Elton John, the legend behind over 300 million records and such greats as Tiny Dancer, is considered the peacekeeper of the music industry. But the truth of the matter is that the reality that goes on behind the curtain is far more explosive. Several of the most well-known bands the legend was speculated to admire were actually the ones he disliked the most. This not out of jealousy, mind you, but out of a notion that these bands went too far, insulting the art form he lived for, thereby insulting himself. But was it
jealousy or did Elton hear something in their music that he just couldn’t forgive? In order to answer that question, it is essential to reveal the six bands that set him off. First on the list was the Rolling Stones, his oldest and bitterest rival. Of all the bands Elton John has had a feud with, the Rolling Stones have perhaps fought him the longest and hardest. The feud has smoldered for many years, thanks in part to pride, competition, and the never- ending feeling of the Rolling Stones not
caring about creativity well before they stopped touring. The first major rift occurred in the mid 1970s at a chaotic rear stage moment at Madison Square Garden. Mick Jagger had been straying into solo pursuits. While Elton, already at the pinnacle of success as a solo star, simply could not help but hurl a barb. Noting Jagger’s clothing and increasingly long entourage, he allegedly bit off. Sweetheart, not everyone is destined for a solo career. Some people ought to just stay in their day job. Jagger was stunned, mouthed no
words, and left. Later, Keith Richards would remember Elton as that flashy sod with a notion that sparkles are a personality. Elton then became increasingly frustrated with what he perceived to be the Stones refusal to change. In a 2011 interview in Rolling Stone, Elton lashed out at the Stones in some of his most scathing remarks to date, suggesting they were still attempting to be the bad boys of rock in their 60s, and that the only way to truly be subversive was to change, to not simply play the same three chords
for the next 50 years. He clearly considered the Stones a museum piece trying to be bad. Meanwhile, the Stones evidently saw Elton as a showy performer who confused sparkles with substance. Another escalation was introduced by the elaborate stage shows that Elton was putting on in the 1970s, which began getting more publicity than the Stone Stripped Down Concerts. According to Roies, Jagger was so angry for days after seeing previews of articles that commended Elton’s Madison Square Garden show for being so primitive by
comparison that it embarrassed the Stones. However, instead of putting an end to the rivalry, Elton simply fueled the fire by stating, “If they spent less time posing, maybe they wouldn’t get upstaged.” In recent years, the distance has only made matters harder. In regard to the 50th anniversary tour that the Stones played, Elton said, “Longevity is an achievement. You’ve got to make something worth lasting. None has made any attempt at reconciliation that has made the other interested. It has simply
remained frozen. The next group on Elton’s list were the Beatles, and it was their solo career that made Elton John so angry. The aftermath of the split and the subsequent rush of solo records began the beef right away. Elton loved their historical legacy, but what followed made him furious in a way that few other bands ever had. They thought they were squandering their legendary status. Privately, Elton has said that he thought the music they made post Beatles was a tragedy of declining standards. Paul McCartney’s wings caused
the initial detonation. In an interview Elton gave to Melody Maker in 1976, “He let slip something that shocked even his own associates,” Elton said, referring to a Beatle producing substandard songs. “It’s like watching Michelangelo paint by numbers.” Going on to say that he found it physically painful. Elton meant this as a statement of utmost seriousness as he himself hated watching one of his musical idols playing such substandard tunes. Each time Wings topped the chart, he allegedly
complained, “This couldn’t be the same man that gave us Blackbird.” George Harrison was not left unaffected by his anger either. Elton had no use for the spiritual and sitar-filled trajectory of Harrison’s music and found it baffling that the critics admired it. Elton was said to be so upset by the concert for Bangladesh concert that he stormed out and told drummer Nigel Olsen that all the mystical malarkey was just an excuse for an inability to come up with melodies and that he would be sent to
therapy with one more satar performance. Elton was excluded from his social life by Harrison for close to a decade. However, the hardest blows came to Ringo star himself at a party celebrating the release of Goodnight Vienna. Elton supposedly quipped, “The fourth most talented beetle is like the fourth crayon in a box of three.” Everyone laughed except Ringo. One word that captures the essence of Elton’s displeasure and bitterness was disappointment. Elton thought the Beatles had already changed the world in
a positive manner and that there was no reason to fail to be exceptional this time around. This was encapsulated by a quote from the early 1980s that stated, “As lightning doesn’t strike twice, but at least don’t hand us the empty bottle.” Though Elton remains close with John Lennon, he never did reconcile with the other Beatles. He kept a respectable distance, but never regained his adoration, only the pain of what they could have been. The other artist on his list was Queen, which started as a
secret competition no one foresaw. Although Elton John and Queen have a history of animosity towards each other, their feud didn’t stem from a misinterpretation. No, their feud started because Elton John was annoyed at Queen’s decision to combine grandeur and rock music without ever offering apologies for their choices. “They think volume and stage clothes can sub for Songcraft,” he told Recording Studio Engineer in the middle 1970s. “That’s not rock music, that’s circus,” Elton
reportedly told him. I have never seen Elton be so pointedly contemptuous of other artists, the engineer recalled years later. The awakening came with the success of Bohemian Raps City, which ousted Elton’s Island Girl from the charts. Rather than feigning graciousness, Elton turned to his manager, John Reed, with a statement, “Three weeks of overdubbing and vocal stacking. Try doing it in one take.” In this veiled insult, Elton was jealous of the attention that Freddy Mercury was
