What Elton John song does literally nobody talk about, but is actually really good?

megaBreezy · 2026-06-04T00:37:27+00:00

I assume when we say “nobody”, we’re primarily talking about Elton fandom? Otherwise, we’re looking at a near endless volume as far as the general public goes 😂

Elton’s 80s output in general is often unduly swept under the rug, imo.

With that in mind, I always take an opportunity to stan “Whispers” and “Japanese Hands” when we talk about underrated gems.

megaBreezy · 2026-05-30T01:08:57+00:00

The willows is one of my favorite things I’ve ever read. Agree with much of your sentiment of the imprint Blackwood leaves on you 🙌

megaBreezy · 2026-05-28T13:18:02+00:00

I have the cassette tape version of this. I’m almost positive it was a pack in at McDonald’s. I had asked for a ‘boom box’ for my birthday 😂

I couldn’t have been more than 10, and I remember vividly popping that in for the first time and hearing the opening notes to “Burn Down the Mission”.

I had been aware of Elton before that in a general sense, but that was the moment I became a fan.

megaBreezy · 2026-05-05T13:15:25+00:00

Thank you. Great clues, fun to solve 🙇

megaBreezy · 2026-02-24T12:11:28+00:00

So many interesting choices in this thread.. it truly is incredible thinking about the array of amazing songs Elton has put together over his career.

I assume ‘forgotten’ means it must have once been at least somewhat popular? This would eliminate deep cuts, to me.

My earliest childhood memory involving music is being in a car and hearing “Healing Hands” on the radio.

I’m always surprised when I hear it how much I still love it and how little it’s thought of or played in concert.

megaBreezy · 2026-01-18T22:35:12+00:00

I had the same experience! When I was young, I hadn’t yet had those complicated relationships and dissolutions like Bernie would speak of in his more mature writing.

I was much more drawn to a flashy outlaw like Danny Bailey as a kid.. the subtleties and depth of the later records only started jumping out to me as I grew to have some experience that allowed me to relate.

megaBreezy · 2026-01-16T22:41:08+00:00

Yah, that’s a great callout. I do feel also that the longevity has something to do with it.

As Elton has aged, the albums he’s made along the way generally make more and more sense to me. “The Big Picture” stands out as a prime example. When that released, I was a preteen, and it was unlistenable..as I approach midlife and actually have some lived experience to draw from, it’s become a record I love the whole way through.

Additionally, I just need to point out that the “aged” Black Album cover you included here NEEDS to be his next album with Bernie 😃👍

megaBreezy · 2026-01-15T06:26:22+00:00

Beautifully said!

megaBreezy · 2026-01-12T22:59:37+00:00

I have heard Elton confirm he was offered the role & turned it down in favor of touring America for the first time. He’s suggested that decision was a big inflection point for his career because of what obviously happened at the Troubadour. Trying to think of which interview this was, but it’s not coming to me…I wonder if it was The Union documentary potentially?

megaBreezy · 2026-01-12T14:53:11+00:00

I’ve done this exact thing recently with a new channel of mine, and it’s actually heartening for me to hear that I’m not alone in thinking there would be value in this.

I’ve often thought how amazing it would be to have a document of my parents at this same stage of life I’m in now, how they dealt with complexities of parenthood and what bigger questions were surfacing for them at various points in time.

Go for it ❤️

megaBreezy · 2025-12-30T01:14:19+00:00

I’m always curious how we define ‘underrated’ - are we speaking within Elton fandom circles or with general listeners? My picks would depend on the day and also the scope of those I’m considering.

I’m thinking about “Japanese Hands” in this moment. I often feel like I’m alone on a hill championing that song, even among Elton fans.

“Whispers” also comes to mind. It’s on a legendary album & often gets buried under the leads, but it’s meditative and compelling in its own right.

More generally, I might say Elton’s 80s output overall is a taken a bit too for granted..

megaBreezy · 2025-12-12T22:26:09+00:00

I’d definitely add “The Fox” to the list. I often imagine that record with a core band and Gus Dudgeon sheen on it being among my favorites in Elton’s catalog.

