Elton John's 20 Greatest Songs

by Julian Spivey

20. Can’t Stay Alone Tonight
“Can’t Stay Alone Tonight” is, by far, the most recent Elton John song on this list off his 2013 album The Diving Board. The song about not wanting to stay at home alone at night and regretting a failed relationship was beautifully orchestrated and shown than Elton John could still sing the hell out of a song all these years later. 

​19. Border Song
“Border Song,” from Elton John’s 1970 self-titled sophomore album, was his very first song to chart in the United States, though it barely did topping at No. 92. The song, which has the extremely rare case of having actual lyrics written by Elton John, as he wrote the final verse with his usual collaborator Bernie Taupin writing the rest, is sort of a gospel spiritual that takes on bigotry in that final verse written by John: “Holy Moses, let us live in peace/let us strive to find a way to make all hatred cease/there’s a man over there/what’s his color I don’t care/he’s my brother let us live in peace.” 

18. Amoreena
Elton John’s Country & Western flavored 1970 album Tumbleweed Connection is certainly one of his most underrated releases and one of the highlights of the record is “Amoreena.” The song about a young man longing for a distant loved one is simple, but a nice country-rocker. The song reached its biggest heights when it appeared over the opening credits of the hit 1975 Al Pacino film “Dog Day Afternoon.” 

17. My Father’s Gun
“My Father’s Gun,” from the truly underrated Country & Western themed Tumbleweed Connection from 1970, is the story of a young man whose father is killed during the American Civil War and takes up his place in the battle. It’s without a doubt one of the greatest pieces of pop culture written about the Civil War with a fascinating story written by collaborator Bernie Taupin. Country superstar Miranda Lambert recently covered the song beautifully for the tribute album Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. 

16. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Elton John’s ballad of unrequited love “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” was a huge hit – twice. The original version released in 1974 went to No. 2 on the Billboard charts and was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year (losing to Olivia Newton-John’s “I Honestly Love You”). Then in 1991 the song was released as a live duet with fellow gay icon George Michael where it would go on to top the Billboard chart. 

15. Daniel
Lyricist Bernie Taupin said: “’Daniel’ had been the most misinterpreted song we’d ever written. The story was about a guy that went back to a small town in Texas, returning from the Vietnam War. They’d lauded him 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.” All the countless number of times I’ve heard this No. 2 hit from 1973 I had never thought of it that way. 

14. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
“Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” the first single off Elton John’s massive 1973 hit Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, is John’s most rocking song – his heaviest sounding song, if you will. Lyricist Bernie Taupin said the song was supposed to be an American rock & roll song set in Britain inspired by his raucous teenage days and fistfights in his local pub. The song was so raucous that many radio stations at the time of its release banned it for fears it might incite riots – can you actually imagine the man who would go on to wear a Donald Duck costume in concert inciting violence? 

​13. This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore
“This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore,” from Elton John’s 2001 release Songs from the West Coast, is one of the best tracks of his later career. The song features John and lyricist Bernie Taupin reminiscing on their ‘70s heyday and how they used to be the biggest stars around and how things have slowed down with age. It’s truly a terrific piece of late career work and possibly John’s greatest music video featuring pop star Justin Timberlake, in one of his earliest acting roles, as a younger Elton John. 

12. Someone Saved My Life Tonight
“Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” from Elton John’s 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, is certainly one of John’s most personal songs and shows the kind of relationship he has with his lyricist Bernie Taupin to be able to write something so emotionally personal. The lyrics refer to a time before Elton John became a big star and was engaged to a woman and the two of them shared an apartment with Taupin. Grappling with doubts about the future marriage John, of course still going by his given name Reginald Dwight, considered suicide before taking refuge in his friends, particularly Long John Baldry, an openly gay musician who helped John come to terms with his sexuality. Long John Baldry is the “someone” who saved Elton John’s life. 

11. Bennie & the Jets
“Bennie & the Jets,” off Elton John’s massive 1973 hit album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, tells the story of a fictional hit glam band that the narrator is a huge fan of and became John’s second career No. 1 single. Lyricist Bernie Taupin says that lyrics like “she’s got electric boots/a mohair suit” and the like were satire of the greed and glitz of the ‘70s music industry. 

10. I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues 
In my opinion, Elton John’s career took a bit of a downward trajectory in the 1980s with his sound becoming a little too soft pop for my tastes. There’s a reason why 85 percent of my list Is from his ‘70s output. My favorite Elton John single from the ‘80s, and his only song from that decade to make this list, is “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues.” The track off Too Low for Zero included longtime Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone as a co-writer, with Bernie Taupin writing the lyrics, as usual. It’s one of Elton’s most soulful, R&B numbers – a sound I wish he had done a little bit more. 

