Date: Feb 3, 1973
Weeks: 3
Just yesterday I was talking about a throwback song, and I was going through some examples in my mind. But somehow I completely ignored "Crocodile Rock." It's done in a very 50s, Jerry Lee Lewis, rocking-piano style, and it's excellent. This is Elton John's first No. 1, and it's one of his best. I'm sure my first exposure to him was his episode of The Muppet Show, and among the songs he performed was this one, with Crocodiles performing the "la la la" chorus.
The music is mostly a healthy mix of synthesized keyboards and genuine piano, with a great bass track at the foundation. The song is trying to emulate that Jerry Lee Lewis sound, but update it with some early 70s instrumentation, and it does so very successfully. The song is built around nostalgia for that type of 50s music, and it recreates it excellently. If anything, I think "Crocodile Rock" is a better song than "Great Balls of Fire."
Elton John's voice is great at any time. He can really belt out a tune, and he always has a good performance to match the music he's playing. This song is certainly no exception to that. His falsetto also successfully references the music of the 50s. As I've encountered already, there was a lot of that falsetto singing in the early rock music he's trying to reference.
Lyrically, the song is about nostalgia for the singer's youth. Specifically lost love, lost youth, and lost music. Pretty universal concept. What's a more effective way to sing about your nostalgia for a type of music than to make a song in that style? Admittedly, after listening to this song for years without really taking in the lyrics, I expected there to be a bit more of a reference to crocodiles, or being in a place known for crocodiles. But no, there's really not. Crocodile Rock is a fictional concept from the past, and the origins of it are never explained. That's fine.
My verdict: Like it. This is a great song. I think it's Elton John's best, although there are a few others on this list that might be close.
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