Elton John may have stepped away from touring after his historic farewell performance at Glastonbury in 2023, but retirement hasn’t dimmed his appetite for music. If anything, the man once dubbed the Rocket Man has more time than ever to sit beside his record player and lose himself in the songs that have defined his life.
For Elton, music has never been merely a profession — it’s a lifelong obsession. His weekly Rocket Hour on Apple Music isn’t a marketing exercise or a nostalgic nod to the past. It’s a heartfelt celebration of the tracks that move him today, a window into his ever-curious ear and his ongoing love affair with sound.
Unlike many artists who grow insular once they’ve achieved fame, Elton has always been an avid listener as well as a creator. In the pre-digital era, his personal record collection was almost legendary: around 25,000 LPs and 23,000 singles, all lovingly gathered before he sold them in 1993 to raise funds for the Terrence Higgins Trust, supporting people living with HIV and AIDS.
As a performer, Elton has given the world some of the most enduring and emotionally charged songs in modern music. His soaring vocals, flamboyant showmanship, and uncanny gift for melody have made him an icon. But even more crucial was his creative partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin, forged in 1967 when they both answered the same newspaper ad for songwriters. That meeting would change both their lives. Together, they crafted a string of hits through the 1970s that became part of music’s DNA — from “Your Song” to “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
Yet Elton’s musical journey began long before Taupin entered the picture. Raised on the outskirts of London, he displayed prodigious talent at the piano from an early age. By his teens, he was playing in local bands, most notably Bluesology, before striking out on his own. In 1969, he released his debut album Empty Sky, and within a year, he had formed the Elton John Band and delivered “Your Song” to the world.
Through the ’70s, ’80s, and beyond, Elton’s career seemed unstoppable, his output matched only by his appetite for discovery. Which is why, when in 2019 he appeared on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years to name the ten songs that changed his life, the list felt less like a “top ten” and more like a deeply personal autobiography told in music.
1. Elvis Presley – “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
For Elton, it all began here. He recalls his mother bringing home the single, saying she’d never heard anything like it. From the first note, he was hooked.
“This record changed my life, and it changed the face of music… it changed the world socially and musically.”
Elton was just a boy, but Elvis’ raw energy and swagger lit the fuse that would ignite his lifelong love of rock ’n’ roll.
2. Jerry Lee Lewis – “Great Balls of Fire” (1957)
If Elvis planted the seed, Jerry Lee Lewis gave Elton a vision of what was possible at the piano. The pounding keys, the unbridled energy, the sense that music could be as physical as it was melodic — it was an epiphany.
3. Little Richard – “Lucille” (1957)
Little Richard’s flamboyance and fearless stage presence showed Elton another way to break the mold.
“That voice! That look! He was electrifying… that kind of piano playing inspired me so much.”
It’s easy to see how Richard’s mix of gospel, soul, and rock became part of Elton’s DNA.
4. The Beatles – “We Can Work It Out” (1965)
Elton remembers being at school when a friend brought in “Love Me Do.” At the time, he wasn’t convinced they’d be the “biggest band in the world.” But The Beatles would soon prove him wrong.
“They revolutionised the way things were recorded… even on quite simple equipment, they experimented, and they wrote fantastic songs.”
For Elton, “We Can Work It Out” remains a masterclass in melody and craft.
5. Four Tops – “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” (1966)
Motown’s energy, harmonies, and emotional punch were impossible for Elton to resist. The Four Tops’ driving hit was the soundtrack to one of his most formative summers.
6. The Band – “The Weight” (1968)
Elton first heard Music from Big Pink on John Peel’s radio show and was instantly spellbound.
“We’d never heard anything like this before. Americana done in a soulful, funky, laid-back way.”
He and Taupin bought the import the next day, and its storytelling and musicianship heavily influenced albums like Tumbleweed Connection.
7. Aretha Franklin – “Think” (1968)
For Elton, Aretha was the gold standard. Hearing her play and sing live — without overdubs — was a revelation.
“If you don’t get excited by this kind of music, I fear for you.”
8. Leon Russell – “A Song for You” (1970)
Leon Russell wasn’t just a hero to Elton — he became a friend. Elton admired his songwriting and piano work so much that he often referred to him as his “idol.”
9. John Lennon – “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” (1974)
This wasn’t just a great record — it was the start of a cherished memory. Lennon invited Elton to play on the track, promising that if it went to number one, he’d join him onstage. It did — and Lennon kept his word.
10. Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush – “Don’t Give Up” (1986)
This song became a lifeline for Elton during his battle with addiction.
“I used to sit there and cry, thinking: ‘I won’t give up, I’ll be well one day.’”
It remains one of the most personal and emotional pieces of music in his life.
A Portrait in Ten Songs
Elton’s list covers a wide swath of genres and eras — rock ’n’ roll pioneers, Motown legends, British invasion icons, Americana storytellers, soul powerhouses, and deeply personal ballads. Together, they tell the story of a boy who fell in love with music, grew into one of its greatest stars, and never stopped listening.
Even now, long after his final bow on stage, Elton John remains — above all — a fan.
