Caffé Latté presents... THE TOP 100 ELTON JOHN SONGS. This post: #20-11. Concludes: tomorrow.

Celebrating Elton John’s 70th birthday on March 25 and a half century of songwriting with Bernie Taupin (for the Top 50 tracks, assume they were written by this talented duo unless otherwise stated) with a retrospective highlighting: THE 100 GREATEST SONGS OF ELTON JOHN

20 SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD Year: 1976 Album: Blue Moves The heart-wrenching ballad "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" features Carl Fortina on accordion. The strings were arranged and conducted by James Newton Howard. Its parent album 'Blue Moves' was Elton's first released on his Rocket label. Its basic tracks were recorded in Toronto, Canada.

19 THE GREATEST DISCOVERY Year: 1970 Album: Elton John Bernie Taupin's lyrics deal with the arrival of a newborn infant from the perspective of his older sibling. "The Greatest Discovery", from 'Elton John', was dusted off again for Elton's 'Live Across Australia' tour and album with the M.S.O.

18 WE ALL FALL IN LOVE SOMETIMES Year: 1975 Album: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy The mighty ballad "We All Fall In Love Sometimes" was featured on the 'Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy' LP. The title refers to the 2 songwriters; Elton being Captain Fantastic and Taupin taking on the Cowboy persona. The 2 characters were revisited in 2006 on the album 'The Captain and the Kid'.

17 I'M STILL STANDING Year: 1983 Album: Too Low For Zero The upbeat song "I'm Still Standing" deals with resilience. It was a major hit single, going Top 10 in Britain, parts of Europe, Canada, Australia and South Africa.

16 HIGH FLYING BIRD Year: 1973 Album: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player The 'Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player' album was Elton's first to top the British LP Chart. It was his 2nd American #1 album. Among its tracks is the underrated "High Flying Bird".

15 SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE  TONIGHT Year: 1975 Album: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy The epic ballad "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was inspired by Elton's attempted suicide. It runs for almost 7 minutes. The single reached the Top 5 in America and Canada.

14 SKYLINE PIGEON Year: 1969 Album: Empty Sky The original version of "Skyline Pigeon" appeared on Elton's debut album 'Empty Sky'. It was re-recorded during the sessions for 'Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player'. The adeptly crafted song was added as a bonus track on later re-issues of the LP. This new treatment - which is the take listed on this Top 100- is known as the 'Piano Version'. The song is considered by Taupin as a turning point in his collaborating with Elton.

13 TONIGHT Year: 1976 Album: Blue Moves "Tonight" is just under 8 minutes long. The protagonist is pleading for a night of civility instead of conflict. The track features the London Symphony Orchestra. Its input was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road studio.

12 BLUES FOR MY BABY AND ME Year: 1973 Album: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player Davey Johnstone, guitarist in Elton's band, performed sitar on the impeccable "Blues For My Baby And Me". This gem from the Taupin / John catalogue is often overlooked.

11 I NEED YOU TO TURN TO Year: 1970 Album: Elton John Elton revisited this obscure track from his breakthrough 1970 album on his 'Live Across Australia' tour. In 1987, the album was issued featuring this resurrected love song. That version, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, is the one selected for the Top 100.