3 Elton John Songs That Were Made To Experience Live

Let’s be honest with ourselves… there’s really not a song in Elton John‘s discography that didn’t sound good in an arena. If we had to pick, though, here are some of our favorites.

“Bennie And The Jets”

Written about a fictional band, “Bennie And The Jets” is imagination and splendor at its finest. Although Bernie Taupin, of course, is the lyrical genius behind most of John’s tracks, he did admit to Esquire that it was John who incorporated the “B-b-b-bennie” stutter and certain chord arrangements.

“That’s a little quirk of the song which I’m sad to say I had nothing to do with,” he explained. “That and that wonderful big chord at the beginning. I think those two things are what probably made that song so popular. Neither of which I had anything to do with.”

“Rocket Man”

What a treat it would’ve been to hear this one live.

In 2018, Taupin told the Wall Street Journal that he had written part of “Rocket Man” on the drive to his parents’ village in England. He didn’t have a way to record the song, so he kept repeating the lyrics.

“…When I arrived, I rushed in without saying hello. I was hunting for a pen and paper. I had never written that way before. Usually, I’d come up with a line and build from there. In this case, words to an entire verse fell out of my mind and onto the page. The words had such a rhythmic cadence.”

“I’m Still Standing”

Funnily enough, “I’m Still Standing” was written as “a kiss-off to an old girlfriend,” according to Taupin. Even though it’s widely interpreted as an anthem of John overcoming his substance abuse struggles and whatnot, if you think about it, the song works as a breakup anthem too. The whole idea of “I’m Still Standing” is that you’re over someone, and you’re doing fine. Taupin even compared this one to a George Jones classic with Smooth, saying: “Unlike George Jones’ ‘She Thinks I Still Care,’ where, in fact, he really did, I really didn’t.”

Photo by: Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images