Raised on Radio- Elton John

Here’s something you’re not going to like. I know Elton John’s 70s albums are among the most critically acclaimed of all time. I am not a huge fan. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Elton John. He’s certainly nailed it on a few songs. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is as good as anything anyone has ever done. “Rocket Man” of course. I suspect if I would ever go back to the first time I heard “Bennie and the Jets”, I’d be impressed. But I grew up #raisedonradio with Elton in the 80s. These are the years you’re not supposed to like. I think that last sentence is supposed to apply to about every class of artist whether it’s Bowie, Dylan, Queen, Alice Cooper, Paul McCartney, the Stones, the Who or Billy Joel. But Elton had some fantastic singles in the 80s and 90s too. 1986s Leather Jackets album is considered a career nadir- an all time worst album. But something like 24 Top 40 hits on in the Eighties, well it’s kind of a blip. Which brings me to “I’m Still Standing”. If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have given you an impassioned speech about how it is typical of his 80s style, and individually is as good of a song as he ever performed Now, of course, I need not do that. It’s been featured in the movie Sing and Rocket Man and it is even one of my kid’s’ favorite songs. I don’t think it requires my approval any more to be reappraised In any case, I am posting Elton today and I am going to flip to one of the lesser known singles. This song went to 16 (“I’m Still Standing only went to 12, which kind of shows where he was in the 80s after his string of earlier Top 10 Hits). The third single from 1984s Breaking Hearts (best known for “Sad Songs Say So Much”) does not seem as ambitious as say “Nikita” or the John Lennon tribute “Empty Garden”. Not that the lyrics aren’t great, but self-reflection gives away to glam rock style stomp. It’s a tough rocker but everyone became tough rockers in the eighties (Michael Jackson to Billy Joel to Kenny Loggins to Hall &Oates to Springsteen to many of those I named above and perhaps the oddest one -Barry Manilow on 1982s Here Comes the Night). But hey I think it’s pretty great, so here it is