Elton John: Top 100 Songs

Elton John Top 100 Songs

Pop/rock singer/songwriter and pianist born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 3/25/1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England. At age 7, he started formal piano lessons. At 11, he won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. He joined his first group, Bluesology, in 1962. He took his name from members Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. Teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1967; they’ve since collaborated on more than 30 albums. Formed Rocket Records in 1973. Played the “Pinball Wizard” in the movie version of Tommy. Elton was the #1 pop artist of the ‘70s; in 2013, Billboard ranked him the third all-time Hot 100 artist behind The Beatles and Madonna. Two of his songs (“Candle in the Wind (Goodbye England’s Rose)” and “Your Song”) are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era 1954-1999. His album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973), is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. Click here to see other best-of lists from performers and here to see other best-of lists from songwriters and/or producers. Spotify Podcast: Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast Elton John’s Top 20 Hits based on this list. Debut: March 22, 2022, at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to singles charts.) DMDB Top 1%: 1. Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose) (1997) #1 US, UK, CN, AU 2. Your Song (1970) 3. That's What Friends Are For (Dionne Warwick with Elton John, Gladys Knight, & Stevie Wonder, 1985) #1 US, AC, RB, CN, AU 4. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (w/ Kiki Dee, 1976) #1 US, AC, UK, CN, AU 5. Bennie and the Jets (1973) #1 US, CN 6. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) #1 CN 7. Crocodile Rock (1972) #1 US, CN 8. Tiny Dancer (1971) DMDB Top 2%: 9. Rocket Man (1972) 10. Daniel (1973) #1 AC, CN 11. Can You Feel the Love Tonight? (1994) #1 AC, CN 12. Philadelphia Freedom (1975) #1 US, CN 13. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (1974) #1 UK, CN 14. Circle of Life (1994) DMDB Top 5%: 15. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (1974) #1 US, CN 16. Candle in the Wind (1973) 17. Someone Saved My Life Tonight (1975) 18. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting (1973) 19. Something About the Way You Look Tonight (1997) #1 AC, UK, CN, AU 20. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (live with George Michael, 1991) #1 US, AC, UK, CN 21. Island Girl (1975) #1 US 22. I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues (1983) 23. Step into Christmas (1973) 24. Sacrifice (1989) #1 UK 25. I’m Still Standing (1983) #1 CN 26. Nikita (1985) 27. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (1973) 28. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (1976) #1 AC DMDB Top 10%: 29. Honky Cat (1972) 30. Little Jeannie (1980) #1 AC, CN 31. Mama Can’t Buy You Love (1979) #1 AC 32. Sad Songs Say So Much (1984) 33. The Bitch Is Back (1974) #1 CN 34. Healing Hands (1989) #1 AC, UK 35. Empty Garden (1982) 36. The One (1992) #1 AC, CN 37. I Don’t Wanna Go on with You Like That (1988) #1 AC, CN 38. Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) (with Dua Lipa, 2021) #1 A40, UK, CN, AU 39. Levon (1971) 40. Blue Eyes (1982) #1 AC 41. True Love (w/ Kiki Dee, 1993) 42. Through the Storm (w/ Aretha Franklin, 1989) DMDB Top 20%: 43. Written in the Stars (w/ LeAnn Rimes, 1999) 44. Who Wears These Shoes? (1984) 45. Blessed (1995) 46. Kiss the Bride (1983) 47. Friends (1971) 48. You Gotta Love Someone (1990) #1 AC, CN 49. Border Song (1970) 50. Part-Time Love (1978) 51. The Last Song (1992) 52. Nobody Wins (1981) 53. Believe (1995) #1 AC, CN 54. Club at the End of the Street (1989) 55. Pinball Wizard (1975) 56. Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More? (Sartorial Eloquence) (1980) 57. Simple Life (1992) #1 AC 58. Wrap Her Up (1985) 59. Song for Guy (1978) 60. Ego (1978) 61. Honky Tonk Women (live, 1970) 62. A Word in Spanish (1988) 63. Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance) (1976) 64. I Feel Like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford (1975) 65. Made in England (1995) 66. Chloe (1981) 67. Grow Some Funk of Your Own (1975) 68. Heartache All Over the World (1986) 69. Victim of Love (1979) 70. I Want Love (2001) 71. I Saw Her Standing There (live w/ John Lennon, 1974) 72. Merry Christmas (with Ed Sheeran, 2021) 73. In Neon (1984) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 74. Recover Your Soul (1997) 75. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (w/ RuPaul, 1993) 76. Passengers (1984) 77. I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (1994) 78. Take Me to the Pilot (1970) 79. Flames of Paradise (w/ Jennifer Rush, 1987) 80. I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues (live w/ Mary J. Blige, 2000) 81. Runaway Train (w/ Eric Clapton, 1992) 82. Madman Across the Water (1971) 83. Someone to Watch Over Me (1994) 84. Bohemian Rhapsody (live w/ Queen & Axl Rose, 1992) 85. Are You Ready for Love? (1979) #1 UK 86. You Can Make History (Young Again) (1995) 87. Someday Out of the Blue (2000) 88. Harmony (1973) 89. Fight (No Matter How Long) (The Bunburys, 1988) 90. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (1972) 91. Love Song (1970) 92. Ghetto Gospel (w/ Tupac Shakur, 2004) #1 UK, AU 93. This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore (2001) 94. Easier to Walk Away (1990) 95. Burn Down the Mission (1970) 96. Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing 9with Marcella Detroit, 1993) 97. Tonight (1976) 98. Act of War (with Millie Jackson, 1985) 99. Your Song (w/ Alessandro Safina, 2002) 100. Skyline Pigeon (1969) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Elton John DMDB profile page for Elton John Dave’s Music Database: “Best-of Lists for Performers” Dave’s Music Database: “Best-of Lists for Songwriters and/or Producers” First posted 3/25/2017; updated 3/22/2022.