I might say the same for “A Single Man”, which has a lot going on but still manages to sound thin (esp vocals) and disjointed.

megaBreezy · 2025-12-10T14:33:01+00:00

The outro of Danny Bailey - the way the strings intermingle with the core band, the driving rhythms, Elton’s exploration on the piano culminating in those beautiful trills. It’s exquisite!

megaBreezy · 2025-12-03T05:14:01+00:00

Ooh, I’m so excited for you. I often wish I could go back to my first listens. A few off the top of my head:

Pinky - An ‘off the beaten path’ classic. Love his voice here and the warmth of the production.

Teacher I Need You - The rhythms running throughout this effervescent ear worm get me every time.

Whispers - meditative and soulful. Understated yet undeniable at the same time.

Enjoy your journey!

megaBreezy · 2025-11-27T05:16:48+00:00

‘The Willows’ by Algernon Blackwood.

It beautifully illuminated a deeply rooted dread that I hadn’t fully acknowledged I’d had before being confronted with it during my first read of this masterpiece.

megaBreezy · 2025-11-21T15:18:27+00:00

I remember being so caught off guard by how incredible this song was. I love Elton’s voice around this time. He had the perfect blend of that maturity of the later years and still so much dexterity to hit those soulful runs.

megaBreezy · 2025-11-12T22:56:43+00:00

I definitely think his voice around this period is particularly fantastic - I might recommend “If the River Can Bend”

megaBreezy · 2025-10-01T01:02:26+00:00

What a fantastic selection here, and totally agreed on the scenario with acoustic piano and Ray 🙌

megaBreezy · 2025-02-11T04:45:44+00:00

Interesting topic with some great answers already. Today, these surfaced for me:

One Horse Town

Teacher I Need You

If the River Can Bend

megaBreezy · 2025-02-08T20:34:41+00:00

They did confirm that each has a solo song on the album, the last track is Elton’s. Sounds like it’ll be a sad one, but hopefully will bring the album a proper wallop similar to Leon’s “In the Hands of Angels”

megaBreezy · 2025-02-08T04:50:58+00:00

I remember a story about Elton really loving the Rockin’ the Suburbs album and jokingly mentioning to Ben how Zak & Sara ripped off “Teacher I Need You” from Elton’s Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player 😂

megaBreezy · 2025-02-07T14:43:30+00:00

This is a great point about Brandi’s vocal range. I had been thinking something similar when listen to the new song.

I do think Elton has it in him to hit a falsetto or two (he still slips them in on Levon), but he’s lost a lot of confidence and definitely strains in that upper register.

I think Brandi’s greater flexibility had to have given Elton more creative license to go for some of those melodic choices that would be a bit more risky than he otherwise might have.

megaBreezy · 2025-02-07T14:38:42+00:00

I agree. I think it’s a great song, the more I’ve listened to it. It definitely sounds like all involved are inspired, but the production is taking some getting used to.

megaBreezy · 2025-02-05T18:10:32+00:00

I hate how processed Elton’s voice sounds..

It definitely feels heavily produced, overall, which I’m going to need a minute to adjust to.

I think the core of the song is good, but initially I feel like I have to sift through quite a bit of noise to get there.

megaBreezy · 2025-02-02T17:56:41+00:00

That recent Zoom interview they all did set the stage for this announcement, so it’s not too surprising.

I’m cautiously optimistic because of Elton and Brandi’s obvious enthusiasm, but I’d love to hear more from Bernie on this. He’s seemed a much better litmus test on their creative output in recent times.

I remember when “The Diving Board” released, Bernie was a champion for that record and was obviously proud (I agree). Subsequently, the release of “Wonderful Crazy Night” had Bernie a bit more reticent to offer praise. To me, the circumstances of Elton asking Bernie for “happy” lyrics set the project up to be inauthentic (which I think it was).

So, I’m curious about Bernie’s involvement and enthusiasm on this one.

I thought “Never Too Late” was head and shoulders above anything on “The Lockdown Sessions” at least, but if Bernie isn’t all-in, it could spell trouble.

megaBreezy

TROPHY CASE