MCA 2128
Producer: Gus Dudgeon
Track listing: Your Song / Daniel / Honky Cat / Goodbye Yellow Brick Road / Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting / Rocket Man / Bennie and the Jets / Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me / Border Song / Crocodile Rock
November 30, 1974
10 weeks
With nine top 10 hits in a mere five years, Elton John was at the height of his popularity when MCA Records suggested he take a break from his hectic recording schedule while the company issued his first Greatest Hits collection, just in time for the holiday buying season.
Greatest Hits was compiled by John’s longtime producer Gus Dudgeon. As its title suggests, Greatest Hits features the highest-charting singles from John’s first four Number One albums — Honky Chateau, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Caribou. “The Bitch Is Back” from Caribou, which was climbing the Hot 100 while Greatest Hits was being assembled, didn’t make John’s first best-of collection, but would surface on Greatest Hits Vol. II.
Also included is “Your Song,” John’s first top 10 hit, and “Border Song,” the only track on the collection that wasn’t a hit. “Border Song,” John’s first charting single, stalled at number 92 in August 1970. Both songs were originally featured on John’s 1970 self-titled album, which reached number four.
“Your Song” marked a turning point in John’s early career. “That was the song that Steve Brown brought to me when he introduced me to Elton,” says Dudgeon. Brown produced John’s first album, 1969’s Empty Sky, which reached number six when it was released in America for the first time in early 1975. “Steve didn’t feel he was up for the job,” Dudgeon adds. “And I admire him for doing that, for having the guts to admit that maybe he wasn’t a good enough producer for Elton.” While Dudgeon was incredibly impressed with the song, he wasn’t sure it would be a hit. “I was concerned, because compared to what was on the charts at the time, it was very sophisticated. So we cheated a bit. We decided we would open the door slowly.”
In England, John’s 1969 single “Lady Samantha” had received substantial airplay, although it failed to become a hit. “The door was a bit open, but we felt we might blow it with ‘Your Song’ if it came too early.” So, “Border Song” was released as a single first, serving as a primer for “Your Song.” John’s career received a boost when legendary soul diva Aretha Franklin covered “Border Song.” Says Dudgeon, “That immediately gave Elton tremendous credibility in America as a writer.” In January 1971, “Your Song” became a belated hit, reaching number eight. Nearly four years later, John’s Greatest Hits accomplished one of his greatest album chart triumphs, as it stayed at the summit for 10 weeks, a feat none of his previous or future releases would match.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of November 30, 1974
1. Greatest Hits, Elton John
2. It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll, Rolling Stones
3. Not Fragile, Bachman-Turner Overdrive
4. Walls and Bridges, John Lennon
5. Photographs & Memories, His Greatest Hits, Jim Croce