Elton John has never been shy about his love for music, even after bringing his touring career to an emotional close with his headline slot at Glastonbury in 2023.
Throughout his decades-spanning career, John has continuously celebrated the music that shaped him, from rock and roll legends to soul icons.
Speaking on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years, Elton highlighted one song that stands out above the rest for him: Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, which he credits with changing his life forever.
The music legend recalled the life-changing moment his mother brought ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ home: “This record changed my life, and it changed the face of music. Up till then, we’d had Guy Mitchell, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, Kay Starr, and all those lovely American acts.”
“She bought a record every week. She said, ‘I heard this record in the record store, and I’ve never heard anything like it, so I had to buy it.’ She put it on… and it changed my life and propelled me into my love of rock ‘n’ roll. It changed the world socially and musically.”
While the Elvis hit holds a special place in his heart, it’s not the only song that’s shaped Elton’s journey. During the same interview, he also spoke about The Beatles’ ‘We Can Work It Out’.
“I remember being at Pinner County Grammar School, and my friend Michael Johnson came with a 45″ and said, ‘I’ve just heard this band; they’re going to be the biggest band in the world,’” he recalled.
“It was Love Me Do. I listened to it and thought, ‘It’s not bad, it’s not bad,’ but I couldn’t see that they were going to be the biggest band in the world… he turned out to be right.”
He added: “And, of course, what the ’50s did with rock ‘n’ roll… The Beatles were extraordinary. They revolutionised the way things were recorded. Even though it was on quite simple equipment, they experimented, and they wrote fantastic songs. ‘We Can Work It Out’ is such a wonderful song.”
John was equally captivated by ‘The Weight’ by Bob Dylan’s former group The Band, describing the moment he heard it on John Peel’s radio show as another transformative experience: “Bernie [Taupin] and I freaked out when we heard it. We’d never heard anything like this before. It was Americana done in a very soulful, funky, kind of laid-back way.”
“(The) next day we went up to Music Land in London and bought the import, and it changed my life again like Elvis Presley changed my life originally. This music changed my life because of the way the songs were written, the lyrics, the musicianship, was a huge influence on things like Tumbleweed Connection and Madman.”
Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘Great Balls of Fire’ and Little Richard’s ‘Lucille’ also appear on Elton’s list, representing the wild energy of early rock ‘n’ roll that inspired him as a young music fan.
His love of soul music is clear, with selections like the Four Tops’ ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ and Aretha Franklin’s ‘Think’ standing out for their powerful vocal performances. Leon Russell’s ‘A Song For You’ also holds a special place on Elton’s ranking.
Rounding out his top ten are John Lennon’s ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’ and Peter Gabriel’s ‘Don’t Give Up’.
Here is Elton John’s full 10 favourite songs list:
Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley
Great Balls Of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis
Lucille – Little Richard
We Can Work It Out – The Beatles
Reach Out I’ll Be There – Four Tops
A Song For You – Leon Russell
Think – Aretha Franklin
The Weight – The Band
Whatever Gets You Thru The Night – John Lennon
Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel