Artist Playlists
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Like his indelible “Rocket Man”, Elton John's music occupies the upper echelon of the rock ‘n' roll stratosphere. Snapping his singer/songwriter tethers early on, John soared to international superstardom beginning with 1970's “Your Song”. The piano master's hits are as stylistically ambitious as his fashion sense, from the unhinged ‘50s doo-wop swing of “Crocodile Rock” to the operatic sweep of “Tiny Dancer” to the cocksure groove of “Bennie and the Jets”. And John's never left the public eye, releasing albums into the ‘10s and reinventing himself as a mature pop icon and LGBT advocate. - The Rocket Man's outsized personality and dazzling showmanship made him a compelling presence on TV in the ‘70s. He flaunted his talents even more audaciously in the ‘80s, when eye-popping clips like “I'm Still Standing” kept him at the top of the pops, and later in his career, when he reimagined hits new and old while winking at his legacy.
- Even when he was the most flamboyant star in rock, Elton John always had a way with a ballad, and he could captivate a stadium audience with just his piano and those heartfelt songs, usually with Bernie Taupin's poetic words. In recent years, his ballads have far outnumbered his rockers and this playlist draws the best from his long career.
- As theatrical as Elton John’s music can be, there’s always a human quality to it, too: songs that make you feel as dazzling and triumphant as they sound. It’s a quality all the more appealing given how approachable Elton has made himself as a person. “What I admire most about Elton is that he’s used everything he’s been through to help empower himself and others,” Fitness+ Cycling trainer Tyrell Désean tells Apple Music. “Whether that’s through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, building toward the goal of a world free from AIDS for everyone or with any of his other humanitarian efforts, he just keeps on inspiring.” In that spirit, consider this playlist of Elton’s most upbeat tracks, curated by Tyrell and Apple Music’s editors, an accompaniment to workouts of both the body and the soul. Now throw on your electric boots and mohair suits and get after it.
- It’s mildly astonishing that it took Elton John this long to finally write his first proper autobiography, Me; it’s not like he has had any shortage of stories to tell. “My life has been ridiculous,” he told Brandi Carlile in a special Beats 1 interview celebrating the book’s release. Naturally, that life has involved a whole lot of music—both Elton's and others’—and it plays a huge part throughout Me. As you dive into each chapter chronicling the ups and downs (and ups again) of one of the world’s most singular singer-songwriters, consider this playlist—which highlights some of the artists and tunes he writes about—your reading companion.
- If you read Elton John’s autobiography, Me, you know the legendary singer has been through some stuff. But the current pandemic is something altogether different: "I've never lived through anything like this in my lifetime,” he tells Apple Music. "None of us have. I mean, people have been through world wars. But the thing about the world wars [is they] brought everyone together, and I'm hoping this will do the same, whatever political party you're on.” Aside from hunkering down with his family—which includes a game of Chutes and Ladders every day at 5:30—music, not surprisingly, also does its part to soothe him. “The tracks I chose are mostly upbeat and music to move around the kitchen in,” Elton says of this playlist, which includes recommended tunes from artists like The Weeknd, Sam Fender and Channel Tre. “At this time music is so important to people. So you've got to give people some stuff to really feel good about.”
- Over his 50-year career, Elton John has been a pioneer in so many genres that his DNA must run through nearly every strand of modern music. This selection features acts who have drawn from his career as a balladeer: Elton named Rufus Wainwright the world's greatest songwriter, and patched things up with old collaborator George Michael, while Tom Odell calls Goodbye Yellow Brick Road a formative influence.
- Lean back and relax with some of their mellowest cuts.
- This flamboyant musical chameleon has been penning pop classics for decades, turning out hits in just about every style, so it's no surprise when a diverse range of artists and legends tackle his tunes. From country stars Keith Urban and Tim McGraw, through soul sisters Aretha Franklin and Bettye Lavette, to rockers like The Who and My Morning Jacket, these cover artists capture the full range of John's audacious skills.
- Elton John came around at a time—the late ’60s and early ’70s—when the supremacy of the stand-alone single was giving way to the strange post-Beatles possibility that albums themselves could be artistic statements, filled with surprises, experiments and peripheral stuff that turned the artist’s vision into a full, inhabitable world. Mixing album cuts with soundtrack contributions, collaborations (including a track with one of his most formative influences, Leon Russell) and other curiosities, traversing country, gospel, glam-pop and centre-stage balladry, here’s a playlist collecting some of the lesser-known—but no less fabulous—tracks by Sir Elton Hercules John.
- After a glittery five-year run, Elton John’s final tour wrapped in Stockholm, Sweden, on 8 July. Listen back to the songs that soundtracked the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, including “Tiny Dancer”, “Candle in the Wind” and “Rocket Man”.
- Elton John’s aha moment came near the end of 1966 when he was about 19, when his band Bluesology opened for Little Richard at London’s Saville Theatre. At the time, John—then performing under his given name, Reginald Dwight—played the organ. Seeing Richard—the flamboyance, the showmanship, the unbridled lust of R&B and rock ’n’ roll—made him switch to piano. Mixing early rock (Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis) with R&B-leaning ’70s pop (Leon Russell, Dr. John) and idiosyncratic singer-songwriters like Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson, here’s a playlist of not only the music that helped shape one of the biggest pop stars of all time, but the sounds that provided the musical environment in which he reigned. From ballads to rave-ups, earnest to glammy, sentimental to flip—all shades of Elton can be traced back to these influences.
- Elton John had a productive pandemic—producing the collaborations album The Lockdown Sessions along with an impressive roster of his fellow stars. In this exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, Elton talks one-on-one with some of his musical partners via FaceTime. Watch his chats with Stevie Nicks, Eddie Vedder, Miley Cyrus, Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile and many more.