Elton John's Best Albums

This ’90s release featured Elton John and songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin leaning more in the direction of adult contemporary. The song “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” was released as a double A-side single with “Candle in the Wind 1997” in memory of Princess Diana,, who died earlier that year. This release is the best selling standard single of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Originally released in Britain as “Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits,” this compilation was destined to do well, consisting of John’s chart topping hits from throughout his career onto a single disc. The album’s release date lined up with John’s 60th birthday.

“Wonderful Crazy Night” is John’s most recent album to break into the Billboard 200 top 10, having been released in 2016. It’s the singer’s 32nd studio album.

Elton John’s fourth studio album features only nine tracks, the majority of which clock in around five minutes. The album features two memorable singles, both of which charted on the Hot 100: “Levon” and “Tiny Dancer.”

Elton John originally had trouble recording “The One,” as it was the first album he’d recorded sober in many years, according to his manager John Reid in a 1992 article in the Los Angeles Times. He eventually conquered the task and released this top 10-charting album, which shares its name with its lead single that peaked at No. 9 on the Hot 100 pop chart.

Elton John’s 1969 solo debut album didn’t reach its peak on the Billboard 200 until 1975 due to a delayed release in the U.S. While it is generally agreed that this not Elton John’s greatest record, songs like “Skyline Pigeon” hint at the brilliance that would later come.

“Tumbleweed Connection” is Elton John’s paean to the American West and South. Bernie Taupin’s lyrics were heavily influenced by The Band and Creedence Clearwater Revival, and that is reflected in songs like “There Goes a Well Known Gun,” about a fugitive outlaw, and “Country Comfort” about blissful country life.

“The Diving Board” harkens back to Elton’s earlier, stripped-down material, moving further away from his stadium-rocking pop sound. The album proves that even in his ’60s the musician was a creative force.

“Here and There” is a live album released prior to the “Blue Moves” LP. The original release included only nine tracks, but the album was expanded to include 25 total songs upon reissue. The reissue also includes a number of songs featuring John Lennon performing during what would be his last live appearance at Madison Square Garden.

“Elton John,” the rocker’s second album, climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard 200, the first of 19 albums to reach the top 10 and enshrine him as one of the top pop acts of all time. The single “Your Song” was a breakthrough hit, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. The album went gold in 1971 and was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year.

“The Union” is a duet album by Elton John and fellow rock and roll pianist Leon Russell. The record was the first of three Elton albums produced by legendary producer and musician T-Bone Burnett.

“Blue Moves” is one of John’s numerous double LPs from the 1970s. The album spent a shorter amount of time on the Billboard 200 than some of his other releases. Still, it produced two successful singles: “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word,” which hit No. 6 on the Hot 100 pop chart, and “Bite Your Lip (Get up and dance!)” which peaked at No. 28.

The mid-1970s were the peak years for Elton John, and “Rock of the Westies” climbed to No. 1 in November 1975 and spent three weeks in the top position, though it’s not considered to be one of Elton’s best efforts. Among the notable songs on the album were the No. 1 single “Island Girl,” “Grow Some Funk of Your Own,” which reached No. 14, and “I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford).”

“Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” was Elton John’s ninth studio album. It’s an autobiographical piece that details the struggle he and lyricist Bernie Taupin experienced early in their career. The lone single, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” about his tumultuous relationship with a woman, reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.

While not as successful as its predecessor “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” 1974’s “Caribou” spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 pop chart, while “The Bitch Is Back” peaked at No. 4.

“Honky Chateau” is an eclectic collection of songs that showcase the magic that was developing between John and collaborator Bernie Taupin. The album features the single “Rocket Man,” which spent 15 weeks on the Hot 100 pop chart.

Elton John more fully embraced pop music on 1973’s “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player” than he had on any release up to that point. The album features his first No. 1 hit “Crocodile Rock” and the ballad “Daniel,” which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100.

Only five years after the release of his debut album “Empty Sky,” John had produced enough singles to release his “Greatest Hits.” Eight of the album’s 10 tracks were Top 10 hits, with the two outliers being fan favorites “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” and “Border Song.”

This double album is perhaps Elton John’s greatest recorded musical statement. After opening the LP with the 11-minute “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” John explores a plethora of styles and sounds. Among the record’s most memorable songs are “Candle in the Wind,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.”