"Someone Saved" and "Goodbye" bot grate on me -- i won't say it's cause they're ballads or because of the production sheen or the strings because EJ has lots of songs with those qualities that i love, but they both have this overbearing swaying inanity to them.
― some dude, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:08 (ten years ago) link
this poll has made me realize that I may actually prefer Billy Joel to Elton John, in that the former's angry self-righteous neurosis and crippling neediness are perhaps more interesting to me than John's goofy cartoon melodramas. not sure I agree with Alfred that John is "weirder". (all things being equal I would rather listen to neither of them)
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:08 (ten years ago) link
"all things being equal I would rather listen to neither of them"
^^^ new board description
― Euler, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:10 (ten years ago) link
I think I like Elton slightly more because Elton has a, i dunno, joie de vivre? in his delivery ...even if the lyrics can get into Billy Joel bitter sarcasm territory, he never telegraphs that bitterness somehow
not to say I don't love Billy Joel. Oh how I very much do.
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:11 (ten years ago) link
There's no shortage of Billy Joel songs I like, but Elton can sing that motherfucker under the table.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:12 (ten years ago) link
EJ is toooootally weirder than BJ. the way an earjob is weirder than a blowjob.
― some dude, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:12 (ten years ago) link
(or could've at one point) xp
bwahaha lol some dude
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:13 (ten years ago) link
I don't mind Elton's hits nearly as much. Billy Joel's best songs are mostly deep cuts IMO. Also Joel's voice is often really lame and across the board he wrote weaker songs. Joel mopes too much. Elton is a cooler guy overall. I'm pretty sure a list of songs I hate from either performer would stack much higher for Billy Joel.
― sup (billstevejim), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:15 (ten years ago) link
1. We All Fall In Love Sometimes2. Don't Go Breaking My Heart3. Original Sin4. Tiny Dancer5. Madman Across The Water6. Bennie And The Jets7. Gotta Get A Meal Ticket8. I'm Still Standing9. Rocket Man10. Honky Cat
11. The Cage12. I've Seen That Movie Too13. Are You Ready For Love?14. Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy15. Philadelphia Freedom16. Levon17. Grey Seal18. Indian Sunset19. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding20. Dark Diamond
Really surprised at the winner. It's a lovely song alright, but I don't believe I've ever heard it before and that amazes me - I've never heard Elton John's most popular song*! It's very Queen actually, now I'm eagerly anticipating the Queen poll.
* in ilmworld
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:16 (ten years ago) link
Elton having a wider vocal range than Joel isn't really debatable, but it's also not really something I care about.
agree that even at his most maudlin or bitchy John doesn't reach the deep black pit of loathing that is the heart of Joeldom
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:17 (ten years ago) link
ooh Ismael otm, I've been thinking someone saves my life tonight reminded me of someone/something and Queen hits the nail right on the head
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:18 (ten years ago) link
i could google this but I'll ask bcz lazy: did Elton and Freddie Mercury ever record together?
that would be mindblowing imo
Not sure, but Elton sang on Bohemian Rhapsody at The Concert For Life.
― sup (billstevejim), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:20 (ten years ago) link
Elton having a wider vocal range than Joel
Well, that's not really what I was getting at. Joel sings like it's his job. Elton sings because he can't not sing.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:20 (ten years ago) link
TOP 20 SONGS
1. Country Comfort 2. Madman Across the Water 3. My Father's Gun 4. Tiny Dancer 5. Son of Your Father 6. Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters 7. Ballad of a Well-Known Gun 8. Your Song 9. Take Me To The Pilot 10. Mellow 11. Levon 12. Burn Down the Mission 13. All the Nasties 14. Sixty Years On 15. Amoreena 16. Holiday Inn 17. Border Song 18. Susie (Dramas) 19. Can I Put You On 20. Where To Now St. Peter?
TOP 5 ALBUMS
Tumbleweed ConnectionMadman Across The Water17-11-70Honky ChateauElton John
MOST HATED SONGS
Candle In The Wind 1997Saturday Night's All Right For FightingWrap Her Up
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:37 (ten years ago) link
A little surprised at the surprise over "Someone Save My Life Tonight." It was a #4 single off an album that entered the charts at #1 in the middle of his most famous period--it's far from obscure. Not as famous as "Your Song," granted, but also spared that song's overplay.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:39 (ten years ago) link
obviously "Someone" was a big peak era hit, but so were lots of other songs that go nowhere near the same amount of votes. it was #9 on Rolling Stones' poll of best Elton songs, and it's roughly his 15th most popular old hit on Spotify. i'm not surprised that ILM has some demographic quirk that made the #1 something not as obvious as "Rocket Man" or whatever, i just had no idea "Someone" would be that song or why that is.
― some dude, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:46 (ten years ago) link
doesn't get much airplay over here compared to the bigger hits (cause it's so long i guess), i barely heard it growing up and you heard EJ hits all day every day on the radio.
― piscesx, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:50 (ten years ago) link
incidentally i had no idea about the autobiographical element of the song that i suppose might've made it seem more significant to me if i'd been aware of it -- same thing with "The Last Song," which i didn't know any of the context around before being surprised to see it on the countdown
― some dude, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:51 (ten years ago) link
For me, it's just so evocative in a long-ago kind of way--much more so than many of the other mid-'70s hits. Hard to explain. I think it was basically as ubiquitous as the others at the time--since then, no.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:53 (ten years ago) link
"Someone Saved..." is one of the few seventies Elton tunes that both parents loved. We took a road trip about ten years ago and when a local station in Orlando played it they both harmonized over the closing refrain. One of those "awww" moments.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:54 (ten years ago) link
this poll has made me realize that I may actually prefer Billy Joel to Elton John, in that the former's angry self-righteous neurosis and crippling needines
yes but at least Elton has his neurosis indentured to a lyricist. Joel has to write his own psychodramas.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:55 (ten years ago) link
like, to me, I think "Billy, it's your own fault you can't articulate you neurosis and crippling neediness."
