10 Most Underrated Elton John Songs

10 Most Underrated Elton John Songs

Photo: By Heinrich Klaffs (Elton John 1603720019) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The greatest part of buying an Elton John album was discovering all the great songs that would never become hits. The reason the songs would never become hits or be released as singles is that Elton John kept putting new albums out every six months. Just like The Beatles, Elton John released albums and singles at a nonstop pace for a good seven-year period. Many of these great songs were never even played in concert as Elton John was pretty much obliged by his fans to play the hits. However, there were so many great songs that Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote during the nineteen seventies, it’s sad that many of them have never been heard by the casual fan. So enjoy this list and hopefully, it will entice some casual Elton John fans to dig deeper into the wonderful and magical Elton John Albums catalog

Of course, there will be many hardcore Elton John fans that will raise questions as to why we did not list such fantastic songs such as “High Flying Bird, Ballad of Danny Bailey, All The Girls Love Alice, Ticking, Bitter Fingers,” and especially “Harmony.” Well, those will be included in part II.

# 10 – Indian Sunset

From the Madman Across The Water album that gave us “Tiny Dancer,” and “Levon,” “Indian Sunset,” was so often overlooked. The song “Indian Sunset,” opened side two of the album. The performance of “Indian Sunset,” delivered some of the most passionate vocals Elton John has ever laid down on tape. Elton great line about Geronimo is one not to be forgotten. The  Madman Across The Water album was released in 1977. Madman Across The Water was Elton John’s fourth album. The record was produced by Gus Dudgeon.

# 9 – Seasons

The song “Friends,” has always been the most popular track from the Friends Motion Picture Soundtrack. However, the track “Seasons,” has always been just as beautiful a song as “Friends,” was. The first half is mostly instrumental, but when Elton starts to sing, its simply captivating. The strings on the song were arranged and conducted by Paul Buckmaster.

ALBUM: Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Friends -1971

# 8 – Cold as Christmas

The opening track from the great and underrated Too Low For Zero album. The album was released in 1983 and contained two monster hits, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” and “I’m Still Standing.” “Cold As Christmas,” was the album’s opening track. The Too Low For Zero album stands as a transitional album for Elton John. While he had a huge hit the following year with “Sad Songs,” from Breaking Hearts, the sound of Elton’s voice was growing deeper. Because of the change in his voice, his songs would take on new melodic structures that no longer explored the high notes that he sang on songs like “Bennie and The Jets,” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

# 7 – White Lady, White Powder

This killer track opened side two of the great 21 at 33 album. The song was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The song was released during a time period when Elton John was recording songs with lyrics written by other writers besides Bernie Taupin. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Elton John wrote songs with writers Gary Osborne, Tom Robinson, Judie Tzuke and Tim Rice. The latter who would become a major collaborator with Elton John on the Disney movie soundtrack Elton John scored.

# 6 – Hercules

Elton John’s Honky Chateau delivered the two big hits in “Rocket Man,” and “Honky Cat.” If  Elton John had not released another album only six months later,  “Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters,” along with “Hercules,” would have been big hit singles. The problem was we just could not keep up with Elton John.

# 5 – Cage The Songbird

There were so many great songs on Elton John’s Blue Moves album that the general public probably has never heard. “Cage the Songbird,” was one of the best. Edith Piaf’ was the singer whom Elton John was referring to in the song.

ALBUM: Blue Moves 1977

# 4 –  I’ve Seen the Saucers

Elton John’s Caribou may be the Elton John album that contained the most underrated Elton John songs. Songs like “Pinky,” “Ticking,” “Your so Static,” and “Grimsby,” were just such killer cuts. Nonetheless, the one that always stood out was, “I’ve Seen the Saucers.” Another one of those great passionate Elton John vocal performances.

