Ever since 1965, Elton John has recorded more than 500 songs! Some of his songs were only recorded as demos that never saw the light of day, others were used as minor singles or B-Sides, others were just used as tracks on his albums, and then you have the most popular ones that were released as his biggest hit singles! For me, as one of his biggest fans, it is hard to determine what his 15 most popular songs are because it is hard for me to put them in order of most important to least important. Here is my list of John’s 15 most popular songs:
15. Can You Feel The Love Tonight (1994): The song was written by John and Aladdin‘s Academy-Award Winning Lyricist, Tim Rice. This song was featured in the end credits of the 1994 Disney Full-Length Animated Feature, The Lion King. It is the last track on The Lion King Soundtrack. As a result of this song, John won the Grammy Award for best male pop vocal performance in 1995. In the 1990s, John played the song very frequently in his concerts, but he only plays the song on occasions in concerts ever since 2000. In the United States, the song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. John said that The Lion King really changed his life because as a result of that movie, he enjoys doing music for movies and musicals than he did before the movie.
14. Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny) (1982): The song was written by John and his long-time collaborator, Bernie Taupin, and it is the seventh track on John’s 1982 album, Jump Up! They dedicated this song to former Beatle, John Lennon, who died two years earlier from a gunshot. John Lennon was a very close friend to Elton John, who misses him very much. Elton John provided the backing vocals to John Lennon’s 1974 song, “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night.” On November 28, 1974, John Lennon made his last stage performance at Madison Square Garden for an Elton John concert. Together, they sang, “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Lucy In The Sky In The Sky With Diamonds,” and “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night.” In 1975, Elton John became the godfather of John Lennon’s son, Sean. There are occasions in which John will sing the song in concerts. He doesn’t sing the song very often because it brings back painful memories of John Lennon’s death.
13. I’m Still Standing (1983): The song was written by John and Taupin, and it appeared as the second track on John’s 1983 album, Too Low For Zero. The song reached #4 on the United Kingdom singles chart. Many people think that the song is about John rising above all of his problems in his own unmanageable private and professional life to that time in his career. However, the song is about Taupin’s attempt to start a new relationship, which would lead to a marriage, to help him forget about his first failed marriage. It is a very popular song amongst John fans. It is very common for John to sing this song in concerts. In my opinion, this is one of his most popular songs from the 1980s.
12. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (1983): The song was written by John, Taupin, and Davey Johnstone, who has been John’s guitarist ever since 1972. The song is the fifth track on the album, Too Low For Zero. Along with “I’m Still Standing,” it is one of the few songs from the 1980s that John still sings in concerts. I consider this song to be one of his most popular songs from the 1980s because he frequently sings it in concerts. This was the first single released from the album. Stevie Wonder plays the harmonica on this song. The song reached #4 on the US charts. The song is about two young lovers from the 1950s, who get separated when the man has to leave for military training, and the end, they are reunited.
11. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (1976): This song is a duet between John and Kiki Dee. John and Taupin, under the pseudonyms, “Ann Orson” and “Carte Blanche.” Even though it was recorded during the Blue Moves sessions, it was never released on any studio album. It was both John and Dee’s first #1 hit single in the United Kingdom. It was John’s sixth #1 hit single in the United States. The Recording Industry Association of America had the song certified Gold in the United States. When John appeared on The Muppet Show in 1977, he sang a duet with Miss Piggy for this song. John and Dee sang this song at Wembley Stadium when John was performing at Live Aid in 1985. In 1987, John appeared on an episode of the NBC show, Totally Minnie, and he sang it with Minnie Mouse. The most recent performance of the song was when John and Dee sang it at John’s two One Night Only: Greatest Hits Live concerts in October 2000.
10. Someone Saved My Life Tonight (1975): The song was written by John and Taupin, and it appeared as the fifth track on John’s 1975 autobiographical album, Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy. It was the only single released fr0m that album. The song is about his real life suicide attempt in 1969 in which he stuck his head, which was resting on a pillow, inside a gas oven, turned the heat onto low. John’s former bandmate from his first band, Bluesology, Long John Baldry, was the guy that saved him from killing himself. He wanted to kill himself because Baldry told John about the negative things about marriage because at that time, John was engaged to his first lover and secretary, Linda Woodrow. Months after the song was released as a single, John swallowed 60 Valium pills and jumped into his pool at his house in Los Angeles, California. The song’s time run is 6 minutes and 45 seconds, and that makes it one of John’s longest hit singles. John has played this song many times in concerts, and one of the most popular times in which he played the song in concert was during his free concert in Central Park on September 13, 1980.
9. Philadelphia Freedom (1975): The song was written by John and Taupin and was released as a single in February 1975. It was never released on a studio. It is the only John song in which he and Taupin intended to have written just as a single. At first, Taupin admitted the fact that he could no write a song about tennis. The lyrics have nothing to do with tennis, Philly Soul or American patriotism. When the song was released in 1975, it helped people get ready for America’s bicentennial day celebration on July 4, 1976. In the United States, it reached #1 on the charts. The song is about John’s good friend, Billie Jean King, who was a player on the World TeamTennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. John performed the song on an episode of Soul Train. It is a very popular song among John fans because he very frequently sings the song in concerts.
8. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (1974): John and Taupin wrote the song, which was released as the ninth track on John’s 1974 album, Caribou. It was the album’s first single. Along with the other songs from the album, it was written during a 10-day period in January 1974. The song is about a person who needs help because they are feeling rejected by a loved one. Since John sings this song a lot in concerts, it has been very popular amongst John fans, especially because it was one of his biggest hits. One of the most memorable live performances of this song was when he sang it on December 14, 1986 in Sydney, Australia. In 1991, the song regained popularity when John sang a duet with George Michael, and their version reached #1 on the US charts.