suddenly receiving. Elton heard critics referring to Freddy as the most flamboyant man in British music, which was clearly a provocation. The strongest memory was at the live aid concert in 1985. Elton was pent up backstage, ready to perform, when Freddy marched by, complete with costume, accompanied by his retinue. Elton turned to his crowd and loudly stated, “There’s only room for one queen.” The words were heard by several people, including Freddy, who chose not to throw any more ammunition
at his rival, instead opting to turn the other cheek, smile very slowly, and walk away, leaving Elton seething with anger at being outmaneuvered. The rivalry intensified as Queen paired with Elton’s closest friends, including David Bowie. Elton was said to have grumbled behind the scenes for the sake of Rolling Stone magazine correspondent Peter Crew Mills that Freddy borrowed credibility from Bowie who wanted to be taken seriously. The comments stung hard as Freddy looked up to Bowie. Nonetheless, Elton did not
leave Mercury’s side after he fell ill. Elton’s rivalry nonetheless continued unabated throughout their latter years. Elton has since attested that this rivalry had left him feeling like the people you fight the hardest are the ones you fear might outshine you. The rivalry between Elton John’s group Queen had not dissipated but laid dormant instead. The next on his list was Oasis and it was where respect turned to sheer loathing. This feud did not simmer on the back burner for years reaching a
boiling point. It just detonated. Elton’s own fan base now found themselves on the receiving end of attacks on Brit pop. From an openly declared adversary, once Brit pop’s biggest US Against the World fan, when the two Gallagher brothers reduced him in one snub to old piano music, one verbal slight turned a switch. Elton was not just disgruntled. He felt disrespected by artists he knew had not earned their privileges enough so to disrespect anyone, let alone himself. when he told one friend, “They act like
legends before they’ve written anything that will last.” The dinner party that ultimately led to the downfall was at Elton John’s house in 1997. Liam was running late. Noel was intoxicated. It only took him 5 minutes to state loudly enough for everyone at the table to hear, “Your songs are for dads and convertibles.” Elton paused, leaned forward, and said quietly, but dangerously, “At least my dad didn’t have to hear you whine for 20 years.” According to one account, Liam spat his
drink out in astonishment. Noel only sneered that Elton was out of touch. It ended with the Gallaghers storming out and bashing Elton’s antique door to the point where it broke the doorframe. It escalated with the collapse of the World Tour in 2000 for Oasis due to internal conflicts. Elton took the opportunity to bash the band on the BBC radio station, saying, “Professionalism isn’t trash in hotel rooms. It’s being there for the people who pay to see your mess.” Elton was more than just criticizing the band.
He was attacking their identity. The most notorious confrontation was at the 2000 Brit Awards backstage. Liam struted past Elton, who mumbled something unsavory under his breath. Talent without discipline is nothing but noise, darling, and you, my friend, are the biggest noise in British music, he was overheard to saying. Physical escalation was averted when security intervened for fear that swing was about to happen. They never reconciled, and Noel occasionally delivers weak pot shots through interviews, but apparently these
go ignored by the ever cold Elton. He has, after all, you can grow up from many disputes, but childishness you simply cannot think with. The last group on his list was the Electric Light Orchestra. The competitor Elton John despised. This rivalry started when Elton first heard EllO on the radio and learned that critics were deeming Jeff Lynn the next musical genius of symphonic rock. This one statement irritated Elton, much to the surprise of those around him. To Elton John, the yellow embodied all things phony in
contemporary pop music. Reflecting in 1975 with a recording studio engineer, Elton proclaimed, “That’s not creativity. That’s substituting 40 violinists.” But the actual explosion would come later in the year as evil woman began to move up the charts while Elton’s Island Girl started to slip. Those who have accessed Caribou Ranch studio have remembered how Elton banged his piano lid hard enough for everyone in the building to hear. “Any ball player could make a hit record if you
bury the melody,” he told his group in irritation. “It was not jealousy he was feeling. It was anger. Elton wanted his pop music to be raw, direct, and honest. Neither of the two musicians had collaborated before, and this was not mere coincidence. During a night music session, one of the music producers suggested to Elton that he should duet with Jeff Lynn. Elton immediately terminated the conversation before it was complete when he said, “I don’t detaper over poor songwriting.” The pressure
grew as Elton was increasingly likened in his piano-based storytelling to Jeff Lynn’s production skills in Eellow, which one critic prefers to see in the future of pop music. A remark that reportedly made Elton furious. As reported by one of Elton’s band members, he crumpled a copy of that magazine and declared, “If that’s the future, then I’m staying in the past because that’s where the music is.” It was a cold war, a silent war with no quarter asked or given. Jeff Lynn made so few shots, but
Elton never retreated. Even years down the line, he kept his distance, showing no forgiveness for the perceived musical deceit. He has never forgiven Jeff Lynn for the musical dishonesty of Yellow, wrote one of Elton’s friends. Elton John’s beef with Yellow was more than professional rivalry. They are the antithesis of everything Elton John stands for in music. Well, now that you’ve seen the six acts Elton John disliked, what was the most surprising music feud to you? Did he have a valid
reason in mind, or was he being egotistical? Let your thoughts be heard in the comments. Hit the like button and subscribe to our channel for more surprising music stories.
