Bennie and the Jets
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| "Bennie And The Jets" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Elton John | ||
| from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | ||
| B-side(s) | "Harmony" | |
| Released | 1973 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 5:10 | |
| Label | MCA | |
| Writer(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |
| Chart positions | ||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||
| Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) |
Bennie And The Jets (1973) |
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (1974) |
"Bennie and the Jets" is a song composed by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. It first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs for the past three decades.
The song tells of "Bennie and the Jets", a fictional band of whom the singer, John, is a supposed fan. In interviews, Taupin has said that the song's lyrics are a satire on the music industry of the 1970s. The greed and glitz of the early '70s music scene is portrayed by Taupin's words:
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight, so stick around, you're gonna hear electric music, solid walls of sound.
Taupin also goes on to describe the flashy wardrobe of "Bennie", the leader of the band:
She's got electric boots, a mohair suit...
Elton John was set against releasing "Bennie and the Jets" on side one of the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, and was against releasing it as a single, believing that it would fail. The song peaked at number one on the singles charts in 1974. "Bennie and the Jets" was also John's first number-one on the R&B charts.
[edit] Song composition
"Bennie and the Jets" is a jaunty song that has a strong beat and, like most Elton John songs, is anchored by John's piano. The song was recorded in France at the Chateau d'Herouville, where John and Taupin had recorded their previous two albums, Honky Chateau and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.
After recording the song in the studio, John and the band worried that it was too plain and unoriginal. According to guitarist Davey Johnstone, "'Bennie and the Jets' was one of the oddest songs we ever recorded. We just sat back and said, 'This is really odd'." The song was sent to producer Gus Dudgeon, who added the "live" sound to the track. Dudgeon added applause and audience sounds from John's previous concerts, plus whistles and a hand clap on the off beats. According to Dudgeon, "English audiences always clap on the off beat, they're always on when they're supposed to be off, which drives me crazy."
The use of live sounds has the effect of using the audience itself as a musical instrument.
Singer Mary J. Blige used a sample of the piano intro of "Bennie and the Jets" in her 1999 song "Deep Inside". On several occasions John appeared as a musical guest when Blige performed the song live.
An organ version of the piano intro is played at many NBA games, including the New York Knicks.
[edit] Trivia
A common coincidence of the song is the fact that Ben Graham, known as Benny, played with the New York Jets leading to the phrase "Bennie & the Jets".
Christina Aguilera and Elton John performed this song live at the Fashion Rocks! concert 2006.
From 2001 to 2004, NBC Sports used that song and changed the title to Benny And The Pits for Benny Parsons segments during NASCAR on NBC pre-race show.
"Benny" is a slang term for Benzedrine, a recreational drug popular in the early 1970s.
| Preceded by "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single April 13, 1974 |
Succeeded by "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB featuring The Three Degrees |
