Elton John: Song Highlights 1974-1977

Elton John Song Highlights (1974-1977)

Recorded: 1974-1977 Genre: pop/classic rock

Tracks: This page highlights singles and other significant songs released by Elton John from 1974 to 1977. Date indicates when the single was first released. Some of the links below go to other DMDB pages. Check out Elton John’s DMDB profile page for a full discography of his albums and singles. Caribou (1974) Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (5/20/74) The Bitch Is Back (9/3/74) non-album singles: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (11/1874) Philadelphia Freedom (2/24/75) Pinball Wizard (4/11/75) Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) Someone Saved My Life Tonight (6/6/75) Rock of the Westies (1975) Island Girl (10/4/75) Grow Some Funk of Your Own (1/12/76) I Feel Like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford (1/12/76) non-album single: Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee, 6/21/76) Blue Moves (1976) Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (11/1/76) Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance) (1/31/77) Crazy Water (2/4/77) Also check out the DMDB page for Elton John: Song Highlights (1969-1974) Spotify Playlist All of the above songs are featured in my Elton John 1965-2017 playlist at Spotify.

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: January 1974 at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado Released: 5/20/74 (single), Caribou (1974), Greatest Hits (1974) B-Side: “Sick City” First Charted: June 1, 1974 Peak: 2 BB, 11 CB, 2 GR, 11 HR, 2 RR, 3 AC, 1 CL, 16 UK, 12 CN, 13 AU, 8 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 5.0 radio, 51.60 video, 102.50 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: Of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” Bernie Taupin wanted “to write something spectacular in the vein of the Phil Spector-produced ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling’ by the Righteous Brothers.” RC As he said, “something grand. Hopefully being powerful without being pompous.” RC The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnston as well as Toni Tennille sang backing vocals. Elton noted how the Beach Boys harmonies and song structures were influential on many of his songs. RC

The Bitch Is Back Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: January 1974 at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado Released: 9/3/74 (single), Caribou (1974), Greatest Hits Volume II (1977) B-Side: “Cold Highway” Peak: 4 BB, 5 CB, 5 GR, 6 HR, 5 RR, 3 CL, 15 UK, 11 CN, 53 AU, 9 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 73.43 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: “Elton never had any difficulty acknowledging that his irascible character was a major trait of his personality, fortunately counterbalanced by his capacity to wind down the pressure as quickly as it was raised. ‘The Bitch Is Back’ is testimony to this, with a large dose of self-mockery, because ‘the bitch’ is him!” OR-212 Bernie Taupin came up with the idea for the song when his partner, Maxine, once exclaimed, “Oh God, the bitch is back” upon Elton’s arrival. Elton wasn’t offended by the resulting song and even considered it for the album title. OR-212 Of course, “many DJs were horrified when they heard the single and refused to broadcast it. However, as it became increasingly successful with the public, the DJs were forced to put aside their moral sensitivities and add it to their playlists.” OR-213 “This blend of power-pop guitar chords and funky horns” DM is “an absolute rager of a song,” OR-212 It “is convincing as hell, a shivering rock and roll brag in which John sets himself off by vowing to spit in the eye of anybody who tries to hold him back and reaches an apex of arrogance in the chorus.” DM ‘The Bitch Is Back’ owes its effectiveness to the mordant guitars of Davey Johnstone, who pulled out all the stops.” OR-212OR-213

