magazine, the 1980 film “Hollywood Knights.” Oh, and that film also featured a very young and very adorable Michelle Pfeiffer. Yowza.OK, now, I’m not sure how I went down that rabbit hole. Anyway, here’s the song.
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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973): Of all the work Elton John did, this is my favorite. The lead song from the 1973 album of the same name, the title is, of course, inspired by L. Frank Baum’s “Oz” series. Bernie Taupin, again, wrote the lyrics for this one, crediting part of them as referring to his childhood on an English farm in Lincolnshire. It’s a song for anyone who feels some longing to go back to their youth.
Crocodile Rock (1973): I’ve always thought of this song as a tribute to the music of the late ‘50s, in spirit if not exactly in sound. There is that unmistakable reference to a song by Bill Haley and the Comets, in the lyrics:But the biggest kick I ever got
Was doing a thing called the Crocodile Rock
While the other kids were rocking 'round the clock
We were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock
It wasn’t until some years later that my friends and I found out Elton wouldn’t have been very interested in Susie as a romantic partner. We all liked the song regardless.
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Bennie And The Jets (1974): Again, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin – in fact, I think all six of these songs were written by this duo. This slower-paced song talks about a small, fictional band and their adventures. In 2014, speaking with “Rolling Stone,” Bernie Taupin said:
I saw Bennie and the Jets as a sort of proto-sci-fi punk band, fronted by an androgynous woman, who looks like something out of a Helmut Newton photograph.
I don’t see that at all, but Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics, so I guess I’ll defer to him on this one.
And, finally:Philadelphia Freedom (1975): Supposedly written for Elton John’s friend, tennis star Billie Jean King, who was part of the Philadelphia Freedoms tennis team, this one’s a more complex, fast-stepping tune. Oh, sure, it was written in part to celebrate Billie Jean King’s participation in the first wave feminist movement, but it’s a fun song regardless. While the lyrics evoke neither tennis nor American patriotism – Elton John is British, after all – this song burst onto American radios in the year before our country’s bicentennial, which, if you were around then, you’ll remember was kind of a big deal. That sort of makes one wonder if the song will make a comeback next year, as we approach America’s 250th birthday.
Just in those few years, Sir Elton John helped define a generation. There isn’t a Boomer around who couldn’t name a bunch of his songs; there are few people younger than us graying old Boomers who don’t know who Elton John is.I’m sure you could name a few Elton John hits yourself. The comments are all yours!
