Elton in 2017…the Year in Review

We would like to most sincerely thank all our EltonJohn.com visitors and Rocket Club members for following Elton’s music and career with us during 2017.

2017 was a busy, historic, and outstanding year for Elton, with numerous career milestones over music, film, touring, and philanthropy.

For music, it was a year of celebration as 2017 marked the 50th anniversary of Elton and Bernie Taupin’s songwriting partnership. This was marked with two projects: the ultimate greatest hits album Diamonds and The Cut, a YouTube project that would create official music videos for Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer and Bennie And The Jets.

‘Diamonds’ was released in November as a 2-CD and 2xLP vinyl, as well as a 3-disc deluxe box set.

The hits collection peaked at #5 in the UK and #23 in the US, spending two months to date on each chart and becoming Elton’s 40th Top 40 album on the UK Album Chart.

The Cut was a special project supported by YouTube to allow young, undiscovered film makers to create music videos for three of Elton’s most iconic hits.

The competition received thousands of entries from around the world, with the winners finally announced as Majid Adin for Rocket Man, which had an animation brief; Jack Whiteley and Laura Brownhill for Bennie And The Jets, which featured choreography; and Max Weiland for Tiny Dancer, with a live-action creative concept.

The three music videos world premiered in May at Cannes, with Elton, Bernie Taupin and all the winners in attendance.

Watch them all in the playlist below.

Elton John Vinyl Club 2017

In more vinyl news, Elton also reissued 10 of his iconic albums on 180gm vinyl. Our Elton John Vinyl Club 2017 collection includes Empty Sky, Tumbleweed Connection, Honky Château, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player, Caribou, Rock Of The Westies, Blue Moves, Sleeping With The Past, One Night Only – The Greatest Hits and The Big Picture.

Elton on the big screen!

Elton hit cinema screens as he appeared in the blockbuster movie Kingsman: The Golden Circle and received rave reviews of his comedic turn as the distraught piano player who has been kidnapped by the movie’s villain. The film also featured Elton’s songs Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) and Jack Rabbit.

Elton continued wowing audiences all around the world as he totalled 100 concerts, private events, and media appearances over 2017.

This began with a Million Dollar Piano show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas on January 1 and ended on December 16 at Rothaus Halle in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Over the year, he played 23 different countries.

On February 27 he sat in with St. Paul & The Broken Bones when they entertained his Academy Awards Viewing Party guests with their hit I’ll Be Your Woman. He was also joined by Joan Baez on Daniel at an Elton John AIDS Foundation benefit performance at his British estate in June and by Andrea Bocelli for Circle Of Life in Rome on September 8. On October 5, Elton entertained the Caesars Palace crowd with Blueberry Hill in honour of the passing of his idol Fats Domino.

Other highlights from across 2017 included…

★ The Harvard Foundation honouring Elton with their Humanitarian of the Year award for his work with the Elton John AIDS Foundation, to create an AIDS-free future for the world.

★ Elton appearing on albums by the Pet Shop Boys, Bright Light Bright Light (the Remixes EP for last year’s Running Back To You), and on Music from The American Epic Sessions with a new song co-written with Bernie Taupin, 2 Fingers Of Whiskey.

★ Elton hitting 100 shows on his weekly Rocket Hour programme on Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio. He also welcomed guests including Noel Gallagher, Sam Smith, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle director Matthew Vaughn.

To cap off the year, ‘Step Into Christmas’ sailed back into the charts.

The 1973 holiday single returned to the singles charts on both sides of the Atlantic. It became his 46th UK Top 20 hit when it placed at #19 on December 21, eventually peaking at #11, and #84 on the Billboard Hot 100.

2018 promises to be another very exciting year as well and we will be sure to keep you up-to-date on all the news as it goes along!

All of us at EltonJohn.com wish you a very happy and healthy 2018 and we look forward to bringing you much more of everything Elton.