The “disposable pop” song that Elton John and Bernie Taupin wanted to disown
Although he was born Reginald Dwight in Middlesex, Elton John is a star born on and belonging to the global stage. As a glam-era star, he drew up alongside David Bowie as one of the most influential British musicians of the 1970s. Bowie was a conceptual songwriter with a taste for the avant-garde, while Elton, working alongside lyricist Bernie Taupin, kept within touching distance of the radio with emotional ballads and soaring pop songs.
After achieving unprecedented success in the early 1970s thanks to his eponymous second studio album, Elton began to frequent the US and gradually embraced a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of hard partying and hedonism. Over time, his musical output became more rapturous and energetic as the Rocketman launched skywards from gentle ballads like ‘Your Song’ and ‘Border Song’.
Between 1972 and ’73, Elton and Taupin released some of their most enduring hits, from ‘Tiny Dancer’ and ‘Rocket Man’ to ‘Crocodile Rock’ and ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’. The more energetic chord-jabbing hits like the latter pair were crucial components of the live show, tempting revellers to loosen their hips between moments of poignance. However, they seemed to date much quicker than their more reflective and emotional counterparts.
Both Elton and Taupin regard ‘Crocodile Rock’ among their worst singles. Elton may have said, “Don’t shoot me, I’m only the piano player,” but Taupin would have to throw his hands up and take the hit for this lead single. The pair conceived the song as a playful joke of sorts before realising its charting potential. It became their first US number-one hit, demanding jubilation, yet over time, the pair racked up a few more, eventually lamenting that their first had to be such a regretful dud.
Indeed, ‘Crocodile Rock’ undoubtedly grated on many listeners as it revolved with unwelcome frequency on US stations. Unlike a lot of pop chart ditties, its lyrics follow a narrative of a guy who reflects on his swell lifestyle in the 1950s and ’60s when he frolicked with Susie, driving a gold Chevy and did a hip dance move called the Crocodile Rock. In a word, the song was a cheese-fest, and its creators knew it.
In a past interview, Elton identified the song’s discord with an otherwise meaningful and absorbing early-’70s catalogue. “It was just a one-off thing,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. Adding, “It became a huge hit record, and in the long run, it became a negative for me.” He also called the track “disposable pop”, suggesting his regrets about releasing it on 1972’s Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player.
Speaking to Music Connection in 1989, Taupin concurred with Elton’s appraisal of the song. “I don’t want people to remember me for ‘Crocodile Rock’,” he said. “I’d much rather they remember me for songs like ‘Candle In The Wind’ and ‘Empty Garden,’ songs that convey a message. Well, they don’t really need to convey a message as long as they can convey a feeling.”
Like Elton, Taupin regards the song as an antiquated cash cow. Now it has been milked, he would be happy to see it enter the bin – or the slaughterhouse, to pursue the expression. “[It] was fun at the time, but it was pop fluff,” he added. “It was like, ‘Okay, that was fun for now, throw it away, and here’s the next one. So there’s a certain element of our music that is disposable, but I think you’ll find that in anybody’s catalogue.”
