When choosing their best work, artists can sometimes be their own worst enemies. It can be difficult to narrow down an album to the greatest songs or most likely hits because you can only include so much. Sometimes that means letting go of songs far better than the hits. Despite the incredible number of hits Elton John produced, he believed that “Bennie and the Jets” should never have been released.
However, every song on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road that Elton John and his band recorded had an “anything goes” attitude. It was inevitable that the record company would take issue with the idea of releasing a massive double album. Still, it is impossible to condense it into a single release. Doing so would mean losing incredible deep cuts like “Roy Rogers” or the stirring opening to “Funeral for a Friend.”
The entire album strikes a balance between John’s lighter and darker sides. “Bennie and the Jets” is unquestionably one of his funniest songs to date. However, it almost made too much sense for someone like John to submit a song that so strongly leans towards the dramatic side of rock and roll.
After all, during this period, acts like David Bowie and Marc Bolan were still scoring enormous hits on the charts. The British rock scene remained deeply entwined with the glam rock scene. John believed the song wouldn’t gain traction when they discussed releasing it as a single. Even though he could keep up with them just as well with this kind of slow-motion bluesy romp.
Speaking about the record to Classic Albums, John stated, “To this day, I can’t see ‘Bennie and the Jets’ being a single. I fought tooth and nail against it coming out on the Yellow Brick Road album.” He also expressed his inability to see the song performing well on the charts. Not that John didn’t make a point.
Even though the song is so popular right now, a lot of people overlook how strange it is in the context of the entire album. The album features singer-songwriter ballads and glam rock songs. All of a sudden, there’s this song that sounds like a strange interpretation of soul music from across the globe.
Even when it was released, the pianist left a resentful message on the phone, according to John’s promoter Pat Pipolo: ‘I remember him saying, ‘Are you willing to put your career on the line?” Not really, but I believe it should be released as a single, I said. You would make a fantastic pop and R&B performer, in my opinion.
Against all odds, it appeared to work somehow. Known for dressing in the most bizarre ways possible, John landed a spot on Soul Train alongside the flavors of the day. All the while, he sang about the amazing qualities of mohair suits and electric boots. Despite John’s global fame, a unique performer can make people dance. The song sounds like it belongs in a galaxy far, far away.