7. Candle In The Wind (1973): The second track from the 1973 album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the song was written by John and Taupin. The song is about actress, Marilyn Monroe, who died 11 years before the song was released. The song affectionately describes how Monroe lived her life. Taupin said that the song could have been ab0ut James Dean, Jim Morrison, or Montgomery Clift, because all three of the celebrities died when they were really young and when they were in their primes. After Taupin heard the phrase, “candle in the wind” at a Janis Joplin tribute, he was inspired to write the lyrics. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #347 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. When John sang the song live in Sydney on December 14, 1986, that version of the song also became a big hit. In 1997, Taupin rewrote the lyrics to the song as a tribute to Princess Diana, who died in a car crash that year. After John sang that version at her funeral, it became the best-selling single of all time.
6. Crocodile Rock (1973): John and Taupin wrote the song as the ninth track on John’s 1973 album, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player. It was the first single to be released from that album. It was John’s first #1 hit single in the United States. It was the first song that John and Taupin wrote together that had a lively rock and roll tune to it. Many of the songs before this one had ballad tunes. Many people have said that it was not the most original song that John and Taupin have ever written. John said , “I wanted it to be a record about all the things I grew up with. Of course it’s a rip-off, it’s derivative in every sense of the word.” There is a dance called The Alligator, despite the fact that there is no dance called the “crocodile rock.” John has played this song in concerts ever since it was first released. John even wore his big feather outfit when he sang this song on an episode of The Muppet Show in 1977.
5. Daniel (1973): The first track from the album, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player was written by John and Taupin. It was the album’s second single. The song reached #1 on the charts in the United States. The events of the Vietnam War inspired John and Taupin to write this song. The song is about a made-up veteran who becomes blind as a result of the war and takes a vacation to Spain to get away from the people from his hometown that are closest to him, even his brother, who is telling the story. Taupin said that it was the most misinterpreted song that he has ever written. Taupin said, “The story is about a guy that went back to a small town in Texas, returning from the Vietnam War. They’d laugh at him when he came home and treated him like a hero. But, he just wanted to go home, and try to get back to the life that he’d led before. I wanted to write something that was sympathetic to the people that came home.” John has been performing this song in his concerts ever since it was first released.
4. Bennie And The Jets (1973): The third track from the album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was written by John and Taupin. At first, John was against releasing this song as a single because he thought it was going to fail. However, the song became a #1 for John! The narrator of the song is a fan of a fictional band. After the song was recorded, John and his band were worried that the song was not going to be good because it was very plain and not original. Even though the song was recorded in the studio, it sounds like it was recorded live, which is just like his 1970 single, “Rock and Roll Madonna.” Johnstone said, “‘Bennie and the Jets’ was one of the oddest songs we ever recorded. We just sat back and said, ‘This is really odd.'” John sang this song on an episode of Soul Train. John performs this song in concerts right to this very day.
3. Tiny Dancer (1971): John and Taupin wrote the song, which was the first track to John’s 1971 album, Madman Across The Water. They wrote the song for Maxine Feibelman, Taupin’s first wife, who describes how wonderful the state of California is. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #397 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time. Since the song reached #41 on the charts in the United States and was not released as a single at all in the United Kingdom, it is John’s only greatest hit was never a big hit. The song has been used in many commercials and movies throughout the years, including the famous bus scene where the characters sing the song in the 2000 film, Almost Famous. In original lyrics, John says, “Oh, how it feels so real,” and has said it when singing in his earlier concerts. Nowadays in concerts, instead of saying, “Oh, how it feels so real,” John says, “Oh, how it really feels.” John still performs the song in concerts right to this very day.
2. Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time) (1972): The song was written by John and Taupin, and was the fifth track on John’s 1972 album, Honky Chateau. It was the album’s first single. This song is very similar to the them of David Bowie’s 1969 song, “Space Oddity.” Gus Dudgeon produced both “Space Oddity” and “Rocket Man.” Taupin was inspired to write this song because he spot either a shooting star or a distant planet once in the night sky. They were also inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Rocket Man.” The song is about an astronaut having mixed feelings about leaving his family so he could go to work. The astronaut is going to Mars. It is the first John song to have the backing vocals of his 1970s band members, Johnstone, Dee Murray, and Nigel Olsson. In the 2010 revision of Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the song was ranked #245. The song has a duration of 4 minutes and 41 minutes. When John sang the song in its early days, it sang the entire song in the duration that it appears on the album. However, in recent years, whenever he sang the song in concerts, he carried on with the song more than twice as long as it actually is. That really annoys me because he could be playing other songs, but you have to let John do what he wants to do.
1. Your Song (1970): John and Taupin wrote this song, which appeared as the first track to John’s 1970 self-titled album. It was John’s first top-10 hit in America. The song is about an innocent person’s romantic thoughts about his lover. John and Taupin lived in John’s parents’ house at the time the song was written. John composed the music in only 10 minutes. At breakfast earlier that day, John and Taupin finished the lyrics. In total, they spent only a half hour working on the song. In my opinion, that is crazy because many good musical pieces take a long time to compose. Also, the song only took a very short period to complete, and it was a very big hit. The song was originally released as the B-Side of “Take Me To The Pilot.” When the song was played on the radio many times, more people became interested in “Your Song” instead of “Take Me To The Pilot.” “Your Song” inspired John and Taupin to write John’s 1975 song, “We All Fall In Love Sometimes.” John said it is one of his favorite songs. John has performed the song in every single one of his concert. In early years, he used it as the opening song. Other times, it was played in the middle of the show. However, in recent years, he used it as the closing song. Because “Your Song” was John’s first really big hit and performs it in every single one of his concerts, I think it is his most popular song.
Your Song, Elton 