20 Best Elton John Songs To Turn Up To Eleven

Feature Photo: A.PAES / Shutterstock.com

Our article on the 20 Elton John songs that you turn up to 11 is simply a collection of songs we love so much that we turn the volume all the way up—and then just a little bit more. You know what I’m talking about, baby. Most of these are rockers, but not all of them, because a great Elton John melody can hit just as hard as a guitar riff when the mood is right.

This is not a ranking of the best Elton John songs, the best B-sides, or the most underrated songs—we have done plenty of those lists already. This one is about the records we reach for when we want Elton loud, whether it is the drive of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” the sweep of “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” or the melodies in songs like “Danny Bailey” and “Tinderbox.” These are 20 Elton John songs that have brought us a lot of joy over the years. What are yours?

# 20 – Midnight Creeper – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player

“Midnight Creeper” has always been one of our favorite cuts from Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player. Recorded at Château d’Hérouville in 1972 and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track features Elton on electric piano and vocals with Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone, and a brass section arranged by Dudgeon. The song has that loose, mischievous rock-and-roll feel that makes this album so much fun. I still love those original copies of the LP with the booklet full of pictures and lyrics—what a package that was. This is exactly the kind of deep Elton track that deserves to be turned up loud.

Read More: Why Elton John’s Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player Was One Of His Most Melodic LPs

# 19 – Looking Up – Wonderful Crazy Night

There are probably plenty of Elton John fans, even hardcore fans, who still do not know “Looking Up,” and that is exactly why songs like this deserve to be pulled back into the light. The track appeared on Wonderful Crazy Night in 2016 and was recorded at The Village in Los Angeles with Elton John and T Bone Burnett producing. Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Matt Bissonette, and the rest of Elton’s touring band give the song a bright, live-in-the-room energy. The melody and piano part have the kind of optimism that can turn a mood around fast. This is late-period Elton John sounding like he is still having a blast.

# 18 – You’re So Static – Caribou

“You’re So Static” is one of those Caribou deep cuts that sounds better every time you go back to it. Recorded at Caribou Ranch in Colorado and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track features Elton with Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone, Ray Cooper, backing vocalist Clydie King, and the Tower of Power horns. The groove is funky, sarcastic, and just a little nasty, which gives the song a completely different personality from the album’s big ballads. Elton sounds like he is having fun with every jab in Bernie Taupin’s lyric. Turn it up and the whole track starts to swagger.

# 17 – Tinderbox – The Captain & the Kid

“Tinderbox” comes from Elton John’s 2006 album The Captain & the Kid, the autobiographical sequel to Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Recorded in Atlanta and produced by Elton John and Matt Still, the song looks back at the long creative partnership between Elton and Bernie Taupin without pretending it was always easy. The melody is reflective, but the band gives it enough weight to make the chorus open up beautifully. There is history in this song, but it never sounds like Elton is simply looking backward. “Tinderbox” is one of those mid-tempo songs that gets better when you turn it way up.

# 16 – Grow Some Funk of Your Own – Rock of the Westies

“Grow Some Funk of Your Own” is Elton John in full mid-1970s rock mode. The song appeared on Rock of the Westies in 1975, was recorded at Caribou Ranch, and was produced by Gus Dudgeon. Davey Johnstone and Caleb Quaye help give the track its guitar attack while Roger Pope and Kenny Passarelli drive the rhythm section underneath Elton’s piano. The whole song has a loose, rowdy sense of humor that fits the title perfectly. If you want Elton John with some grit in the speakers, this one delivers.

# 15 – I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues – Too Low for Zero

“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” proves that a song does not have to be a straight-ahead rocker to belong on a turn-it-up list. Recorded at AIR Studios in Montserrat for Too Low for Zero and produced by Chris Thomas, the track reunited Elton with Bernie Taupin, Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray, and Nigel Olsson. Stevie Wonder’s harmonica gives the recording another layer of soul without ever overwhelming Elton’s melody. The song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Elton’s defining 1980s hits. Sometimes you turn a song up because it rocks, and sometimes you turn it up because the melody is simply too good to hear quietly.

