Bennie and The Jets

"Bennie and the Jets" is a song composed by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The song is written in the key of G major 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.

The song tells of "Bennie and the Jets", a fictional band of whom the song's narrator is a 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...

"Bennie and the Jets" was featured on side one of the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, and Elton John was set against releasing it as a single, believing it would fail. Radio station CKLW in Windsor-Detroit began heavy airplay of the song and it became the number one song in Detroit. This attention caused other American and Canadian Top 40 stations to add it to their playlists as well and as a result, the song peaked at number one on the US singles charts in 1974. In the U.S., it was certified Gold on 8 April 1974 and Platinum on 13 September 1975 by the RIAA. for the same shipment of 1 million copiesand had sold 2.8 million copies by August 1976.

"Bennie and the Jets" was also John's first Top 40 hit on the R&B charts, going to number one there as well, according to MCA Records promotion executive Pat Pipolo. The acceptance of "Bennie" on R&B radio helped land John, a huge soul music fan, a guest appearance on the 17 May 1975, edition of Soul Train, during which he played "Bennie and the Jets" and "Philadelphia Freedom." In Canada, it held the #1 spot on the RPM national singles charts for two weeks (13–20 April), becoming his first number one single of 1974 and his fourth overall.

Axl Rose, of Guns N' Roses, has stated it was listening to "Bennie and the Jets" that inspired him to become a singer. He would later perform alongside Elton John at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.