Elton John: Awesome singer and an amazing pianist

Sir Elton John is classically trained but found his calling in rock’n’roll – here we take a look at some of his best songs (with adept improvisations on the piano) which sums up the genius of Elton John.

A career spanning nearly 50 years, Elton is one of the top three ranking artists in the history of the American Charts. There’s no doubt that Elton John is the best, his voice has hardly undergone any change in the last so many years. But he’s also a great pianist!

As a teenager he trained at the Royal Academy Of Music in London and credits his classical training for allowing him to develop his unique style of rock, funk and blues.

Taron Egerton plays Sir Elton John in his upcoming biopic (movie) named Rocketman. “I had never played before so I had to learn from scratch. I did three months of lessons and was lucky enough to get some personal guidance from Elton. I’ve loved playing so much that it is definitely something that I’ll be continuing,” revealed the Welsh actor.

Rocketman (2019) – Official Teaser Trailer

Elton John’s music is indeed awesome, but times have also changed, and John knows that. He recently said that he can’t write hits for the top of the charts anymore. He feels he can’t compete with the younger talent, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga – current artists with a newer sound.

Here are Elton John’s best songs (with piano parts).

Recording of the rock song ‘Take Me To The Pilot’ from 1970.

Elton performs ‘Take Me To The Pilot’ live (Tokyo in 1998) with an extended improvisation, showing his mastery on the piano.

Elton John lets the piano do the talking on the first track on the LP Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. ‘Funeral For A Friend’ is a purely instrumental track.

In ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight’ from 1975’s Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John hs given some memorable piano parts.

The Diving Board: Elton John’s First Piano Album

If its Elton John, you can expect outstanding quality of songwriting, music and production. And that’s what his album – ‘The Diving Board’ offers. But the difference this time is that Sir Elton focuses more on his piano playing and brings it to the front. This is Elton John’s most mature work till date and perhaps his most piano oriented album.

Despite making 30 odd studio albums over the last so many years, he had never made any simplistic record like this before, where every track is piano-led.

Sir John himself agrees. “It’s weird. I’m a piano artist, a piano singer/songwriter, and I’ve never done a record like this. I came to prominence as a live act with piano, bass and drums. That was the secret to my success in America and everywhere else, but I never made a record with that lineup. I think a lot of my fans wanted more piano.”

And this time, he has provided what the fans want! If you’re one of those who enjoy listening to good music quietly (like in your car), I bet you’re going to love this one.

Checkout the video trailers, the music sounds so beautiful.

There are definite masterpieces in there, though I doubt there will be much radio play. Eagerly waiting for the album.