1972 Rock Classic, Named No. 1 Hit Song for Three Weeks, Became a Timeless Anthem

Elton John’s rise to superstardom didn’t happen overnight, but it reached a defining turning point with the release of “Crocodile Rock” in 1973.

Long before his smash hits like “Rocket Man,” “Part-Time Love” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” the British singer launched an electrifying track with an upbeat and nostalgic glam rock-pop rhythm that was hard to ignore.

“Crocodile Rock,” which was part of the composer and pianist’s sixth studio album, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player, skyrocketed his music career to a new level.

At the time, the single peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and dominated the chart for three weeks, marking his first number-one single in the United States.

In addition, the song also topped the Canadian RPM 100 national singles chart for four consecutive weeks. The same was true in Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland.

From chart-topping success, one of the pop-rock song’s most famous recognitions was the singer’s 1978 performance on The Muppet Show.

Elton John sang “Crocodile Rock” in a vibrant, feathered and detailed costume while playing the piano alongside crocodile Muppets as backing vocalists.

Decades after the song’s release, it remains a pivotal part of Elton John’s music career.

The track’s success contributed to the singer and Bernie Taupin, his long-time lyricist, songwriting partner and closest friend, being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992.

Despite its massive success in the early 1970s, Taupin admitted to having mixed feelings about the song, expressing his desire to be remembered more for his work on Elton John’s other notable hits.

“I don’t want people to remember me for ‘Crocodile Rock,'” the composer shared in a 1989 interview with Music Connection magazine, as cited by Ultimate Classic Rock. “I’d much rather they remember me for songs like ‘Candle in the Wind’ and ‘Empty Garden,’ songs that convey a message…a feeling. But there are things like ‘Crocodile Rock,’ which was fun at the time, but it was pop fluff. It was like, ‘Okay, that was fun for now, throw it away, and here’s the next one.’ So there’s a certain element of our music that is disposable, but I think you’ll find that in anybody’s catalog.”

“Crocodile Rock” is still one of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s most popular legacy songs that sparked various covers from notable artists, including the 1991 live version by The Beach Boys, Larkin Poe in 2020, giving the song a rock and blues twist, as well as the metal rendition of Leo Moracchioli in 2021.

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