Elton John’s iconic 1973 album ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ turns 50 today. To celebrate the anniversary, The Sound has been spinning the album from vinyl throughout the day.
With Woodsie set to play sides 3 and 4 at 7 PM tonight, we’ll fill in the time by recognising the five best tracks from the epic album.
The five best songs on Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’
5. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
‘Funeral For A Friend’ and ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ are technically two tracks, but were combined into one on the album. The first half (Funeral) is purely instrumental while the second half (Love) has Elton’s legendary vocals.
The transition between the two tracks is seamless and was, at the time, groundbreaking. The first half is said to be a musical expression of saying ‘goodbye’ while the second half explores the heartbreak and other emotions of the farewell.
4. Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
‘Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting’ is all about being young and partying. With Davey Johnson laying down a prominent guitar riff, it’s known as one of Elton’s most rock and roll tracks.
The bottle that can be heard smashing around fourteen seconds into the track is a real one. Elton smashed a glass bottle with a hammer during the one-take recording session.
3. Candle In The Wind
Originally written by Elton’s longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, ‘Candle In The Wind’ had another era of popularity when it was re-released in honour of Princess Diana.
Taupin wrote the song in just two hours, feeling extremely emotionally inspired after Monroe’s death. Elton’s performance of the song at Princess Diana’s funeral remains an important and memorable moment in musical history.
2. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
The album's title track was, obviously, inspired by the 1939 film ‘The Wizard Of Oz’, which features a road made up of yellow brick which leads to the Emerald City.
Elton once said that ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ serves as a great metaphor for his career.
“The title song is probably the one song that, if I had to pick one to represent my entire career, it would probably be that song,” he said.
1. Bennie And The Jets
One of Elton’s best and most celebrated songs of all time, ‘Bennie And The Jets’ is the album’s greatest track. The fake crowd noise at the beginning of the track was added in the studio but is a perfect representation of how audiences sound when they hear the track.
Unlike ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, the track managed to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (though it didn’t chart as well internationally). It has been streamed more than any other song on the album and is instantly recognisable by young and old music fans alike.
Obviously, these tracks could have been in any order and we wouldn’t be surprised if your list looks completely different. ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ is one of the greatest albums ever and I’m sure we’ll be celebrating it on its 100th anniversary too.
