Elton John 🎵

 Happy 72nd to Elton John today. With his biopic Rocketman just around the corner, let's list our favourite of his songs for a comment party.

Here are mine to get you started:

1. Your Song (1970)
2. Rocket Man (1972)
3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
4. I Want Love (2001)
5. Tiny Dancer (1971)
6. The Last Song (1992)
7. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (1974)
8. Sacrifice (1989)
9. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1976)
10. I Don't Wanna Go With You Like That (1988)

With apologies to This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (2001), Daniel (1973), The Bitch is Back (1974), I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues (1983), and more...

Comments

[V.]

So many songs to pick from. My top 10:

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Tiny Dancer
Rocket Man
The Bitch is Back
Take Me To The Pilot
Bennie and the Jets
I'm Still Standing
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Original Sin
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

[BVR]

1. Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters
2. Tiny Dancer
3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
4. Your Song
5. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
6. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
7. Rocket Man
8. Daniel
9. The Bitch Is Back
10. Bennie and the Jets

[Travis]

Tiny Dancer
Mona Lisas Mad Hatters
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I'm Still Standing
I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues

[Sawyer]

The I Want Love video is the best thing Robert Downey Jr. has ever done.

1. Someone Saved My Life Tonight
2. Honky Cat
3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
4. Tiny Dancer
5. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
6. Candle in the Wind (Live Version)
7. I Don't Want to Go On with You Like That
8. Your Song
9. I Want Love
10. Sacrifice

[Ready]

Philadelphia Freedom
Daniel
Pinball Wizard (He didn't write but his version is great)
Your Song
Bennie & The Jets

[remy]

Your Song
Rocket Man
Tiny Dancer
Bennie and the Jets
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Mellow
My Father's Gun
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Don't Go Breaking My Heart
The Bitch is Back

[ken s]

1. The Bitch Is Back
2. Burn Down the Mission
3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
4. Sacrifice
5. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
6. I Feel Like a Bullet
7.Your Sister Can't Twist
8. I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That
9.Crocodile Rock
10. Rocket Man

But let's all light a fart for Candle in the Wind the WORST song of all time. (Marilyn Monroe was so misunderstood boo fuckin hoo). The Top 10 above barely balances out a half century of mediocrity or worse. The idea of an Elton John revival is creepier than anything Jordan Peele will ever dram up.

[markgordonuk]

10 Faves in no particular order except Candle in the Wing live 1987 is no 1

don't go breaking my heart either rupaul or kiki dee
I don't wanna go on with you like that
believe
your song
tiny dancer
kiss the bridegoodbye yellow brick rd
i'm still standing

[Charles O]

nat, your favorite is "your song" ? hm, i wonder why... :)

[JWB]

1. Benny and the Jets
2. Tiny Dancer
3. Rocket Man

[Me]

Ken with the...blank.

Good call on Believe ^

A shootout to Funeral For A Friend.

What a voice.

[/3rtful]

Bennie and the Jets
The Bitch Is Back
Rocket Man
Tiny Dancer
Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Glad this production is an R with its gay sex scene allegedly intact. Elton John is alive to get a semi honest account of his very hard life.

[Tommy Marx]

A little surprised my favorite song by him isn't in any of the comments, yet, LOL. I limited my choices to songs that actually charted on the Hot 100, since that made it a little easier:

1. Levon
2. Bennie and the Jets
3. Rocket Man
4. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
5. Someone Saved My Life Tonight
6. Philadelphia Freedom
7. The One
8. Daniel
9. Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)
10. Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (1974 solo version)

I Want Love would be on the list (and yes, that video was amazing) but it didn't chart on the Hot 100 itself, unfortunately, peaking at 110 on the "Bubbling Under" chart.

[Steve G]

1. Song for Guy
2. Don't Go Breaking My Heart
3. Nobody Wins
are my Top 3 but there's lots of others I enjoy.

[Andrew]

If Rocketman is a big hit, Elton would be a wonderful opener if they decide to go the Queen route for the Oscars next year.

[Scottmichael]

Love Lies Bleeding
Amoreena
Come Down in Time
Burn Down the Mission
Birds
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Elderberry Wine
Freaks in Love
Where To Now, St. Peter?
Take Me to the Pilot
Wrap Her Up

(Really hard not to just put all of Tumbleweed Connection, obviously, but I managed.)

[Me]

Tumbleweed Connection is one of the greatest album covers ever.

