Elton Johns Number 1s

Question: What was Elton Johns first UK number 1?

Even if you have closely followed Elton Johns chart career, you may find that question difficult to answer.

A few years ago, I was at a music quiz in a bar in Corfu. The quizmaster would play something on the piano and ask a related question afterwards. For one particular question he said that when he asked it the previous year, nobody got the correct answer. The question was what was the first number 1 for the person who did the following song he was about to play on the piano, that person being Elton John.

The answer I gave was "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", but this according to the quizmaster was incorrect because it was a duet with Kiki Dee so therefore didn't count. Had I finished 1 point behind the winner I would have been very unhappy, but fortunately I didn't. The answer was "Sacrifice", and nobody got it that year either, in my opinion because he didn't ask the question properly, had he said solo I would have got it correct. But then again, is "Sacrifice" actually the correct answer? this was a double a side with "Healing Hands" so really the correct answer would be "Sacrifice/Healing Hands". Whether he would have accepted "Healing Hands" as an answer I do not know.

What is quite interesting is that "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was re released as a duet with RuPaul in 1994, and the rest of his number ones were basically re releases of older tracks.

He first released "Healing Hands" and "Sacrifice" separately in 1989, both of which didn't make the top 40 reaching 45 and 55 respectively. In 1990 he made number 1 by releasing both tracks as a double a side.

Then in 1991 he reached number 1 with George Michael with "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" which was originally released as a solo record in 1974 reaching number 16.

Next up was "Candle In The Wind 1997" which had been released twice before reaching number 11 in 1974 and  number 5 in 1988. As we all know though, the original was about Marilyn Monroe and he changed the lyrics in 1997 for Princess Diana. It was a double a side with "Something About The Way You Look Tonight".

In 2002, boy band of the moment Blue covered "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" which originally reached number 11 in 1976. They had Elton John do guest vocals on the track therefore giving him his 5th number one.

The next number 1 came in 2003 with "Are You Ready For Love". This was originally released in 1979 and missed the top 40 reaching number 42. The 2003 re release was a remixed version by Ashley Beedle and released on Fatboy Slims Southern Fried Records.

His 7th and final number 1 came in 2005 when his song "Indian Sunset" was sampled on 2Pacs "Ghetto Gospel". Elton John probably didn't have much involvement in that release, but still its credited as an Elton John number one, plus 2Pac had been dead for 9 years by this point therefore not having input to the actual release himself.