# 14 – (Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket – Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

“(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket” is one of the hardest-rocking songs on Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Recorded at Caribou Ranch and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track features Elton on piano and clavinet with Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper. Bernie Taupin’s lyric goes straight at the pressure of trying to survive in the music business, which fits the autobiographical album perfectly. The rhythm is relentless and Elton sings it with real frustration instead of polished nostalgia. This is one of those album cuts that makes a lot more sense when the volume is high.

# 13 – All the Girls Love Alice – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

“All the Girls Love Alice” is one of the darkest and most daring songs on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Recorded at Château d’Hérouville and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track combines Elton’s pounding piano with Davey Johnstone’s guitars, Dee Murray’s bass, and Nigel Olsson’s drums. Bernie Taupin’s lyric tells a tragic story without softening the edges, and Elton attacks the vocal with real force. It is easy for a song like this to get buried on a double album loaded with massive hits, but it deserves its own spotlight. This one sounds meaner and more dramatic the louder you play it.

Read More: Top 10 Elton John Songs

# 12 – Crazy Water – Blue Moves

“Crazy Water” is one of the reasons Blue Moves remains such an underrated Elton John album. Produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track comes from a record that pushed Elton into darker, more complicated arrangements without losing his instinct for melody. Caleb Quaye, Kenny Passarelli, Roger Pope, James Newton Howard, and the rest of the expanded band give the song a thick, restless sound that rewards loud listening. The rhythm shifts and instrumental colors make it feel different from almost anything Elton had released a few years earlier. Put on headphones or crank the speakers and there is a lot going on inside this one.

Read More: Why Blue Moves Was Elton John’s Most Underrated Album

# 11 – Hercules – Honky Château

“Hercules” closes Honky Château with the kind of loose, playful groove that makes you want to start the album over again. Recorded at Château d’Hérouville and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track comes from the period when Elton’s classic band was really beginning to lock into place. Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray, and Nigel Olsson give the song plenty of bounce underneath Elton’s piano and vocal. Bernie Taupin’s lyric has a grin running through it, and the whole performance feels like the band knows exactly how much fun the song is. It is impossible to play “Hercules” loud without smiling a little.

Read More: Elton John’s Honky Château Album Gets Deluxe 50th Anniversary Reissue

# 10 – Bitter Fingers – Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

“Bitter Fingers” gets right to the pressure Elton John and Bernie Taupin felt when songwriting became a job with deadlines, expectations, and people waiting for the next hit. The track appeared on Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, recorded at Caribou Ranch and produced by Gus Dudgeon. Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray, and Nigel Olsson give the song a strong lift while Elton moves between irritation and melody almost effortlessly. The autobiographical angle keeps the song from sounding like a generic complaint about the music business. It is one of the sharpest album cuts from one of Elton’s strongest records.

Read More: 10 Best Elton John Albums Of All Time

# 9 – The Bitch Is Back – Caribou

“The Bitch Is Back” is Elton John at his most defiant, funny, and loud. Recorded at Caribou Ranch in 1974 and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track features Elton with Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson, Ray Cooper, backing singers, and the Tower of Power horns. Bernie Taupin gave Elton a lyric he could attack instead of simply sing, and the whole band responds with the same attitude. The single reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Elton’s great concert rockers. This is not a song you put on quietly in the background.

Read More: Why There Were Many Overlooked Gems On Elton John’s Caribou LP

# 8 – The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1903-34) – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

“The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1903-34)” is one of the great cinematic deep cuts on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Recorded at Château d’Hérouville and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the song builds its outlaw story around Elton’s piano and one of the classic Johnstone-Murray-Olsson band performances. Bernie Taupin writes the character like somebody from an old American crime legend, and Elton gives the story enough drama to make it feel almost like a movie scene. The melody keeps getting bigger as the track goes, which is exactly why it works so well at high volume. This is the kind of Elton John album cut that reminds you how deep his 1970s catalog really is.

Read More: 10 Best Non-Album Track Elton John B Sides

# 7 – Honky Cat – Honky Château

“Honky Cat” opens Honky Château with Elton John sounding completely at home inside a New Orleans-flavored groove. Recorded at Château d’Hérouville and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track rides on Elton’s piano, the band’s rhythm, and a horn arrangement that gives the record its unmistakable personality. Bernie Taupin’s lyric plays country roots against city temptation, which gives Elton plenty of room to have fun with the vocal. The song became one of the defining recordings of this period and still sounds fresh because the groove never feels forced. If the opening piano does not make you reach for the volume knob, nothing will.