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:56 (ten years ago) link
wait it's not over
00. "A Word In Spanish" (1988) [9 points, 99 votes, 999 first place votes]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wlRmzlBPf4
― sup (billstevejim), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:57 (ten years ago) link
plus, I love Elton's British attitude towards stardom: he follows the pop charts assiduously, will know exactly where his late seventies singles peaked, no angst. Meanwhile Joel worries whether his albums get crit luv.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 22:59 (ten years ago) link
as a side note, before hip-hop was a force American artists were wary about looking like they care about silly things like chart positions; they're artists, man.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:01 (ten years ago) link
billy's a pessimist. elton's an optimist.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:03 (ten years ago) link
billy's a born pop singer-songwriter who wanted to be a rock star. elton's a born rock singer-songwriter who wanted to be a pop star.
Tracks
1. Someone Saved My Life Tonight
2. Rocket Man
3. Crocodile Rock
4. Blues For My Baby and Me
5. Grey Seal
6. Tiny Dancer
7. Levon
8. Sacrifice
9. High Flying Bird
10. Daniel
11. Your Song
12. No Shoe Strings on Louise
13. Honky Cat
14. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
15. Border Song
16. Step into Christmas
17. This Song Has No Title
18. Pain
19. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
20. Candle in the Wind (GYBR version)
Albums
1. Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player
2. Honky Chateau
3. Greatest Hits (1974)
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
5. Caribou
Shit List*
1. Can You Feel The Love Tonight
2. The Greatest Discovery
3. Sixty Years On
*my ignorance of post-'75 Elton shows here; "Wrap Her Up" was unknown to me until this poll happened, and it might even be a worse song than CYFTLT. Decided for #2-3 to punish yucky album tracks that sullied an otherwise solid record instead.
― the vineyards where the grapes of corporate rock are stored (cryptosicko), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:03 (ten years ago) link
billy actually is an angry young (now old) man. elton actually is still standing.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:04 (ten years ago) link
xpost
(sorry for the ugly formatting there; was copy/pasting from my original email to Fever)
― the vineyards where the grapes of corporate rock are stored (cryptosicko), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:04 (ten years ago) link
billy may be a slightly better piano player. elton is almost certainly a better singer.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:05 (ten years ago) link
It's a draw when it comes to singing. When he lost his falsetto Elton's singing sounded more Acme imo
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:06 (ten years ago) link
i love them both. but elton had more going on at his peak than billy had going on at his.
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:06 (ten years ago) link
Maybe it's a piano guy thing? Zevon also had a Brand X quality to his singing.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:07 (ten years ago) link
Wouldn't have changed the Top 50 at all, but just noticed this in the final tally
Blues For My Baby And Me 2 49Blues For Baby And Me 1 23
― the vineyards where the grapes of corporate rock are stored (cryptosicko), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:07 (ten years ago) link
(xp) i think zevon was a fabulous singer, and his voice was really distinct!
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:08 (ten years ago) link
(xp) that 1 23 was my last-second ballot!
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:09 (ten years ago) link
Oh phew! Glad it didn't change anything, but I thought I was keeping a close eye on things like that.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:11 (ten years ago) link
Okay, that explains it. I probably wasn't super eagle-eyed with the final ballot to come in.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:12 (ten years ago) link
he sang about the blues a lot. "blues for my baby and me." "i guess that's why they call it the blues." the "state of teenage blues" in "i think i'm going to kill myself." "this boy's too young to be singing the blues" in "goodbye yellow brick road." and of course "blue eyes."
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:12 (ten years ago) link
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, August 22, 2013 7:03 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this is taupin-level catchy nonsense of the highest order, i can't begin to decode it but i guess it's a nice soundbyte
― some dude, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:15 (ten years ago) link
Credit Bernie for that, I guess. Elton has said on more than one occasion that he's always been (and remains) an avid collector and listener of music, so it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see a lot of blues music on his shelves.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:16 (ten years ago) link
His first band was Bluesology.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:16 (ten years ago) link
It's no Attila.
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:19 (ten years ago) link
speaking of him, this poll had me thinking about the fact that Billy and Elton haven't toured in a while, in part because Elton has been salty and vocally criticizing Billy for not continuing to write songs and trying to add to his recorded legacy. meanwhile, this poll has zero post-River of Dreams songs in the top 50, and four of 'em in the 'worst' subpoll.
― some dude, Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:20 (ten years ago) link
this is taupin-level catchy nonsense of the highest order,
kinda agree, EJ doesn't strike me as a born rock-n-roll guy (neither does Joel for that matter, altho his earlier work may belie this - I haven't listened to the non-Attila stuff)
― what's up ugly girls? (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:21 (ten years ago) link
tbf, I'm almost 100% certain nothing from River of Dreams would make a Billy Joel top 50 on ilm.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:23 (ten years ago) link
Billy Joel, EJ, and Bowie don't come to rock and roll naturally. Lump'em or leave'em.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 August 2013 23:24 (ten years ago) link