[thevoid99]

1. Someone Saved My Life Tonight
2. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
3. Your Song
4. I'm Still Standing
5. Bennie & the Jets
6. The One
7. Levon
8. All the Girls Love Alice
9. I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
10. Crocodile Rock

[par]

1. don't go breaking my heart
2. daniel
3. your song
4. sorry seems to be the hardest word
5. crocodile rock
6. the bitch is back

[JJM]

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Sacrifice
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Blue Eyes
Rocket Man
Your Song
All the Girls Love Alice
Tiny Dancer
Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
Healing Hands

[Marcos]

All excellent choices! Some other one:

Club at the End of the Street
Can You Feel the Love Tonight and others from The Lion King
The album Duets (eg., Don't Go Breaking My Heart).
Elton's duet with LeAnn Rimes - Written in the Stars
The album Two Rooms, where other artists celebrate his work.

[JJM]

^ As much as I love the original version of "Sacrifice," the Sinead O'Connor version on Two Rooms brings the song to a completely new level.

[Scottmichael]

^^^Totally agree about that Sinead version.

[Jack for Streep]

1. Little Jeannie
2. Your Song
3. Something About the Way You Look Tonight
4. Daniel
5. Don't Go Breaking My Heart
6. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

[MrW]

Sat to see only one commenter mentioning 'Song for Guy'. Such a beautiful tune that moves me to tears every time.

[César Gaytán]

I love 'Your Song' in the voice of Ewan McGregor

[Brevity]

Putting two of his 1980s songs on the list is a bold move. I’ve been slow to appreciate Elton John — I always accepted him as an institution rather than an artist. Even so, I can embrace the 1970s work and 1990s revival, but am just not there yet for the in-between. (And I say this as a child of the 1980s.)

Oh, and I think Ewan McGregor’s version of “Your Song” is superior. Credit to Elton and Bernie, but the original, to me, sounds clinical and disinterested.

[Edward L.]

I'm not sure anyone has mentioned 'Nikita' - one of my favourites and a very popular song when it first came out in the UK.

And I've often thought that Elton John would be a good choice to perform a James Bond song. His sound + his national treasure status would be a winning combo.

[Brown Cow Stunning]

In casual order:

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I guess that's why they call it the Blues
Can you feel the love tonight?
The Bitch is back
Your song
Rocket Man
Candle in the wind
Crocodile Rock
Don't go breaking my heart
Someone saved my life tonight

[thomas]

1.Your song 2. Rocket Man 3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 4. Don't go breakin' my heart 5. Can you feel the love tonight 6. The bitch is back 7. Daniel 8. Tiny Dancer 9. Made in England 10.(tie) Candle in the wind - Don't let the sun go down on me

[forever1267]

This is hard, ya'll!

The One
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Sacrifice
Someone Saved my Life Tonight
Mad Hatters and Mona Lisas
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
I'm Still Standing
Tiny Dancer
Crocodile Rock
Levon

....at this moment. Really really hope this movie is what we wanted "Bohemian Rhapsody" to be.

[Alfred]

1. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
2. The Bitch is Back
3. Someone Saved My Life Tonight
4. Saturday Night’s…
5. Blue Eyes
6. Grow Some Funk of Your Own
7. Harmony
8. Grey Seal
9. Hard Luck Story
10. I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself

I got more here: https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/turn-on-those-sad-songs-elton-john/

[adri]

What! He wrote ALL those songs? How is that even possible?

I see I need to know a lot more about him, and clearly I need to appreciate him a lot more.

But Taron Edgerton is a non-singer, right?

[Bensunce]

1. Your Song
2. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
3. The Circle of Life
4. Rocketman
5. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
6. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
7. I Want Love
8. Something About the Way You Look Tonight
9. I'm Still Standing
10. I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues

[Erik]

10. Harmony
9. This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore
8. Benny and the Jets
7. Tiny Dancer
6. Levon
5. Daniel
4. Don't Go Breaking My Heart
3. Someone Saved My Life Tonight
2. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

[Carmen Sandiego]

I cheated and made a Top 15:

1. I Guess That's Why they Call it the Blues (especially the live version featuring Mary J. Blige)
2. The Bitch is Back (especially the Diva's Live version with Tina Turner)
3. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (featuring Kiki Dee)
4. Made in England
5. The One
6. Rocket Man
7. Bennie and the Jets
8. Something About the Way You Look Tonight
9. I'm Still Standing
10. Saturday's Night is All Right (For a Fight)
11. Levon
12. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
13. Your Song
14. Sacrifice
15. Candle in the Wind (the Marilyn version)

These rankins float, depending on the mood of the day.

And Circle of Life is my all time favorite Disney song, but the not the version Elton sings, the one that is featured in the movie's opening.