ALBUM: Caribou 

# 3 – The Boy in the Red Shoes

Elton John never released this song as a single. The record company instead released “I Want Love,” which featured Robert Downey Jr. in the video. We think that the record company made a mistake by not releasing this amazing song as a single.  “The Boy in the Red Shoes,” was released on the album in 2001. It sounded like vintage Elton John from 1972. Easily the greatest song Elton John had written in twenty years. Why was this song not a huge hit? Even Elton was really mad that the record company failed to promote this. At least that’s what he told us at one of the concerts that he performed while promoting the album.

ALBUM: Songs from the West Coast

# 2 – Madness

Elton John’s “Madness,” may have contained the coolest piano playing Elton has ever recorded on vinyl. This one was released on the A Single Man album. It was a period in which we began to see a musical transformation from Elton John from the glory years of the 1970s into the various phases he explored in the 1980’s.

Album: A Single Man

# 1 –  Blues for Baby and Me.

One of the all-time great Elton John songs is probably one of the least known. “Blues for Baby and Me,” stands at the front of The Top 10 Greatest Elton John Songs you may have never heard list. From the great Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player album which contained the mega-hits “Daniel,” and “Crocodile Rock.” The album also contained fan favorites, “Elderberry Wine, Midnight Creeper, Teenage Idol and Teacher I Need You. What an incredible album!

ALBUM: Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player 1973

Updated May 29, 2022

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to republish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. 

DMCA.com Protection Status

 

The Left Banke Songs
Top 10 Songs By The Left Banke
Lobo Songs
Top 10 Lobo Songs
Dire Straits Songs
Top 10 Dire Straits Songs
Buffalo Springfield Songs
Top 10 Buffalo Springfield Songs
Aerosmith Albums
Top 10 Aerosmith Albums
10 Perfect Rock Albums From The 1990s
James Taylor Albums
Top 10 James Taylor Albums
10 Best Sounding Albums Of All Time
10 Best Sounding Albums Of All Time
Complete List Of All Super Bowl National Anthem Performers Since 1967
Complete List Of All Super Bowl National Anthem Performers Since 1967
The Only Two Artists Who Have Sung the National Anthem Twice at the Super Bowl
The Only Two Artists Who Have Sung the National Anthem Twice at the Super Bowl
Frampton Comes Alive
 Was It Really 50 Years Ago That ‘Frampton Comes Alive’ Was Released?
Muscle Shoals Legends On Display At the Country Music Hall Of Fame
Rocky Athas Interview
An Interview With Rocky Athas, Formerly Of John Mayall And Black Oak Arkansas
An Interview With Ace Von Johnson Of L.A. Guns
An Interview With Ace Von Johnson Of L.A. Guns
An Interview With Dave Pegg Of Fairport Convention & Formerly Of Jethro Tull
An Interview With Dave Pegg Of Fairport Convention & Formerly Of Jethro Tull
An Interview With DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight
An Interview With DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight
The SteelDrivers Band Members
Complete List Of The SteelDrivers Albums And Songs
Complete List Of Ani DiFranco Albums And Songs
Complete List Of Ani DiFranco Albums And Discography
Outlaws Albums
Complete List Of Outlaws Albums And Discography
The Prodigy Albums
Complete List Of The Prodigy Albums And Songs
11 Classic Bands Who Returned With New Music After A Long Gap
11 Classic Bands Who Returned With New Music After A Long Gap
Complete List Of All Super Bowl Halftime Performers Since 1967
Complete List Of All Super Bowl Halftime Performers Since 1967
10 Gifts Not To Buy An Old-School Music Fan
10 Gifts Not To Buy An Old-School Music Fan
20 Worst Moments In Rock Music History
20 Worst Moments In Rock Music History
Three Dog Night 1968 Debut Album Review
Review Of Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Reissue
Review Of Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Reissue
10 Best Breakup Songs For Shattered Hearts
10 Best Breakup Songs For Shattered Hearts
Billy Idol Rebel Yell 40th Anniversary Vinyl Review