‘Crocodile Rock’: the classic song Elton John wrote as a joke
By the start of the 1970s, Elton John and Bernie Taupin had an established formula for writing songs. The pair had massive amounts of love and respect for each other as friends and collaborators, but during the nitty-gritty of bringing music to life, the duo rarely interacted beyond the occasional suggestion. Taupin wrote the lyrics in one room, and John composed the music in another. It’s just the way that worked best.
However, the duo were rarely not on the same page. When a song needed an emotional push, John would compose an elegant ballad arrangement. When a song was clearly a rough-and-tumble rock number, John would break out his best Jerry Lee Lewis impression. And for John’s first number one hit, ‘Crocodile Rock’, he and Taupin were both on the same not-so-serious wavelength.
“It was written as a kind of joke, as a pastiche, and it became a big hit, and people love to sing along with it,” John revealed to the NME in 2021. “So who am I to say ‘I am not going to play it’ because I play to amuse people and to entertain people.”
Indeed, John has been entertaining fans with ‘Crocodile Rock’ for decades. The flamboyant singer has been touring nearly non-stop for five decades. Since it was originally released as a single from Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player in 1972, ‘Crocodile Rock’ has been a permanent fixture of John’s live shows. If you went to an Elton John concert and didn’t hear ‘Crocodile Rock’, you would seemingly be in the right if you asked for your money back.
Still, John is counting down the days where he doesn’t have to play ‘Crocodile Rock’ anymore. “The last time I have to sing [‘Crocodile Rock’], I will probably throw a party,’ he claimed ‘But people love to hear it. But I have to say, when the last show is done at the end of the tour, I will never ever sing that song again.”
John has already wrapped up his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ jaunt, so the final ‘Crocodile Rock’ might have already been played. He still has some scattered concert appearances ahead, including a headlining gig at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival, and it seems almost inconceivable that John would play a festival slot without ‘Crocodile Rock’. All we know is that he’s probably not looking forward to it very much.
Check out ‘Crocodile Rock’ down below.
