Growing Up With Elton John – Honky Chateau
If “Your Song” off Elton’s self-titled album was the song that launched him on the national scene here in the US, Honky Chateau was the rocket that took him to the outer stratosphere. Yes, that is a veiled reference to “Rocket Man”, another huge hit that is still screamed for at his concerts today, well over thirty-five years later. But Honky Chateau is an album that is much more powerful than just “Rocket Man” and “Honky Cat”. Let’s run through the playlist, beginning with song #1. If nothing else, the record company learned what song to lead with on an album . . .
From the first staccato chords of “Honky Cat”, you knew this album was going to hold special gems. The lyrics and horns come at you with a vibrancy most rock bands couldn’t approach in those days. The guttural horns and Bernie’s lyrics about a rural redneck are pounded into a frenzy with Elton’s incredible piano riffs. This song put his piano into the national consciousness. There is no way to listen to this song without focusing a good portion of your attention on Elton’s percussive chords. Another of Elton’s wildly popular live songs, “Honky Cat” delivers rock and roll on a manically dancing keyboard. His brilliant piano-focused interludes are shoved even higher by the backing horns. Elton, as of this album, has arrived.
“Mellow” has been one of my favorite Elton tunes for decades. He comes off the frantic pace of Honky Cat to describe a quiet, loving interlude. “Wreckin’ the sheets real fine” and other references to lovemaking, set the tone for a romantic liaison. The song has a bluesy tinge to it, again with a piano out front, incredibly compelling. “Mellow” is one of those songs best shared by two. Bernie handed Elton a lyric that set a tone. Elton matched that tone perfectly with his composition. The organ solo works so well, you can just see the “coal fire glow” while you kick back and enjoy some tender moments. I listen to this album and feel sorry for all the people who have never explored Elton’s music any deeper than the radio hits. Any song on this album could have been a hit.
“I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself” is an uptempo exploration of what would happen if a big-time star would off himself. The keyboard-work sings like a barroom piano. The harmonies are smooth and the statement on teenage-dom is wonderful. The wish for Bridgette Bardot to be a distraction from the plan to kill himself is a lot of fun. Back in those days, she was lusted after by many a man. The tap and piano piece near the end of the song is fun as well. Elton’s piano is so vibrant, you can’t help but get involved.
“Susie (Dramas) is possibly my favorite tune. Possibly. Elton kicks it off with the shout “I got frostbitten in the winter, ice skating on the river, with my pretty little black-eyed girl . . .” and sets a pace that doesn’t let up. Bernie’s lyric here is intimate, giving us a view of Susie and the protagonist. The descriptions of the “fringe front on my buggy” and “a frisky little colt in a hurry” lend us mental and emotional pictures that, at least for me, makes me want to be there. The piano again. Have I mentioned it yet? Of course I have. This album has Elton’s piano so fronted in the music that you are compelled to skate over the keyboard with your ears as Elton leads you with his fingers.
“Rocket Man”. Even people who don’t know much of anything about Elton are familiar with this song. Yes, it caught the attention of teenagers everywhere. Apollo had so captured our imaginations, with moon landings and dreams of the stars, that this song slipped into an already anxious teenage desire for exploration and new heights. The lyric is also an accurate portrayal of how misunderstood teenagers felt. Parents were struggling with rock music as it became smoother, more well-produced. The music scene now had rock muscling out the previous generation’s music. Elton was a leader, giving us this epic picture of everyday workmanship in space, an idea that spoke of a loss of innocence. The composition so fits the lyric that to think of separating the two would be blasphemy.
“Salvation” is an interesting religious statement. The positive nature of the song is aided by an incredible backing vocal by Elton’s bandmates. “A chance to put the devil down without the fear of hell . . .” this song would shock the majority of conservatives that bemoan Elton’s flamboyant ways. Bernie wrote a lyric that could fit into most evangelical christian churches today. The piano builds the song up to its chorus where the backing vocals take over.
“Slave” is a return to the country flavor of Tumbleweed Connection. The title tells you to look out, The song is to the point and poignant about the life of a slave. The overbearing “Colonel” is vividly pictured by Bernie’s excellent wordsmith ways. “Slave” is set just before our war between the states (there is no such thing as a “civil” war). Another strong reference to God, this song relies more on a steel guitar and banjo than Elton’s piano to help set the country mood. Davey Johnstone does excellent work on the stringed instruments. I don’t go much into the total professionalism of Davey and Dee Murray and Nigel Olson, but they are beyond competent musicians.
“Amy” is a hard-nosed lovesong about a guy who wants to be kissed by a “lady they call Amy”. The story laid out here is fun and you find yourself rooting for the underdog suitor. Elton’s piano is back with a driving vengeance and Jean-Luc Ponty adds an electric violin that screeches to the rhythms created by Elton’s pounding keyboards. This guy wants Amy and you want to be there in the midst of the action. Thanks to superior lyrics and music performed to perfection, you are there.
Ok, earlier I hedged on my favorite song on the album, and this hedging was due to “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”. This song is so poignantly beautiful, painfully beautiful, and is led with Elton’s piano and soft, backing vocals that sweep you into this “trashcan dream come true”. Elton is in excellent voice, and once Davey’s mandolins begin to kick in, I personally can’t help but be moved by this song. “I thank the lord for the people I have found” hands us a commiserating thankfulness about each of our lives. “Spanish Harlem are not just pretty words to say” sets up the chorus and if you pay attention, the statements Taupin makes in this song can well up within you a thankfulness of your own. For my money, this is the essence of what we expect when we spend good money on music. We want to be moved. This song moves me.
“Hercules” is the “fun” song on the album. The guitars are right there with the piano, giving us a rhythm that drives us to the realization that most of us are like this guy watching Hercules steal the attention of his girl. “it hurts like hell to see my gal messin’ with a muscle-boy”, if you haven’t felt that in your life, you have been spared jealousy and you should be thankful. This song is uptempo, and the rhythms are striking and toe-tapping. It even has a Rhino whistle produced by Gus Dudgeon (a little play on words there . . .). If you want a song to bounce down the road to, this is one of the best. If you want a song at the end of the album to match the vibrancy and driving force of the first song on the album, this is the song. If you just want to enjoy one man’s take on jealousy, this too, is your song. Have fun with it!
Honky Chateau is a major wink in the direction of Elton’s meteoric rise to rock and roll power. Yes, this album rocketed him into outer space, but the next one solidified his musical statement that he was here to stay. Coming up next, my very first Elton album, Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player.