Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973)
Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player is a musical escapade that once again leans into Elton’s signature blend of bluesy pop-rock and piano-driven melodies. From the moment the opening song starts, you’re swept into a soundscape only Elton could create.
The opening track, Daniel, sets the tone with its iconic piano passages and heartfelt lyrics. I didn’t appreciate this song until I was much older and could enjoy a more adult-contemporary style. It doesn’t get much better than Daniel.
Throughout the record, Elton’s virtuoso piano takes the spotlight, weaving intricate melodies that are catchy and emotive at once. Elderberry Wine and Teacher I Need You feature piano arrangements that playfully dance around the vocals, with Teacher I Need You being a song I literally cannot get enough of. It’s playfully bouncy, but it’s also an outright pop rocker with backing harmonies that are second to none. Elderberry Wine is similar in a lot of ways but with more gusto and more horns, making it a little bluesier and just as infectious.
Blues for My Baby and Me is a sitar-infused, bluesy mid-tempo number that sounds unlike anything else on the record, or probably anything you’ve heard before. With rich orchestration, flute and sitar, and Elton’s trademark emotive vocals, it’s worthy of many plays.
This record isn’t just about the individual tracks, but about the ride they collectively take you on. The album moves through all kinds of styles, from the bluesy strut of Midnight Creeper to the nostalgic feel of I’m Going to Be a Teenage Idol. Much like Elderberry Wine, Midnight Creeper takes those notes and improves on them. Bluesy as hell, with horns that make you shout and stomp. And on I’m Going to Be a Teenage Idol, the blues doesn’t falter, verses full of rock attitude, choruses full of soft melodies.
Elton’s dynamic range and his gift for conveying emotion come through hardest on Have Mercy on the Criminal, where his voice becomes an instrument in its own right. It’s my favorite song on the album, and it’s epic. Unbelievably dynamic and climactic. I get chills thinking about seeing him play this live on his final tour in 2022. That performance forever cemented it as one of my all-time favorite Elton John songs.
Texan Love Song grows on me with every listen. It’s got gorgeous American Western instrumentation and great emotive lyrics. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s a low or weak point on the record. There’s much to love here. It took me until after that first listen to realize it.
Immediately following the mid-tempo Texan Love Song comes the universally iconic Crocodile Rock. Yes, it leans on the repetitiveness of its chorus and its sing-along quality, but that’s the point. It’s supposed to be fun, get you up and dancing, get a stadium or festival of tens of thousands singing along. If your feet aren’t tapping, if you’re not playing air piano, if you’re not singing the chorus, you’re boring. There’s no hope for you. Enjoy being boring.
The lyrical content of High Flying Bird may come across as a tad predictable, lacking the depth of other tracks on the record, but somehow the song still moves you. There are chord progressions in it that you can also hear in Take a Look at Me Now by Phil Collins, both songs going for that grandiose, soulfully soaring delivery. Don’t sleep on the backing harmonies here. If they don’t move you… guess what you are? Boring. But you knew that already.
Now, the bonus tracks on this album are red hot scorchers. Starting with Screw You (Young Man’s Blues), the record keeps its bluesy pop-rock theme charging on. Another song that demands you sing along. Jack Rabbit is a bit of an oddball bonus track, but it still fits. It’s got some twang, some blues, and it’s short and sweet. It was also the end-credits song for Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Most Elton enthusiasts know this film is where Elton met Taron Egerton, who’d go on to play him in the biopic Rocketman.
Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again) follows and is arguably the best of the bonus tracks. One of the catchiest choruses on the record and one of the bluesiest numbers of Elton’s early career. It’s hard not to sing along to this one. But the final bonus track is the most surprising to me: a newly recorded and rearranged version of Skyline Pigeon from Elton’s first album. On the debut, Skyline Pigeon is a standout, but mostly in the context of that record as a whole. The overuse of the harpsichord, the key it was sung in, and the lack of outside instrumentation all hold the original back. That said, the newer version is almost beyond a five-star track. It was completely reinvented. The key was lowered, the harpsichord removed, percussion and orchestration added, and one of the greatest uses of the oboe I have ever heard. What a comeback this song makes. One of Elton’s finest.
Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player is a remarkable record built on Elton John’s musical prowess and undeniable charm. The whole thing is a delightful fusion of piano-driven melodies, big vocals, and bluesy pop-rock. This stands as one of the best of the early years, and one I replay a lot. From start to finish, it has no skips, which makes it a more than worthy entry on the highly coveted NSA list.
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Highlight Songs:
Have Mercy on the Criminal
Daniel
Teacher I Need You
Skyline Pigeon
Crocodile Rock
Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again)
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Own It, Stream it, Forget about it
You will not regret buying this record. Period. Either stream the hell out of it or go buy it and add it to your collection. Either way, you need it. You. Need. It.
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Overall Rating:
5 Stars
