“Bennie And The Jets”
Single by Elton John from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
B-side	"Harmony"
Released	February 4, 1974
Genre	Rock
Length	5:10
Label	MCA (US/Canada) DJM Records
Writer(s)	Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Elton John singles chronology
"Step into Christmas" (1973) Bennie and the Jets (1974) "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (1974)

"Bennie and the Jets" is a song composed by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. It's written in the key of A and first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973. ... “B-Sides” redirects here. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... // January - The Ramones form. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the genre. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc. ... DJM Records was the record label of Dick James. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Bernie Taupin (born May 22, 1950) is an English lyricist most famous for his collaboration with Elton John. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Step into Christmas was a Christmas song written and performed by Elton John, released in 1973. ... Dont Let The Sun Go Down On Me is the first single from British musician Elton Johns 1974 album Caribou; it was released that year during the latter half of May in Great Britain, and on June 10 in the United States. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Bernie Taupin (born May 22, 1950) is an English lyricist most famous for his collaboration with Elton John. ... Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973. ...

The song tells of "Bennie and the Jets", a fictional band of whom the singer, John, is a supposed fan. In interviews, Taupin has said that the song's lyrics are a satire on the music industry of the 1970s. The greed and glitz of the early '70s music scene is portrayed by Taupin's words:

We'll kill the fatted calf tonight, so stick around,

you're gonna hear electric music, solid walls of sound.

Taupin also goes on to describe the flashy wardrobe of "Bennie", the leader of the band:

She's got electric boots, a mohair suit

You know I read it in a magazine Ohh...

Elton John was set against releasing "Bennie and the Jets" on side one of the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, and was against releasing it as a single, believing that it would fail. The song peaked at number one on the singles charts in 1974. "Bennie and the Jets" was also John's first Top 40 hit on the R&B charts.

Song composition

"Bennie and the Jets" is a jaunty song that has a strong beat and, like most Elton John songs, is anchored by John's piano. The song was recorded in France at the Chateau d'Herouville, where John and Taupin had recorded their previous two albums, Honky Chateau and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. Honky Château is the sixth album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1972 (see 1972 in music). ... Dont Shoot Me Im Only the Piano Player is the seventh album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973 (see 1973 in music). ...

After recording the song in the studio, John and the band worried that it was too plain and unoriginal. According to guitarist Davey Johnstone, "'Bennie and the Jets' was one of the oddest songs we ever recorded. We just sat back and said, 'This is really odd'." The song was sent to producer Gus Dudgeon, who added the "live" sound to the track. Dudgeon added applause and audience sounds from John's previous concerts, plus whistles and a hand clap on the on beats. According to Dudgeon, "English audiences always clap on the on beat, they're always on when they're supposed to be off, which drives me crazy." Johnstone(left) performing Funeral For a Friend at an Elton John concert. ... Gus Dudgeon (1942 - 2002) was a British record producer, and the inventor of audio sampling as a musical device. ...

Covers

• The NFL's New York Jets used a parody of the song called "Vinny and the Jets" during Quarterback Vinny Testaverde's first run with the team from 1998 to 2003.
• The Beastie Boys remade this song for their The Sounds of Science album.

• Biz Markie performed his own humorous rendition of "Bennie and the Jets" on The Chris Rock Show in 2000.