Elton John performed “Candle in the Wind” at Princess Di’s funeral

Candle in the Wind Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin (see lyrics here) Released: February 4, 1974 First Charted: March 2, 1974 Peak: 6 US, 7 CB, 8 GR, 8 RR, 2 AC, 2 CL, 5 UK, 5 CN, 5 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 4.0 radio, 40.54 video, -- streaming

Candle in the Wind 1997 Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin (see lyrics here) Released: September 13, 1997 First Charted: September 6, 1997 Peak: 114 US, 31 GR, 32 RR, 5 AC, 22 A40, 15 UK, 11 CN, 16 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 11.0 US, 5.4 UK, 37.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 4.0 radio, 44.4 video, -- streaming

Awards (1973): Click on award for more details. Awards (1997):

About the Song: According to Elton John, lyricist Bernie Taupin called “Candle in the Wind” “the best song we’ve ever written.” KL It charted three times in three decades with three versions. The original was a a tribute to legendary film star Marilyn Mornoe “from the somewhat tragic viewpoint of a sentimental and obsessive young Monroe fan.” LW ”Essentially a piano ballad rooted in a series of gospel-tinged chords, the song actually breaks away from the more traditional structure of a rock ballad but doe’n't fail to include some typical John piano flourishes.” LW “It had pathos and a generalized emotional truth that underscored and informed Elton John’s otherwise flamboyant and hugely camp character.” LW It hit #11 in 1974 in the U.K. In the U.S., when DJs latched on to “Bennie and the Jets” the planned single release was aborted, RS500 but a live version would hit #6 on the pop chart and #2 on the adult contemporary chart in 1987. The song’s greatest success came when Princess Diana died in a car crash on August 31, 1997. Elton proposed the idea to Taupin of revising the lyrics as a eulogy. Within the hour, Taupin had faxed the new words to John. HL Elton performed the only public performance of the revamped version at Diana’s funeral for a televised worldwide audience of more than 2.5 billion people. FB After the funeral, Elton headed to the studio with famed Beatles’ producer George Martin to record the song. FB When released in the U.K., the song went straight to #1 on the strength 658,000 copies sold in a single day. The song amassed 2 million in sales by the end of its second week and logged another million in the next week. MG In 2008, the song had moved more than 5 million, making it the U.K.’s biggest seller ever. MG The U.S. matched that number just in advance orders FB and would go on to 11 million in sales. MG Worldwide, it ranks as one of the top 100 best-selling songs in the world. Only Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” with estimates as high as 56 million, has sold more. The song topped the charts in 11 countries,” BB most notably with an astonishing 45 weeks at #1 in Canada. MG Its 14 weeks atop the U.S. charts make it one of the biggest #1 pop songs in U.S. chart history. Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Elton John BB Billboard (9/08). “All-Time Hot 100” FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 860. HL Michael Heatley and Spencer Leigh (1998). Behind the Song: The Stories of 100 Great Pop & Rock Classics. Blandford Books: London, UK. Page 66. KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh. (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press: London, UK. Page 447. LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 178. MG Theo Morgan-Gan (year?). “The UK’s Best Selling Singles” RS500 Rolling Stone (12/04). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” Related Links: First posted 9/6/2011; last updated 7/25/2023.