Elton John’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits: ‘Candle in the Wind,’ ‘Rocket Man,’ ‘Your Song’ & More
A look at the icon's 40 top Hot 100 hits, dating to his 1970 debut.
Reg strikes back! With the debut of Elton John and Dua Lipa‘s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Aug. 28), John makes his first appearance on the chart in over 21 years.
John ups his career total to 68 Hot 100 entries, a run that began with “Border Song,” which marked his Billboard chart debut on Aug. 15, 1970. With nine having hit No. 1, he’s tied for 10th place among all acts for the most leaders. Plus, he ranked in the Hot 100’s top 40 for a record 30 consecutive years, in 1970-99.
John has also charted 49 titles on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with seven hitting the top spot, among 20 top 10s. He is additionally king of Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart, with a record 74 visits and an unmatched 16 No. 1s.
John’s biggest Hot 100 hit, the double-sided single “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” debuted at No. 1 on Oct. 11, 1997, and ruled for 14 weeks. “Candle,” his tribute to Princess Diana, who died that Aug. 31, also won him a Grammy Award for best male pop vocal performance.
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The singer-songwriter was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1994, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, and has won five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards and a Tony Award (for the score of the musical Aida). He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 for his charity work.
In honor of his success rocketing up the chart, here is an exclusive Billboard recap of John’s 40 biggest Hot 100 hits.
Elton John’s Biggest Hot 100 Hits
1, “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” peak position No. 1 (14 weeks), peak date Oct. 11, 1997
2, “That’s What Friends Are For” (Dionne & Friends), No. 1 (four weeks), Jan. 18, 1986
3, “Philadelphia Freedom” (The Elton John Band), No. 1 (two weeks), April 12, 1975
4, “Crocodile Rock,” No. 1 (three weeks), Feb. 3, 1973
5, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (Elton John & Kiki Dee), No. 1 (four weeks), Aug. 7, 1976
6, “Bennie and the Jets,” No. 1 (one week), April 13, 1974
7, “Island Girl,” No. 1 (three weeks), Nov. 1, 1975
8, “Little Jeannie,” No. 3, July 19, 1980
9, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” No. 2, Dec. 8, 1973
10, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” No. 1 (two weeks), Jan. 4, 1975
11, “Daniel” No. 2, June 2, 1973
12, “I Don’t Wanna Go on With You Like That,” No. 2, Aug. 27, 1988
13, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” No. 4, Aug. 6, 1994
14, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” No. 4, Aug. 16, 1975
15, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” No. 2, July 27, 1974
16, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” No. 4, Jan. 28, 1984
17, “The Bitch Is Back,” No. 4, Nov. 2, 1974
18, “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word,” No. 6, Dec. 25, 1976
19, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (George Michael/Elton John), No. 1 (one week), Feb. 1, 1992
20, “Candle in the Wind,” No. 6, Jan. 23, 1988
21, “Nikita,” No. 7, March 22, 1986
22, “Sad Songs (Say So Much),” No. 5, Aug. 11, 1984
23, “Rocket Man,” No. 6, July 15, 1972
24, “Mama Can’t Buy You Love,” No. 9, Aug. 25, 1979
25, “Your Song,” No. 8, Jan. 23, 1971
26, “The One,” No. 9, Sept. 19, 1992
27, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” No. 12, Sept. 15, 1973
28, “I’m Still Standing,” No. 12, July 9, 1983
29, “Honky Cat,” No. 8, Sept. 23, 1972
30, “Blue Eyes,” No. 12, Oct. 2, 1982
31, “Sacrifice,” No. 18, March 31, 1990
32, “Healing Hands,” No. 13, Oct. 28, 1989
33, “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny),” No. 13, May 29, 1982
34, “Believe,” No. 13, May 13, 1995
35, “Wrap Her Up,” No. 20, Dec. 7, 1985
36, “Who Wears These Shoes?,” No. 16, Nov. 3, 1984
37, “Grow Some Funk of Your Own”/”I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford),” No. 14, Feb. 28, 1976
38, “Through the Storm” (Aretha Franklin & Elton John), No. 16, May 27, 1989
39, “A Word in Spanish” No. 19, Nov. 12, 1988
40, “Circle of Life,” No. 18, Dec. 15, 1994
Elton John’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100, through the Aug. 28, 2021, ranking. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.
