Bennie and the Jets

"Bennie and the Jets" is a song composed by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. It's written in the key of G and first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs.

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

You know I read it in a magazine Ohh...

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 Top 40 hit 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 on beats. According to Dudgeon, "English audiences always clap on the on beat, they're always on when they're supposed to be off, which drives me crazy."

[edit] Covers

The NFL's New York Jets used a parody of the song called "Vinny and the Jets" during Quarterback Vinny Testaverde's first run with the team from 1998 to 2003.
The Beastie Boys remade this song for their The Sounds of Science album.

Biz Markie performed his own humorous rendition of "Bennie and the Jets" on The Chris Rock Show in 2000.
Katherine Heigl and James Marsden performed the song dancing on a bar in the 2007 film 27 Dresses

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