Read More: Top 10 Elton John Love Songs

# 6 – Rotten Peaches – Madman Across the Water

“Rotten Peaches” is one of the darker songs on Madman Across the Water, and the strange beauty of the arrangement is exactly why it belongs here. Elton recorded the master in 1971 with Herbie Flowers on bass, Terry Cox on drums, Ray Cooper on percussion, Chris Spedding on slide guitar, Davey Johnstone on acoustic guitar, and Rick Wakeman on organ. Paul Buckmaster’s orchestral arrangement adds even more weight around Elton’s piano and vocal. Bernie Taupin’s imagery feels worn-down and restless, but the music keeps pulling you back into it. This is not a happy song, but it is absolutely a song worth turning up.

Read More: Complete List Of Elton John Articles

# 5 – Teacher I Need You – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player

“Teacher I Need You” is one of the reasons Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player remains such a fun Elton John album. Recorded at Château d’Hérouville and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the song puts adolescent infatuation into a bright pop-rock arrangement that never takes itself too seriously. Elton’s piano and vocal sit right in the middle of the classic band sound with Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray, and Nigel Olsson around him. Bernie Taupin’s lyric catches that ridiculous teenage feeling of believing one person can completely take over your brain. It is catchy, funny, melodic, and impossible not to turn up.

Read More: Complete List Of Elton John Band Members

# 4 – Ballad of a Well-Known Gun – Tumbleweed Connection

“Ballad of a Well-Known Gun” opens Tumbleweed Connection with the grit and movement of a Western that never actually existed. Recorded at Trident Studios in London in 1970 and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track features Elton on piano and vocals, Caleb Quaye on guitars, Roger Pope on drums, and David Glover on bass, with a group of backing singers added later. Quaye’s guitar part gives the song an immediate country-rock edge before Elton even settles into the story. Bernie Taupin’s outlaw imagery helped define the entire album’s fascination with an imagined American West. This is early Elton John with dirt under its fingernails, and it sounds great loud.

Read More: Top 10 Elton John Songs Of The 2010s

# 3 – Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

“Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” is Elton John going as big as he possibly could and somehow making every second count. The 1973 medley opens Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, with Gus Dudgeon producing and engineer David Hentschel building the famous synthesizer introduction before the full band comes crashing in. Elton’s piano, Davey Johnstone’s guitar, Dee Murray’s bass, and Nigel Olsson’s drums turn “Love Lies Bleeding” into one of the hardest-rocking performances in the entire catalog. The transition from the eerie instrumental opening into that first full-band explosion still sounds incredible. This is eleven minutes that absolutely demand volume.

Read More: 10 Best Elton John Songs From The 1980s

# 2 – Take Me to the Pilot – 17-11-70

The live “Take Me to the Pilot” from 17-11-70 is Elton John proving that three musicians could make enough noise to fill an arena. Recorded at A&R Recording Studios in New York on November 17, 1970, the performance features Elton on piano and vocals, Dee Murray on bass, and Nigel Olsson on drums. There are no guitars, no giant orchestra, and nowhere for anybody to hide. The trio pushes the song harder than the studio version, with Elton attacking the piano while Murray and Olsson answer every move. If you want to understand how ferocious early Elton John could be live, turn this up and listen.

Read More: Top 10 Elton John Non-Album Singles

# 1 – Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Few Elton John songs embody pure rock-and-roll rebellion like “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” Recorded at Château d’Hérouville for Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track is driven by Davey Johnstone’s guitars, Dee Murray’s bass, Nigel Olsson’s drums, and Elton pounding the piano like he is trying to break it. Bernie Taupin’s lyric turns a rowdy night out into one of the great working-class rock songs of the 1970s. The whole performance sounds like a fight might break out before the record ends. If any Elton John song was built to be turned up to 11, this is the one.

Read More: 10 Best Elton John Songs Of The 1970s

Updated September 15, 2026

20 Best Elton John Songs To Turn Up To Eleven article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026