{"id":611915,"date":"2026-05-30T11:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/611915\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T11:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:04:10","slug":"the-number-one-hit-elton-john-thought-would-fail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/611915\/","title":{"rendered":"The number one hit Elton John thought would fail"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Elton<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ Album Artwork<\/p>\n

Elton John<\/a> is a certified hit-maker. The sunglasses-loving singer enhanced his talents behind the piano with the legendary lyricism of Bernie Taupin, creating some of the most iconic pop songs of all time in the process. <\/p>\n

From the otherworldly \u2018Rocketman (I Think It\u2019s Going To Be A Long Long Time)\u2019 to the endlessly covered \u2018Your Song\u2019, the duo have created classic after classic, selling well over 200million records along the way. And yet, despite his proven track record, John still can\u2019t seem to predict when he has a hit on his hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John has landed ten number ones in his home country and nine in the States, a feat few artists even dream of achieving. His catalogue is filled to the brim with chart-toppers and crowd-pleasers, and he just keeps adding to the pile. The popstar\u2019s last UK number one came in the summer of 2021 when he linked up with Dua Lipa<\/a> for \u2018Cold Heart\u2019 and dominated the radio once more during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

John may have over five decades worth of material that proves his ability to pen hits, but he has never quite perfected the art of predicting them. There is one song, in particular, that John didn\u2019t expect to perform well in the charts: \u2018Bennie and the Jets\u2019. <\/p>\n

The song first met the public\u2019s ears in 1973 when it was featured on his landmark album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. But John wasn\u2019t confident that the song would be a success. This is perhaps evidenced by the fact that it wasn\u2019t released as a single until February 1974, almost four months on from the LP first gracing record shops. He couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.<\/p>\n

\"Elton<\/a>Credit: Far Out \/ Heinrich Klaffs<\/p>\n

\u2018Bennie and the Jets\u2019 served as yet another fine example of the creative synergy between John and Taupin. Instrumentally, it paired some classic Elton John moves with new influences from realms such as glam and R&B. Opening with a captivating piano motif, the track pulled in subtle acoustic guitars, John\u2019s powerful vocals, and sampled crowd cheers. Yet, it was perhaps the words that were most unique. <\/p>\n

Lyrically, the song told the story of Bennie and the Jets, an otherworldly rock band donning electric boots and mohair suits. It was the pop incarnation of Ziggy Stardust, bringing conceptual elements of David Bowie and prog to a more classical sound. \u201c\u2018Bennie and the Jets\u2019 was almost Orwellian,\u201d Taupin explained during a conversation with Esquire, \u201cIt was supposed to be futuristic. They were supposed to be a prototypical female rock \u2018n\u2019 roll band out of science fiction. Automatons.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

His lyrics captured this perfectly, capturing the strange story of Bennie and the Jets in every word. \u201cThey\u2019re so spaced out,\u201d John sings, \u201cBut Bennie and the Jets, yeah, they\u2019re weird and their wonderful.\u201d The song was just as weird and wonderful as the band it described, but John wasn\u2019t confident that it was primed for commercial success. <\/p>\n

Much to his surprise, audiences were just as entranced by the story of Bennie and the Jets as he and Taupin were. Though chart positioning in the UK was slightly disappointing \u2013 the song peaked at 80 \u2013 the situation in the States was another story. \u2018Bennie and the Jets\u2019 found favour with American audiences, shooting to the top of the charts.\u00a0Whether it was the baseball motifs or something harder to place, the forward-thinking track was never off the radio in the US, either.<\/p>\n

Despite John\u2019s doubts in the song, listeners were clearly taken by the strange story of an otherworldly rock band and by his choices to delve into new worlds instrumentally. It was also further proof of John and Taupin<\/a>\u2019s ability to pen hit after hit, whether they were working in piano pop realms or pushing into glam rock.<\/p>\n

Even now, 50 years after the song was first released, it remains one of the most well-known and well-loved songs in John\u2019s catalogue. It also still has appeal to this day \u2013 a mash-up of the track and ABBA\u2019s \u2018Chiquitita\u2019 recently took Tiktok by storm. John may not be able to predict an enduring hit, but he sure can pen one. This is an odd quirk of pop that the likes of Billy Joel have also bemoaned. But no other anthem proves how difficult it is to pick a hit more than this gem from \u201973. <\/p>\n

Since its release, the singer has also performed the song live on 2344 occasions, making it the third most-played hit in his repertoire behind \u2018Rocketman\u2018 and \u2018Your Song\u2018. Not bad for something he thought was too ahead of its time to truly succeed. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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