Elton John
Active: 1971–2023
84
Releases
53
Active Years
About Elton John
By Robert Williams
Sir Elton Hercules John. The most commercially successful solo British artist of all time. Six decades. Some of the most beloved songs in the popular music canon. Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex in 47 — a shy piano prodigy who became a global superstar in outsized glasses and feather-boa flamboyance. It's one of the most extraordinary stories in British music.
The key was his partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin. Bernie wrote the words, Elton set 'em to music. The chemistry between 'em produced an unbroken run of classic albums between 70 and 76 that remains unmatched. In seven years: Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Honky Château, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Caribou, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Eight albums. All essential. I've got every one.
Your Song in 70 — his first major hit. A tender piano-driven ballad that remains a weddin' favourite. Rocket Man and Crocodile Rock in 72. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in 73 — a masterpiece of escapist fantasy. Bennie and the Jets with a faux-live recording that fooled listeners into thinkin' it was a concert track.
Seven consecutive UK number one albums between 72 and 76. Nine UK number one singles. His Greatest Hits spent 117 weeks on the UK albums chart. And then Candle in the Wind 1997 — a reworking of his 73 tribute to Marilyn Monroe, rewritten for Princess Diana. The best-sellin' single in UK chart history. Over five million copies. His performance at Westminster Abbey durin' her funeral — one of the definin' televised moments of the decade.
Into the 80s and 90s — I'm Still Standing, Nikita, the Disney soundtrack for The Lion King with Can You Feel the Love Tonight. An Oscar. Multiple Grammys. Knighted by the Queen in 98 — Sir Elton John.
His early 70s shows at the Troubadour in LA launched his American career. The stadium tours confirmed his status as one of the most compelling live performers in rock. Glitterin' costumes, massive piano banks, an inexhaustible catalogue of hits. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour finished in 2023 — over six million fans across the globe.
Elton John proved British pop could be flamboyant, heartfelt, and commercially colossal all at once. A pioneer of the modern pop star image. An outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. A songwriter whose melodies are woven into the fabric of modern life.
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Complete Discography
YOUR SONG
Documented across 16 weeks
ROCKET MAN
Documented across 15 weeks
HONKY CAT
Documented across 6 weeks
CROCODILE ROCK
Documented across 14 weeks
DANIEL
Documented across 10 weeks
SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING
Documented across 9 weeks
GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
Documented across 15 weeks
STEP INTO CHRISTMAS
Documented across 70 weeks
CANDLE IN THE WIND
Documented across 9 weeks
DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME
Documented across 8 weeks
THE BITCH IS BACK
Documented across 7 weeks
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS
Documented across 9 weeks
SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT
Documented across 5 weeks
ISLAND GIRL
Documented across 8 weeks
PINBALL WIZARD
Documented across 7 weeks
BENNY AND THE JETS
Documented across 5 weeks
SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD
Documented across 9 weeks
DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART
Documented across 14 weeks
CRAZY WATER
Documented across 6 weeks
BITE YOUR LIP/CHICAGO
Documented across 4 weeks
EGO
Documented across 6 weeks
PART TIME LOVE
Documented across 13 weeks
SONG FOR GUY
Documented across 10 weeks
ARE YOU READY FOR LOVE
Documented across 23 weeks
LITTLE JEANNIE
Documented across 7 weeks
SARTORIAL ELOQUENCE
Documented across 5 weeks
NOBODY WINS
Documented across 5 weeks
BLUE EYES
Documented across 10 weeks
EMPTY GARDEN
Documented across 4 weeks
I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES
Documented across 15 weeks
I'M STILL STANDING
Documented across 11 weeks
KISS THE BRIDE
Documented across 7 weeks
COLD AS CHRISTMAS
Documented across 6 weeks
SAD SONGS (SAY SO MUCH)
Documented across 12 weeks
PASSENGERS
Documented across 11 weeks
WHO WEARS THESE SHOES
Documented across 3 weeks
BREAKING HEARTS
Documented across 4 weeks
NIKITA
Documented across 12 weeks
WRAP HER UP
Documented across 10 weeks
ACT OF WAR
Documented across 5 weeks
CRY TO HEAVEN
Documented across 4 weeks
HEARTACHE ALL OVER THE WORLD
Documented across 4 weeks
SLOW RIVERS
Documented across 6 weeks
YOUR SONG (LIVE)
Documented across 3 weeks
CANDLE IN THE WIND (LIVE)
Documented across 12 weeks
I DON'T WANNA GO ON WITH YOU LIKE THAT
Documented across 8 weeks
TOWN OF PLENTY
Documented across 2 weeks
A WORD IN SPANISH
Documented across 5 weeks
HEALING HANDS
Documented across 5 weeks
SACRIFICE
Documented across 4 weeks
SACRIFICE/HEALING HANDS
Documented across 15 weeks
CLUB AT THE END OF THE STREET/WHISPERS
Documented across 3 weeks
YOU GOTTA LOVE SOMEONE
Documented across 4 weeks
EASIER TO WALK AWAY
Documented across 3 weeks
DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME {1991}
Documented across 2 weeks
THE ONE
Documented across 8 weeks
THE LAST SONG
Documented across 4 weeks
RUNAWAY TRAIN
Documented across 4 weeks
SIMPLE LIFE
Documented across 2 weeks
TRUE LOVE
Documented across 9 weeks
CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT
Documented across 9 weeks
CIRCLE OF LIFE
Documented across 12 weeks
BELIEVE
Documented across 13 weeks
MADE IN ENGLAND
Documented across 5 weeks
PLEASE
Documented across 3 weeks
LIVE LIKE HORSES
Documented across 10 weeks
SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK/CANDLE
Documented across 28 weeks
RECOVER YOUR SOUL
Documented across 4 weeks
IF THE RIVER CAN BEND
Documented across 3 weeks
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
Documented across 10 weeks
I WANT LOVE
Documented across 15 weeks
THIS TRAIN DON'T STOP THERE ANYMORE
Documented across 4 weeks
ORIGINAL SIN
Documented across 2 weeks
ALL THAT I'M ALLOWED (I'M THANKFUL)
Documented across 7 weeks
TURN THE LIGHTS OUT WHEN YOU LEAVE
Documented across 3 weeks
ELECTRICITY
Documented across 5 weeks
Step Into Christmas
Documented across 1 week
ELTON JOHN'S CHRISTMAS EP
Documented across 2 weeks
SAD
Documented across 2 weeks
TINY DANCER
Documented across 1 week
COLD HEART
Documented across 72 weeks
HOLD ME CLOSER
Documented across 13 weeks
Cold Heart
Documented across 1 week
IM STILL STANDING
Documented across 4 weeks