Elton John - Pinball Wizard (1974) With Lyrics!

A top ten single in 1975, it was actually recorded in 1974 for Ken Russell's film Tommy: The Movie, which Elton appeared in, wearing four-foot high Doc Martin boots. Originally the part was offered to Rod Stewart and when Rod asked his friend Elton for advice, Elton steered him away from it. Later Elton himself was asked to take the part. Pete Townshend had long been an encouragement to Elton during his early years, so Elton agreed. Elton's producer Gus Dudgeon convinced Elton to only do the song if they could do it as The Elton John Band, with Dudgeon producing. The song stands out among the rest of the soundtrack album as having that exceptional sound that made "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" such incredible albums. Elton and the group went to The Who's Rampart Studios in London and recorded the entire track in one session. The length of the song had already been determined for the film, so Elton threw in The Who's "Can't Explain" to fill in the ending. The song also appeared on Greatest Hits Volume II. When Elton auctioned off most of his wardrobe in 1989 the Doc Martin boot company bought the huge boots that Elton had worn in the movie.