9. Crocodile Rock
“Crocodile Rock,” Elton John’s very first No. 1 hit released in late 1972, is a great nostalgic song for the early days of rock & roll, finding one’s first love and teenage independence. Elton John said in response to criticism about the song “being derivative” that “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.” “Crocodile Rock” has become one of John’s lasting hits and one I’m sure he’s played at almost every show he’s done for almost half a century, but lyricist Bernie Taupin once told a magazine that it was just funny song that wouldn’t be something he’d listen to. 

8. Levon 
“Levon” is one of Elton John’s most interesting songs for me, and for many of his fans, because it leaves us wanting to know more about the characters within it. Many have even wondered over the years whether or not it was a true story, but according to lyricist Bernie Taupin the characters of Levon and his father Alvin Tostig are merely fictional. Taupin was inspired to name a character Levon after Levon Helm, the drummer and vocalist for The Band, who were favorites among him and Elton John at the time. Elton John has stated that the song “is just about a guy who gets bored doing the same thing and wants to get away from it.” 

7. Candle in the Wind
Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind,” from 1973’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, has become one of his biggest hits and most-played radio tracks despite the fact that it was never originally released as a single in the United States. The song, which was a sympathetic portrayal of Marilyn Monroe’s life and tragic early death, had two lives for Elton John after he re-wrote portions of it in 1997 after the death of Princess Diana. The 1997 version was released as a single and went all the way to No. 1. This version of the song has only been performed live once by Elton at Princess Diana’s funeral. 

6. Honky Cat
Elton John’s 1972 top 10 hit “Honky Cat,” his lead single off Honky Chateau, is one of my favorite sounding songs of his. “Honky Cat” just has this effortlessly downhome sound to it that mixes seemingly all of the genres and sounds that Elton John liked and was inspired by. The “honky cat” in question is no doubt lyricist Bernie Taupin, who was raised on a farm in Lincolnshire, England and would often prefer to be left alone in the countryside, as opposed to the big city. 

5. Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters
“Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters,” off 1972’s Honky Chateau, is my favorite Elton John deep cut. The song, which Elton has referred to as one of his favorites, was written by Bernie Taupin as his take on New York City when one night he heard a gun shot near his hotel window on his first visit to the city. The opening verse of the song is inspired by Ben E. King’s 1960 hit “Spanish Harlem,” written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector, and the realization that it romanticized a place that he now doesn’t see that way.  

4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” the title track of Elton John’s 1973 album that may well be the greatest he’s ever recorded, has a theme you can find in many of lyricist Bernie Taupin’s best works – that of a country boy out of place in the big city and longing for the simpler ways of home. In this case the narrator has been living the good life with a rich socialite lover but comes to realized she’s treated him more of a pet than a human. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is one of Elton’s finest vocals. 

​3. Rocket Man
“Rocket Man,” off Elton John’s 1972 album Honky Chateau, was inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Rocket Man” told from the perspective of a child whose father is an astronaut and conflicted between his career and family. The song can certainly be taken the same way as the short story, but the astronaut can also be a stand-in for the life of a superstar at how it often takes him/her away from the other joys in life. “Rocket Man” was released three years after David Bowie’s similarly themed “Space Oddity” and many accused Elton John of ripping that song off. Interestingly, both songs were produced by the same man, Gus Dudgeon. 

2. Tiny Dancer
Anybody who has ever seen Cameron Crowe’s fantastic 2000 film “Almost Famous” knows the power of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” It can truly bring people together. The song, which was on Elton’s 1971 album Madman Across the Water, was inspired by lyricist Bernie Taupin’s first trip to the United States in 1970 and the differences he saw in women there as opposed to back home in England. He also said he was trying to capture the spirit of California with the song. The song was also likely inspired by Taupin’s first wife, Maxine, though he now disputes this. “Tiny Dancer” wasn’t a hit upon its release, it’s six minute length a big reason, but has grown in popularity through radio play on classic rock formats, as well as its memorable placement in “Almost Famous.” 

1. Your Song
“Your Song” has always been my favorite Elton John. It’s one of the most beautiful love songs ever written, verging on perfection. The song originally appeared on Elton’s 1970 self-titled second studio album and became his first hit – topping at No. 8 on the Billboard chart. The song, which features one of John’s finest vocal performances, was written by lyricist Bernie Taupin, who would go on to form a career-long partnership with Elton John. Taupin writes the lyrics and John the music. Taupin wrote the lyrics for “Your Song” when he was just 17 and has never revealed who the song was about. He told the publication Music Connection in a 1989 interview: “It’s like the perennial ballad, which has got to be one of the most naïve and childish lyrics in the entire repertoire of music, but I think the reason it still stands up is because it was real at the time. That was exactly what I was feeling. I was 17 and it was coming from someone whose outlook on love or experience with love was totally new and naïve.” I think that feeling of something so new is what makes it so lovely, even after nearly 50 years.