Song #323: "Bennie And The Jets" by Elton John

Date: Apr 13, 1974
Weeks: 1

I don't think I've ever heard the original recording of this song before. I had to do a bit of research when picking out the clip above. I generally try to find a version of the song that is as close to the original single recording as possible. That can be tricky sometimes, when music videos change the song, live performances abound, and remixes are plentiful. And that's before I even get to the issue of covers.

I was pretty sure this song had been a hit as a live recording, since I'd never heard it performed any other way. Well, one other way (Muppets!). I came to find out that the original recording was actually a fake-live recording. As in, it was a studio-recorded song, but they mixed it in such a way as to provide the impression of a live recording. While I might be tempted to attack the song for faking a live performance (which I have previously equated to a sitcom using canned laughter), it honestly feels like this song is improved as a live song.

There's not a lot of instrumentation going on here. The piano is at the forefront, and there's a bit of bass and drum providing backup. But the overall sound is kind of thin. It's also a bit repetitive overall, especially during the lingering piano solos, when Elton keeps singing "Bennie" over and over again. But the canned audience makes it feel fun. This is doubtless a centerpiece of an Elton John live show, where a genuine live audience reacts and participates by at least clapping along, if not outright singing counterpoint the same way the Muppets do. Reportedly, Elton John improvises and stylizes the ending and extends this song out to make a great piece of live entertainment, and the audience reactions in the original recording successfully capture that. Part of me wonders why he didn't just perform it live and record it, but whatever, the effect is essentially the same. I do think the sudden addition of a fairly random synthesizer toward the end of the song is entirely unnecessary, though.

As for the lyrics, it's kind of similar to "Crocodile Rock" (#289) in that Elton John is extolling the virtues of fictional music. I've honestly never considered the lyrics before, because Elton John oversings them in such a way that it's hard to make them out. Even the oversinging isn't a problem, though, since it just contributes to that live song energy that this song thrives on. In particular, the song gets really fun when he sings "She's got electric boots, a mohair suit, you know I read it in a magazine." I think between his pronunciation of "magazine" and his clever rhythmic stutter on "B-b-b-b-Bennie," he's created a really special song here. One that thrives as a live performance.

My verdict: Like it. While I like a well-mixed and carefully manufactured pop song as much as anyone, sometimes a great live song, even one that is fake-live, is wonderfully entertaining as well.