I’m a fan of Elton John so I decided to write an article highlighting ten powerful rock ballads by Elton
John. I like piano in rock music, and the piano in these songs is played by Elton who’s the world’s
most successful singing pianist. I featured some of his hit songs in this list. I tried to select songs that
are both rock and ballad. If you don’t agree with my assessment of a song being a rock ballad, I
hope you’ll at least be interested in the song. All these songs are composed by Elton John with lyrics
written by his lyricist Bernie Taupin. I mention some of the musicians who played on these songs in
this post, most of which are Elton John’s band members as well as session musicians he’s worked
with. The most prominent member is Elton John’s guitarist Davey Johnstone who appears on eight
of the ten tracks. We begin with a song from the most popular period of Elton John’s career.
Candle in the Wind (1973)
This song is part of Elton’s most successful studio album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and was
recorded with the original Elton John band line-up of Davey Johnstone (guitars), Dee Murray (bass)
and Nigel Olsson (drums). The piano is most prominent in the verses. It has both acoustic and
electric guitars. The electric guitars give the song a rock feel, featuring the great guitar riff played
throughout the song. This is one of Elton’s most well known songs which is a showcase of his
melodic songwriting skills. I would like to see Elton record a whole album with just the four
instruments in this song (piano, guitar, bass, drums) and nothing else (meaning no keyboards,
percussion, strings, horns, etc) except backing vocals.
The Fox (1981)
It opens with a piano which is soon joined by harmonica. After that Elton sings, with subtle drumming
by Nigel Olsson. A few guitar notes by Richie Zito are played. Dee Murray’s bass gets a bit louder.
After about a minute the drumming gets more intense with the guitar parts played a bit more. This
song has a country/americana element with the harmonica giving a sound different to the usual Elton
song, but at the base it has the traditional Elton John song structure. This song is a good example of
Elton mixing his own style with something different. This song’s rock elements come most
prominently from Elton’s great piano playing.
Healing Hands (1989)
This is my favourite Elton John song. It opens with Jonathan Moffett’s drums which is joined by the
piano four seconds later. The piano is joined by Davey Johnstone’s guitar and there is some
synthesizer parts. The guitar parts may not be very loud, but they do have a rock feel. Elton plays a
great piano solo that rocks at about the two and a half minute mark. Elton does great powerful
singing and I really like the optimistic message of the lyrics. I love the lyric "There’s a light, where the
darkness ends" in it.
Amazes Me (1989)
The song has good backing vocals in the opening part and later on in the song. Elton delivers soulful
strong vocals. Davey plays rock guitar throughout the song. There is suddenly an intense guitar solo
giving the song a sudden jolt which contrasts with what was heard before with its stronger rock feel.
Near the end it is good to hear Elton sing the chorus line "could be this tune" very expressively unlike the previous instances.
The One (1992)
This is an epic long rock ballad going on for five minutes and fifty three seconds. It starts off simple
and slow, and the song gets more intense about fifty seconds in with the drums. In the first chorus
there is an acoustic guitar part. The piano and the drums give some rock in the chorus. The second
verse starts off slower with subtle drumming and then brings back the intense drumming and some
electric guitar comes in. Elton delivers a good piano solo which is supplemented with synthesizer.
Elton’s part at the end of the song is similar to his piano solo which is soon joined by a good rock
guitar part. The guitars on the song are played by Adam Seymour and Davey Johnstone. I assume
that the electric guitar parts are played by Davey, but I don’t know for sure. This song is reminiscent
of "Candle in the Wind" as both songs have acoustic & electric guitars and a rock guitar part, but no
guitar solo.
Believe (1995)
It opens with piano and subtle acoustic guitars. Drums soon join in. There is an orchestra and some
electric guitars. Near the end of the first verse, the electric guitars become more prominent which are
a strong part of the chorus. The electric guitars give the song a rock element. There is also a good
electric sitar solo by Davey Johnstone. This song can be described as a power ballad.
Something About the Way You Look Tonight (1997)
This is his biggest hit as it was paired together with "Candle in the Wind 1997". It opens with all
instruments featuring a memorable opening played by the orchestra doubled on guitar. After that
piano is the dominant instrument which it continues to be during most of the verses. It features organ
by Paul Carrack. It has a great melody. About three minutes in, there is a good guitar solo played by
Davey Johnstone or John Jorgenson (who were both in Elton’s band on this album). Following that
there are some more prominent guitar parts.
I Want Love (2001)
This song comes from his great 2001 comeback album "Songs from the West Coast". The album
had a back to the 70s approach, yet also is the most modern sounding album he’s made. The album
featured session musicians and his original two band members Davey Johnstone (guitar) and Nigel
Olsson (drums) who are both on this track. It opens with the great piano opening that’s joined by the
acoustic guitar played by Bruce Gaitsch. Interestingly, Bruce co-wrote Richard Marx’s 1987 hit rock
song "Don’t Mean Nothing" that I like. We hear some bass guitar notes, Nigel Olsson’s drums and
about twenty seconds later Davey Johnstone’s rocking electric guitar parts come in. There is a
bridge which gives a good change to the melody followed by Davey’s great guitar solo. This is one of
Elton’s best songs showcasing his strength in writing a melodic rock ballad.
Tinderbox (2006)
This song has a 70s Elton feel and also features both original band members Davey Johnstone
(guitars) and Nigel Olsson (drums). There is both acoustic and electric guitars, with the electric
guitars coming in at about the two minute mark. The bridge has more guitars and rocks well. There
bassist Bob Birch is also on the track. Bob plays noticeable bass notes in the opening part as he’s
the only instrument other than piano in that section. Bob Birch died in 2012. The album "The Captain
& the Kid" that it's from is the last Elton John studio album that they both appeared on.
Candlelit Bedroom (2013)
This is a very Elton John song, having his signature piano based rock ballad sound. Doyle Bramhall
II’s guitar joins in about a minute in giving a good addition to the song. About two and a half minutes
in, there a rocking guitar solo which is good to have. We then go back to the chorus. It’s fitting that
this song list both opens and closes with a candle song which interestingly were released forty years
apart.
I hope you enjoyed reading this list of Elton John rock ballads. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts
on any of these songs. If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested in my previous article "Sci-Fi
