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Our list of the 10 best Elton songs from the 2000s continues our look back at each decade of Elton John’s long career. We just finished the 90s, a decade in which we saw him improve on what he had put out in the 80s. I truly believe that the improvement continued even more strongly into the 2000s. In the new century, Elton John released three new studio albums in the first decade. But it’s the first album, Songs from the West Coast, that came out in 2001 where for the first time in over 20 plus years Elton returns to his early 70s sound on multiple tracks. That album will be explored multiple times in this article.
Songs from the West Coast was followed up with Peachtree Road in 2004. Not as strong an effort as the West Coast album, but still a pretty solid record. In 2006, Elton John fans were told they were getting the sequel to Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, called The Captain And The Kid. While it was a much stronger effort than Peachtree Road, it was in no way on the same level as Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy, which many fans, myself included, believe is Elton John’s artistic peak. Additionally, just as he did in the 1990s, he released two soundtrack albums in addition to the three studio albums. The first being The Road to El Dorado with Tim Rice, followed by the Broadway soundtrack album Billy Elliot: The Musical.
# 10 – This Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore
We open up this list with the closing track from Elton John’s very memorable album Songs From The West Coast. As I said in the introduction, this was Elton John’s strongest effort since the 1970s. I would take it even one step further, arguing that this is one of John’s best albums since 1976’s Blue Moves.
# 9 – Someday Out Of The Blue (Theme From El Dorado)
Elton John’s collaboration with Tim Rice, which he began in the 1990s, continued into the new century. This was the main theme from El Dorado, the DreamWorks animated film released in 2010. Elton John wrote the music with Patrick Leonard. The lyrics were written by Tim Rice.
# 8 – Postcards from Richard Nixon
Now this is the way to start an Elton John album. “Postcards from Richard Nixon” stands as the opening track on the celebratory album The Captain and the Kid, billed as a sequel to the legendary Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy album. The song opens with a very original-sounding Elton John melody, played wonderfully, showcasing his sensational piano chops once again. This is a real strong showing.
# 7 – Answer In The Sky
The first single from Peachtree Road defines so much of what this album is really about. It’s a very soulful, gospel-like blues-meets-country record. It’s actually my least-liked of the three Elton John records from the 2000s. It’s a good record, but it was a big disappointment as the follow-up to Songs From The West Coast. This album has more of a generic feel to the songwriting. It’s very professional; it’s recorded brilliantly, and Elton sings fantastically. Everything about it is really good, except the songs themselves are just not that memorable, as far as being on the same level as Elton John’s great originals.
# 6 -I Want Love
This was the most successful single released from the Songs From The West Coast album. Taking a page from the MTV era of the 1980s, Elton John and his people got Robert Downey Jr. to star in this video. It is spelled binding. Robert Downey Jr. does a fantastic job of acting while lip-syncing Elton John’s vocals. The video is a work of art. Don’t miss it below.
# 5 – My Elusive Drug
This is a really interesting one. There’s a very strong gospel feel to this one with a touch of country. However, the chord changes tell a different story. They don’t follow the typical patterns of a gospel song or even a country tune. At times it reminds me of Elton John’s old track “I’ve Seen That Movie Too.” It’s really all over the place, melody-wise, chord-wise, but in the end he brings it all home; he ties it all up. It’s an exercise in brilliant songwriting. And in simpler words, it’s pure Elton John. This is the real standout on the album.
# 4 – The Captain and The Kid
Appropriately titled, the closing track of the Captain and the Kid album begins with the melody of the title track from the Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album. It also closes with that same melody. The song shifts dramatically once Elton starts singing, but it’s a beautiful song that pays tribute to Elton’s relationship with Bernie Taupin and the greatest album they ever released together.
# 3 – Original Sin
Another wonderful selection from the Songs From The West Coast album, this piece seems to blend various styles from Elton John’s career; there’s a little 70s, some ’80s, a lot of 90s, and, of course, a step into the 21st century.
# 2 – Tinder Box
Hands down, “Tinder Box” is the strongest track on The Captain And The Kid album. There are definitely melodic elements and styles on this song that remind me of the Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album, especially songs like “Tower of Babel. It doesn’t sound like that song, but there’s something familiar about the style of songwriting on this track that reminds me of that song. I fell in love with this one instantly, and if you’ve never heard it before, you’re going to love it.
# 1 – Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes
I have written about this album and particularly this song many times on this website. The first time I heard this, I was sitting in a doctor’s chair listening to the radio, and my first thought was, ” Wow, this is an Elton John song from the 70s I’ve never heard. Did he just release a compilation album, Unreleased Gems, or is this a B-side that I didn’t know about? I couldn’t believe what I discovered: this was actually a brand-new song from a brand-new album. If there ever was a time in his career in his post-70s period when he went back to his original sound, not just as a nostalgic trip but writing something on par with his best 70 stuff, it was in 2001 with this song, “Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes.” This isn’t just the best song he released in the 21st century; it’s one of his all-time greatest.
For a complete look at the various types of articles we have on the site, make sure to check out our Classic Rock Bands List and Directory
We have written many articles on Elton John’s musical career, make sure to check out our 10 Best Elton John Songs Of The 90s article as well as 10 Songs That Introduce Elton John Beyond The Hits, article, or some other fabulous Elton John pieces on our site, such as Top 10 Elton John Non-Album Singles Top 10 Elton John Songs, and 100 Elton John Songs or a look at his album collections such as Top 10 Elton John Albums, Top 10 Elton John Album Covers, and 10 Best Non-Album Track Elton John B Sides. For complete coverage of all his releases, make sure to check out our Complete List Of Elton John Songs From A to Z.
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