Bennie and the Jets (5:12)

The lyrics to this jazzy tune satirize the rock music scene of the early 1970’s by telling the story of a fictitious band, “Bennie and the Jets”, that the narrator is supposedly a fan of.

The hand claps on this song were overdubbed by producer Gus Dudgeon to give the song a “live” sound, which complimented the mindless fanaticism of the song’s narrator for the band in question.

This song was a major hit for John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, peaking at #1 on the pop charts in early 1974 and also providing John with his first top 40 R&B entry.