What's the Story Behind Bennie and the Jets

[KLM]

I just added the DCC Elton John's Greatest Hits cd to my collection and have been enjoying it immensely. I've heard Bennie and the Jets many times over the years but with Steve's great remastering job, I dove even deeper into the details. What I noticed was that this song sounds like it was performed live with an echo and crowd noise in the back. When I looked at the recording credits, it says it was recorded in a studio. So what gives here, was the ambiance and background noise added to make it sound like a live recording or what?

Any thoughts....

[Ron Stone]

Yeah, it's fake "live."

Also, the single was a b-side, until some American DJ flipped it. I think the A-side remained the single in the UK, while "Bennie and the Jets" became the U.S. single.

Anyone remember the original A-side?

[Andrew]

Originally posted by Ron Stone
Yeah, it's fake "live."

Also, the single was a b-side, until some American DJ flipped it. I think the A-side remained the single in the UK, while "Bennie and the Jets" became the U.S. single.

Anyone remember the original A-side?


I'd always assumed it was an album cut, which then started getting airplay in Detroit. "Candle In The Wind" was the single in England at the time (it also takes BATJ's place on overseas editions of "Elton John's Greatest Hits").