Bernie Taupin Is A Godawful Lyricist Whose Lyrics Sound Amazing Coming Out Of Elton John's Mouth — ILM ARTIST POLL #41: ELTON JOHN

In all honesty, I've never understood the compulsion to force "poll" puns into poll titles. There's so much more you can do with someone's lyrics.

ask Elton.

Yeah, I guess an Elton John poll wasn't the best time to make that point.

Can Bernie fax us a poll title?

Well, A Few Of The Lyrics, Well, They've Got Me Quite Cross: An Elton John Poll

...but then again, no.

But Then Again, POLL.

Life isn't everything... there's also the Elton John Poll Results!

When are you gonna come down, When are you going to POLL

IN FACT, IT'S POLLED AS HELL

(for the record i read the thread title as laudatory and I am 100% okay with it and don't get the fuss but if there's an opportunity to play the Lowest Form of Humor game damn if i'm not gonna play it)

40. "I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford)" (1975) [90 points, 5 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEfReTjAcyg

one of his best ballads

Almost voted for it, but--brace yourself, there's a great joke coming up here--couldn't quite pull the trigger. I used to like it, did something I don't normally do before voting--gave it a listen--and it wasn't quite as strong as I'd remembered.

39. "Razor Face" (1971) [93 points, 4 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqUZmJIK6n4

xp
Agreed this (Bullet) is a great song, 'though the arrangement on RoTW is a bit heavy handed. Tries to the same trick pulled off so effortlessly with "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" but it doesn't quite work this time. When Elton did it solo live, with just piano, that's what sold the song for me.

38. "I've Seen That Movie Too" (1973) [95 points, 5 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMJtNwHNM5k

"I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford)"
"like a corn in a field"?! gtfo with that shit. The first verse seems sonically reminiscent of Paul Simon to my ears, with the bass/piano/vibes combo (although Simon would never do that leap into the falsetto in the chorus - too melodramatic for him - it works well for Elton). Of course by the time we get around to the third chorus we're in more bombastic territory. Listening to Elton's ballads I usually have a hard time not hearing them more as Broadway than as rock, the schmaltz and heavy-handedness seems of a particularly stage-show like theatricality. Lyrically this isn't bad for Taupin. I don't get the titular image but apart from that it scans well.

"Razor Face"
Realizing that I prefer it when Elton gets shrill with the falsetto + harmonies. I dunno why, can't put my finger on who it reminds me of. This is good though, has that mid-tempo 70s throb, nice guitar work. Unnecessary accordian, not sure what that's supposed to be evocative of (old people?), seems out of place in the arrangement.

Realizing that I prefer it when Elton gets shrill with the falsetto + harmonies

which he does on "Robert Ford" on the "I know what a paid assassin is" bit

"I've Seen That Movie Too"
I think I dozed off about halfway through this, so repetitious. what is that, six choruses at the end? wtf. briefly roused by the backwards guitar screeching in the middle and for once the lyrics aren't terrible they're actually a bit clever with the bitterness.

37. "High Flying Bird" (1973) [108 points, 4 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ien507T3Y

Definitely in a rut of ballads right here.

xpost

Yay!

I voted for this one. Had never even heard it till I bought a used copy of the album a few months ago.

36. "My Father's Gun" (1970) [111 points, 5 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_p0lbEuKzk

High Flying Bird ended up being my number two. The backing vocals are just so amazing, especially at 2.16. I feel like this is one of the songs Ben Folds pretty much based most of his ballads on.

THRILLED to see High Flying Bird make it. Reminds me that Elton is an artist I really like, but where I've neverreally done time in fan forums or w/e, so I have no idea which are consensus picks and which are things only I've discovered. HFB still ''feels'' like the latter, just this underhyped gem at the end of an underhyped record. Amazing delivery throughout: ''she thought I was the archer'' could be one of the dumbest conceits in the catalogue (really? She thought you were an archer?) but the sense of error or failure on the singer's part, his failure to live up to or otherwise convey his non-archer status, is perfect. The last chorus is just incredible too. I didn't see the Vietnam connection til Marcello's review and haven't yet decided if that enhances the listen for me.

I really like "Bullet"; good song about an under-utilized plot (really, how many great songs are there about feeling like a puppy-kicking heel even though the relationship maybe needed to end?). Here the conceit really is labored though...when you have to google the figure named in the title for the song to work, something may be amiss. But then there's ''I'm low as a paid assassin is / you know I'm cold as a hired sword'' which is great, oddball stuff. If they really were steamrolling pop hacks they surely would have simplified all of this; not sure I entirely buy xgau's claim that 'poetry' by this point was part of the necessary package for pop product. (For one thing, it certainly needn't be THIS kind of poetry, right?)

35. "Crocodile Rock" (1972) [113 points, 5 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YmXD3pSfqY

I hate to admit it, but I'm coming around on Crocodile Rock.

now there's a 70s tune I can get with

Muppet Show version is ace.

Muppets is the only way I can remotely stand this

When I was a kid, my neighbours, which my family didn't much like, would occasionally throw loud parties in their backyard, which annoyed my folks. In retrobution, my older bro once aimed the speakers out the open back porch screen door, crank up the bass, and blast "Crocodile Rock" to annoy the neighbours. It was the first time I heard the song, and for many years the last.

It's impossible for me to judge "Crocodile Rock" as a piece of music at this point. For me, it will always be just something you use to retaliate against noisy neighbours.....

retribution, sorry i kant spel

For me this song goes in the same mental trashcan as Seger's Old Time Rock N Roll.

have we ever participated in a poll in which so many of us have said "eww" or "gross" or variants on "I hate this song"?

I think if the Eagles were ever polled you'd get the same ratio, imo

But yeah it's funny how almost every song is someone's hated song

I've already made my attempts to defend it and I sha'n't again, but really, the Seger comparison is cold.

You can tell everyone
that I hate this song

And you can tell everybody / that you hate this song
It may be quite simple but / now that it's done

34. "Mellow" (1972) [115 points, 7 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqWSL4F2bok

oh ffs
There I was trying to be a good boy scout and get the parody lyrics somewhat like the original, and in my earnestness I got ninja'd.

Huh! Didn't see that coming. Will have to give it some more spins when I get home, it's never really jumped out at me.

see also Eric Clapton & his rock n roll heart
dudes getting misty-eyed over jukeboxes jeans & chevys is just kinda ugh to me I guess

and I like all of those things! and I like old timey music!

Elton would also've been a great subject for that The Eagles project, except it'd take about two years

"Mellow" in my top fifteen.

haha never picked out all the words to it either

''Don't forget the beer, my little dear / it helps to sow the mellow seed''

Yeah, Mellow is definitely one of his best pre GYBR tracks (which seems like as good a place as any to break up his 70s output).

i didnt have room to vote for Mellow but I love it

xpost I love Crocodile Rock but didn't vote for it. I really like how it's tucked away at the end of the album too, it just seems to really work before High Flying Bird.