I love songs that throw you. Benny and the Jets throws me every time I hear it. Firstly, that strange out-of-time vamped piano chord at the beginning that tells you something's not quite right. Next up, it sounds like it's been recorded live; it wasn't - the crowd noises were overdubbed from a live set Reg played in Vancuver in 1972 and, bizarrely, Jimi Hendrix live at the Isle of Wight(!). Thirdly, it originally appeared on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in October 1973 - how would the (fake) crowd recognise it instantly - it wouldn't appear as a single for another nine months? And then there's the falsetto vocals; Dwight said at the time he was trying to sound like Frankie Valli; he really doesn't. But my God, despite (who knows, maybe because of) the above, it still works. A most unusual track both for him and its time (I never had a clue what he was wanging on about when I first heard it; still haven't) and probably one of only a handful of his songs of his I can listen to on a regular basis. I realise that's hardly a ringing endorsement, but, hey, them's the breaks. Take it away, Elton...
Elton John - Benny & The Jets (1973)
You have made me revise my opinion on this. Always considered it one of his lesser hits, but listening to it again now, I have a new appreciation.
ReplyDeleteNice one, Rol. As I said in my piece, not many of his songs do it for me (I reckon I can count them on the fingers of one and a bit hands), but BATJ hits the N on the H.
DeleteWhenever I hear the intro to Daniel, a wormhole in the space-time continuum opens up and I'm instantly transported back to 1973. It's one of those songs. Does it feature on your shortlist of Reg favourites?
ReplyDeleteI remember taping Daniel with a hand held mic in front of our Radio Rentals telly one Thursday evening in 1973. Of course, everyone in the room had to keep deadly quiet for three and a bit minutes - the usual pack drill when I was recording stuff off TOTP. All was well until Reg's little electric piano solo: the bloody doorbell only went and rang, didn't it? It was the Football Pools man collecting my dad's coupon.
DeleteFunny thing was, when listening back to it, the doorbell kind of fitted; to the point that whenever I hear the song now, as soon as Elt gets half way thru his little instrumental motif, I hear the doorbell in my head precisely where it came in 49 years ago.
My favourite Elton John song.I have been known to screech out of tune the words Benny and the Jets on a number of occasions.
ReplyDeleteUsually when Mrs CC mentions her Uncle Benny!
ReplyDeleteI do too; only I don't have an Uncle Benny.
DeleteThis is why I love music blogging in the 31st century. Having access to all this additional information about the making of the record gives you a new appreciation for it. Like Rol I’m now listening to BATJ with new ears and I’m liking what I hear.
ReplyDeleteAlyson
Beam me up Scotty! That would be the 21st century. Pesky phone keypad.
DeleteI am the 31st century schizoid man.
DeleteDitto Rol's comment. It seemed so overfamiliar at one time that I've ignored it ever since, but needed to listen to it again with new ears to appreciate it . Perhaps an age thing going on there too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for starting the interesting discourse!
I keep meaning to get fitted with new ears. Did you go to Specsavers for yours?
DeleteI stumbled upon this nugget of of comedy gold whilst writing my Benny piece.
ReplyDelete