Philadelphia Freedom Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: August 1974 at Caribou Ranch, Sound Factory in Hollywood Released: 2/24/75 (single), Greatest Hits Volume II (1977), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1995 reissue) B-Side: “I Saw Her Standing There” (live with John Lennon) Peak: 12 BB, 12 CB, 13 GR, 13 HR, 32 RB, 12 UK, 12 CN, 4 AU, 2 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 58.65 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: “Billie Jean King was a tennis champion in the ‘70s and a friend of Elton John’s. When she presented him with a custom-made tracksuit he promised to give her a song.” TC Lyricist Bernie Taupin subsequently penned “Philadelphia Freedom,” but it had nothing to do with King or the upcoming American bicentennial. RC Instead, the song was “a homage to the Philly soul sound of producers Gamble and Huff. The song heavily featured the lush string sections and punch horns that were their signatures.” TC It marked “an early attempt by a star of John’s magnitude to pick up on the changing R&B sound that prefigured disco.” TC To that end, lyricist Bernie Taupin acknowledged that because it was dance music “I’m sure fifty per cent of the people who liked it never even listened to the words.” TC He said, they buy it because “It’s got a good beat, man. Yeah, I can dance to that one.” TC

Someone Saved My Life Tonight Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: August 1974 at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado Released: 6/6/75 (single), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975), Greatest Hits Volume II (1977) B-Side: “House of Cards” Peak: 11 CB, 2 GR, 11 HR, 2 RR, 4 BB, 36 AC, 1 CL, 22 UK, 2 CN, 54 AU, 13 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 48.18 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: One of the most intriguing aspects of Elton John’s career is that with lyrics by Bernie Taupin, it kept the songs from being personal insights into Elton’s mind. At times, Elton’s over-the-top stage costumes threatened to undermine Taupin’s intimate “character studies” and make the songs sound “more like contrived product than heart-felt performance.” RY Then along came “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.” This is “one of the most intimate and autobiographical songs in Elton John’s catalog.” OR “The song clearly conveys the story of a man who discovers the truth about his own feelings and the subsequent shock at his newfound awareness.” RY When he was 20 years old, Elton met Linda Woodrow. They got engaged, but he had questions about the relationship. However, he lacked the courage to leave her and attempted suicide. As Elton said, “It was a very Woody Allen-type suicide. I turned on the gas and left all the windows open.” SJ It was Bernie who found Elton DT and Long John Baldry, who led Bluesology – the group who gave Elton his start – convinced Elton to call off the wedding. SJ Baldry, an openly gay man, saved Elton by helping to realize he was gay. OR With a run time of 6:45, this is the longest single in Elton’s repertoire. OR As such, there is a lot going on in the song. “From the first moments of the track, the piano is tense and unsettling while the drums mix discreetly with the cymbals.” OR “The major influence of the Beach Boys is clearly perceptible in the song’s harmonies.” OR Elton even “deploys his falsetto range for the first time…in an apparent nod to Brian Wilson.” OR “The backing vocals establish a charming question-and-answer exchange with the lead vocals.” OR “For the producer, the drums were the cornerstone of the piece.” OR At the end of the song, the title is “hammered out like a mantra, or like an expression of Elton’s eternal gratitude for his savor, Long John Baldry.” OR

Island Girl Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: June to July 1975 at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado Released: 9/29/75 (single), Rock of the Westies (1975), Greatest Hits Volume II (1977) B-Side: “Sugar on the Floor” Peak: 13 BB, 12 CB, 12 GR, 13 HR, 27 AC, 1 CL, 14 UK, 4 CN, 12 AU, 21 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 3.0 radio, -- video, 15.72 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: “On paper, no one would have guessed that the story of a Jamaican prostitute who is lost on the sidewalks of New York…would have fascinated the listening public” OR-260 although Bernie Taupin said, “I knew I’d written a hit even before I heard the melody.” OR-260 He thought up the story of a “young girl lost in a ‘white man’s world,’ under the control of her pimp. Her companion, who stayed on the island, wants her back, he wants to ‘save’ her, but the fatalistic narrator lets it be known: ‘the cause is lost.’” OR-260 “The rhythm is so rapid and frenetic that the lyrics pass almost unnoticed, and they hard to make out.” OR-260 Elton wanted a ‘tropical’ arrangement for this song, but Davey Johnstone’s snarling guitar slide is more evocative of Hawaii than Jamaica.” OR-260 “The guitarist is one of the main architects of the musical bedrock of ‘Island Girl,’ both in his side playing, which highlights the power of the rhythm section on its repetitive gimmick, and with his acoustic playing.” OR-260 “The choice of percussion was key for this number: Ray Cooper chose a marimba, whose sounds are close to those of the steel drum, which is widely used in Jamaican music.” OR-260

