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#REDIRECT [[Bennie and the Jets]] |
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{{Single infobox |
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| Name = Benny And The Jets |
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| Cover = Bennie.JPG |
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| Artist = [[Elton John]] |
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| from Album = [[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]] |
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| B-side = "Harmony" |
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| Released = [[1973 in music|1973]] |
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| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]] |
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| Length = 5:10 |
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| Label = [[MCA Records|MCA]] |
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| Writer = [[Elton John]], [[Bernie Taupin]] |
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| Chart position = <li>#1 <small>([[Billboard Hot 100|U.S. Pop]])</small></li> <li>#37 <small>([[United Kingdom|UK]])</small></li> |
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| Last single = [[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song)|Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]]<br>(1973) |
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| This single = Benny And The Jets<br>(1973) |
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| Next single = [[Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me]]<br>(1974) |
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}} |
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'''"Benny and the Jets"''' is a song composed by [[Elton John]] and [[Bernie Taupin]]. It's written in the key of G and first appeared on the ''[[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]]'' album in 1973. "Benny and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs. |
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The song tells of "Benny 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: |
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''We'll kill the fatted calf tonight, so stick around,'' |
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''you're gonna hear electric music, solid walls of sound.'' |
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Taupin also goes on to describe the flashy wardrobe of "Benny", the leader of the band: |
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''She's got electric boots, a mohair suit...'' |
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Elton John was set against releasing "Benny 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. "Benny and the Jets" was also John's first number-one on the R&B charts. |
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== Song composition == |
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"Benny 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]]''. |
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After recording the song in the studio, John and the band worried that it was too plain and unoriginal. According to guitarist [[Davey Johnstone]], "'Benny 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 off beats. According to Dudgeon, "English audiences always clap on the off beat, they're always on when they're supposed to be off, which drives me crazy." |
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The use of live sounds has the effect of using the audience itself as a musical instrument. |
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Singer [[Mary J. Blige]] used a [[sampling (music)|sample]] of the piano intro of "Benny and the Jets" in her 1999 song "Deep Inside". On several occasions John appeared as a musical guest when Blige performed the song live. |
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An organ version of the piano intro is played at many sporting events. |
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"Benny & the Jets" was [[List of "songs with questionable lyrics" following the September 11, 2001 attacks|deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks]]. |
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==Trivia== |
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*A common coincidence of the song is the fact that [[Ben Graham (footballer)|Ben Graham]], known as Benny, played with the [[New York Jets]] leading to the phrase "''Benny & the Jets''". |
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*[[Christina Aguilera]] and Elton John performed this song live at the Fashion Rocks! concert 2006. |
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*From [[2001]] to [[2004]], [[NBC Sports]] used that song and changed the title to Benny And The Pits for [[Benny Parsons]] segments during [[NASCAR]] on [[NBC]] pre-race show. |
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*"Benny" is a slang term for [[Benzedrine]], a recreational drug popular in the early [[1970]]s. Jets is a slang term for uppers as well. |
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*The [[Newcastle United Jets]] and the former [[Winnipeg Jets]] named their mascot "Benny" after the song. |
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*Rapper [[Biz Markie]] sang the song at a [[Beastie Boys]] concert, mumbling most of the words except the line "Benny and the Jets". The performance was recorded and subsequently released on the Beastie Boys' [[1999]] anthology [[The Sounds of Science]]. Markie also performed the song on an episode of [[The Chris Rock Show]]. |
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{{start box}} |
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{{succession box |
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| before = "[[Hooked on a Feeling]]" by [[Blue Swede]] |
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| title = [[Billboard Hot 100]] [[List of number-one hits (United States)|number one single]] |
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| years = [[April 13]] [[1974]] |
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| after = "[[TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)]]" by [[MFSB]] featuring [[The Three Degrees]] |
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}} |
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{{end box}} |
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[[Category:Elton John songs]] |
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[[Category:1974 singles]] |
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[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]] |
Revision as of 02:26, 29 March 2007
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