‘Crocodile Rock’: The classic track Elton John wrote in “less than a half hour”
Some of the greatest pop songs of all time often feel like they were written by accident. Most artists have tried their best to put songs together from nothing, but sometimes just a bunch of jokers screwing around with a bunch of chords can result in an all-time classic if they just get played at the right time. Elton John was usually known for poring over many of his songs until they were the most perfect recording they could be, but when it came time to make ‘Crocodile Rock’, it took him no time at all to get results.
Granted, the lyric sheet to ‘Crocodile Rock’ doesn’t warrant you thinking too hard about it. Bernie Taupin may have written some interesting images that John brought to life with his music, but this is the kind of mindlessly fun song that doesn’t really need an epic prog section behind it.
Which is strange, considering it’s on the album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player. Despite the tongue-in-cheek name of the record, this is actually one of the more sombre collections of songs that John ever pieced together. Taupin had already worn his Bob Dylan influence on his sleeve, and with Honky Chateau under his belt, songs like ‘Daniel’ are the kind of wistful ballads that most lyricists would kill to write.
If anything, are we sure that ‘Crocodile Rock’ wasn’t put on here because there were no other leading hit singles? I mean, obviously, ‘Daniel’ would be a great way for people to be eased into the rest of the album, but hearing a song that feels like it’s ripped out of a middle school dance circa 1956 is much easier to sell.
When putting the track together, John admitted that he wasn’t trying to write ‘Hey Jude’ or anything, telling Classic Rock Stories, “The music for it was written in less than half an hour. I always wanted to write one song, a nostalgic song, a rock and roll song which captured the right sounds. ‘Crocodile Rock’ was just a combination of so many songs, really. ‘Little Darling’, ‘Oh Carol’, some Beach Boys influences, they’re in there as well, I suppose”.
Being Elton John, though, he isn’t exactly subtle about his influences, either. This is the same guy who wore the kind of outfits that made him look like a bug onstage, and for all of the grit that he puts into the pre-chorus, that singalong ‘la la la’ part is one of the most gloriously cheesy sections of any 1970s rock song.
He may have been going for that Beach Boys sound, but there’s a reason why the song ended up being good enough to be performed on The Muppets. That’s not to say that it’s a bad section by any means – it might just lend itself to being lighthearted a little too well.
While both John and Taupin have claimed to be absolutely sick of the song over the years, that doesn’t discount its catchiness. For all we know, this could be the one song that gets children into John’s music the same way ‘Yellow Submarine’ got people listening to Beatles songs. It’s a little bit too chipper sometimes, but there were plenty more classic songs to follow.