Grow Some Funk of Your Own Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Davey Johnstone Recorded: July 1975 at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado Released: 1/12/76 (single), Rock of the Westies (1975), Greatest Hits Volume II (1977) B-Side: “I Feel Like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford” Peak: 14 BB, 9 CB, 17 HR, 16 RR, 8 CL, 8 CN, 29 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.96 streaming About the Song: “This number first saw the light of day at the beginning of the group’s stay at Caribou Ranch. Elton and Davey [Johnstone] shared the same cabin. Davey was intoxicated and in need of a break, but Elton was working at the piano on the melody for ‘Grow Some Funk of Your Own.’ Unable to get any rest, the guitarist got out of bed and picked up a guitar. After a few minutes he had the opening riff, which was sharp and explosive.” OR-261 “This riff gave substance to Bernie’s lyrics which are richly self-deprecating. They portray a man who has escaped a bad dream. In it, he fell in love with a pretty woman in a frontier town, but the young woman’s macho and rather unpleasant boyfriend interrupted the protagonist’s attempted advances, firmly suggesting that he should turn around and go back home.” OR-261

I Feel Like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: July 1975 at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado Released: 1/12/76 (B-side of “Grow Some Funk of Your Own”), Rock of the Westies (1975), Greatest Hits Volume II (1992 reissue) B-Side: ? Peak: 14 BB, 18 CB, 17 GR, 17 HR, 21 AC, 23 CL, 31 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.38 streaming About the Song: On this ballad, released as a double A-sided single along with “Grow Some Funk of Your Own,” Bernie Taupin “focuses in prolific detail upon the failure of his marriage, for which he assumes most of the responsibility.” OR-262 “The choice to draw an audacious parallel between the singer and the outlaw Robert Ford, who killed his friend Jesse James with a bullet in the back, speaks volumes about the sense of guilt that assailed Bernie.” OR-262 “A slight hope of reconciliation seems to emerge” OR-262 in the line, “Can’t we patch it up?” but it turns out Bernie originally wrote “We can’t patch it up” and Elton changed the line because it sounded better. OR-262

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart Elton John & Kiki Dee

Writer(s): Elton John & Bernie Taupin (as Ann Orson & Carte Blanche) (see lyrics here) Recorded: 3/27/76 and May 1976 at Eastern Sound in Toronto Released: 6/21/76 (single), Greatest Hits Volume II (1977), Rock of the Westies (1995 reissue) B-Side: “Snow Queen” First Charted: July 2, 1976 Peak: 14 BB, 13 CB, 16 GR, 15 HR, 17 RR, 11 AC, 1 CL, 16 UK, 13 CN, 11 AU, 3 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 1.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 62.70 video, 1099.60 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: Elton John and Bernie Taupin proved to be one of the most reliable, hit-making songwriting teams in the 1970s, landing #1 songs with “Crocodile Rock,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” and “Island Girl.” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” was the pair’s fifth trip to the top in the United States, but their first time in the UK. Technically, it isn’t credited to them since they wrote it under the pseudonyms Ann Orson and Carte Blanche. Billboard ranked it the #2 song of 1976 behind Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Silly Love Songs.” When Elton John launched Rocket Records in the mid-‘70s, Kiki Dee was the first artist signed to the new label. Elton said, “It just seemed natural that we should try and write something for her – she really is an incredible singer.” KL However, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” was reportedly offered first to Dusty Springfield, but she was too ill at the time and had to decline. WK Kiki explained that she and Elton were big fans of Motown duets by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and “thought we’d do one ourselves.” KL They considered covering a Motown song, “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever” by the Four Tops, SF but opted for an original instead. Elton recorded the song in Toronto, SF singing Kiki’s parts in a high-pitched voice, and then sent it to her in London. KL The song was recorded during sessions for Elton’s Blue Moves, but didn’t appear on that album. The two made a video where they just sang the song together around the microphone. Kiki said of the piano man, “I don’t think Elton’s ever recorded standing up and I don’t think he quite knew what to do with his hands. When you consider all the cross-cutting in today’s videos I think our video is quite sweet. It’s just us in a TV studio.” KL

