On This Day in Music History: Elton John’s 1970 Self-Titled Breakthrough Album Turns 55

Elton John is a legend and has long been a household name. He’s undoubtedly made his mark on the music industry and the world, but it wasn’t always like that. Occasionally, it takes a long time for an icon to emerge, and while John had a signature image almost right off the bat, it still took him a bit to break into the mainstream. What helped, though, was his second album, the self-titled Elton John.

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Previously, John released Empty Sky in 1968 as his debut. It was only released in the U.K., with a U.S. release on hold until 1975. This album didn’t really do much to launch John’s career. While it has retrospectively been given generally favorable reviews, at the time of its release it was pretty much glossed over. Elton John himself has called it “naive,” allegedly said during an episode of the interview series Spectacle with Elvis Costello.

Elton John was the first album to be released in the U.S., and that most likely helped him break through into the mainstream. America was having a singer-songwriter love affair around that time, with a renewed interest in folk tunes with introspective and confessional lyrics. The 1970s were done with political protest songs; America wanted sensitive souls and relatability. This worked to Elton John’s benefit.

Elton John’s Second Album is Released in the U.S., Capitalizing on the Singer-Songwriter Boom of the 70s

Playing society and the music industry like a fiddle wasn’t enough for a breakthrough, however. There also had to be real talent behind the music to capture attention. Elton John definitely had talent, but some critics felt that the album was “over-produced.” However, in the same breath that critics responded somewhat negatively, they also praised John for his work.

A 1970 review from Rolling Stone claimed that Elton John had “so immense a talent [that] he’ll delight you senseless despite it all.” According to a review in The Village Voice, the album seemed overdone, but the standout track was undoubtedly “Your Song.” Despite the negativity, Elton John landed in the U.S. with that track. In 1971, the album was nominated for two Grammys, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance.

Initially, Elton John was not intended to be John’s breakthrough, according to a Mix Magazine interview with producer Gus Dudgeon. The album was a collection of demos that John and Bernie Taupin wrote and recorded as a sort of catalogue for other artists to pull from and record. While this did happen with Three Dog Night and Aretha Franklin (recording “Your Song” and “Border Song” respectively), the album instead worked to launch Elton John, the singer-songwriter.

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