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: 3/22/76 at Eastern Sound in Toronto Released: 11/1/76 (single), Blue Moves (1976), Greatest Hits Volume II (1977) B-Side: “Shoulder Holster” Peak: 6 BB, 7 CB, 5 GR, 8 HR, 5 RR, 11 AC, 2 CL, 11 UK, 3 CN, 19 AU, 9 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, -- video, 135.35 streaming About the Song: A

Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!) Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: March 1976 at Eastern Sound Studio in Toronto Released: 1/31/77 (single), Blue Moves (1976) B-Side: “Chameleon” (US), “Chicago” (by Kiki Dee, UK) Peak: 28 BB, 42 CB, 29 GR, 41 HR, 27 CL, 28 UK, 51 CN, 72 AU) Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.44 streaming About the Song: The lyrics for “Bite Your Lip” marked a “ray of light” amidst the darkness of the breakup of Bernie Taupin’s marriage. OR-296 They are, however, “transcended by the hedonism of the music that Elton John puts in place, his own version of disco – in fact a hybrid formula of rock, disco, pop, and funk.” OR-296 While recording the song in the studio, Elton John was so enamored with the first take that he rushed into the control booth afterward and insisted to producer Gus Dundgeon that they had a hit. Gus said “some residual technical issues had spoiled the first take” but Elton argued “that even if the group played it again a thousand times, they would be unable to do better.” OR-297 He won the argument and Gus “was able to erase and hide imperfections during the overdubbing phase.” OR-297

Crazy Water Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin Recorded: March 1976 at Eastern Sound Studio in Toronto and Brother Studios in Santa Monica, California Released: 2/4/77 (single), Blue Moves (1976) B-Side: “Chameleon” Peak: 44 CL, 27 UK Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.53 streaming About the Song: “’Crazy Water’ shows the band having fun with a jazz-funk, up-tempo song that’s boiling with energy.” OR-286 “The ‘madness’ of ‘Crazy Water’ is expressed through the speed of execution on the funky Clavinet, Elton’s flamboyant playing, and, above all, the astonishing backing vocals conceived by Daryl Dragon. The member of the Captain & Tennille duo…offered some surprising and very brief vocals with a deliberately deep register.” OR-286 “The lyrics explore its causes, pointing the finger at the dissolute lifestyle of the lyricist, who compares the obligations linked to the artistic life with those of a whale hunter reported missing at sea.” OR-286 “The central metaphor of the song was inspired by a true story that happened in 1972…the loss of the ship FV Gaul and its crew, which disappeared without trace in the Barents Sea.” OR-286

Resources/References: FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 440. RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Pages 149, 171-2, and 434. TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 715-6. DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 49. SJ Bob Shannon and John Javna (1986). Behind the Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. Warner Brothers, Inc.: New York, NY. Page 155. KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952. London, Great Britain: Omnibus Press. Page 222. DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Page 597. OR Romuland Olliver and Olivier Roubin (2023). Elton John: All the Songs. Black Dog Leventhal Publishers: New York. RY Thomas Ryan (1996). American Hit Radio: A History of Popular Singles From 1955 to the Present. Prima Publishing: Rocklin, CA. Pages 473-4. SF Songfactspage for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 269. WK Wikipedia page for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” Related DMDB Pages: First posted 6/5/2026; last updated 6/11/2026.