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The Very Best of Elton John is a greatest hits compilation album by Elton John, released in October 1990. His first career-retrospective album, and fourth official greatest-hits album overall, it was released in the United Kingdom, and in other countries such as Japan and Australia, but not in the United States.

The album spans his second album Elton John in 1970 to the successful then most-recent 1989 album Sleeping with the Past. After the huge hit that was thedouble A-sided "Sacrifice"/"Healing Hands" single, which was the third best-selling single of 1990 in the United Kingdom, the album became an instant smash in that country. It spent its first two weeks at #1 and then nine strong weeks at #2. It was kept from the top during all nine weeks by Madonna's Immaculate Collection. In all the album spent 145 weeks inside the UK top 200 album chart, making a total of 11 re-entries, and it was certified 9× Platinum by the BPI on 1 March 1995.[2]

It includes a total of 28 hit singles plus the new songs "Easier to Walk Away" and "You Gotta Love Someone", which also made the charts between 1990 and 1991.

The release also spawned a music video compilation, which was originally released on both laserdisc and VHS, and reissued on DVD.

Contents[]

 [hide*1 Track listing

Track listing[edit][]

CD 1

No. Title Writer(s) Album Length
1. "Your Song"   Elton JohnBernie Taupin Elton John 4:03
2. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be a Long, Long Time)"   John, Taupin Honky Château 4:42
3. "Honky Cat"   John, Taupin Honky Château 5:15
4. "Crocodile Rock"   John, Taupin Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player 3:58
5. "Daniel"   John, Taupin Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player 3:56
6. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"   John, Taupin Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3:17
7. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"   John, Taupin Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 4:57
8. "Candle in the Wind"   John, Taupin Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3:51
9. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"   John, Taupin Caribou 5:38
10. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"   LennonMcCartney Single 6:17
11. "Philadelphia Freedom"   John, Taupin Single 5:19
12. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight"   John, Taupin Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 6:47
13. "Pinball Wizard"   Pete Townshend Tommy (soundtrack) 5:16
14. "The Bitch Is Back"   John, Taupin Caribou 3:46

CD 2

No. Title Writer(s) Album Length
15. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart(with Kiki Dee) (credited to Carte Blanche/Ann Orson) Single 4:32
16. "Bennie and the Jets"   John, Taupin Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 5:21
17. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"   John, Taupin Blue Moves 3:51
18. "Song for Guy"   John, Taupin A Single Man 6:41
19. "Part-Time Love"   John, Gary Osborne A Single Man 3:16
20. "Blue Eyes"   John, Osborne Jump Up! 3:28
21. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"   John, Taupin, Johnstone Too Low for Zero 4:46
22. "I'm Still Standing"   John, Taupin Too Low for Zero 3:04
23. "Kiss the Bride"   John, Taupin Too Low for Zero 3:56
24. "Sad Songs (Say So Much)"   John, Taupin Breaking Hearts 4:11
25. "Passengers"   John, Taupin Breaking Hearts 3:24
26. "Nikita"   John, Taupin Ice on Fire 5:45
27. "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That"   John, Taupin Reg Strikes Back 4:00
28. "Sacrifice"   John, Taupin Sleeping with the Past 5:08
29. "Easier to Walk Away"   John, Taupin To Be Continued 4:25
30. "You Gotta Love Someone"   John, Taupin Days of Thunder (soundtrack) 5:01

N.B. : Please note that Track 25 is different on European version of the album. "Whispers" from Sleeping with the Past takes the place of "Passengers".

LP 1[edit][]

Side one[edit][]

  1. "Your Song" – 4:02
  2. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be a Long, Long Time)" – 4:42
  3. "Honky Cat" – 5:15
  4. "Crocodile Rock" – 3:54
  5. "Daniel" – 3:55
  6. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – 3:17
  7. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" – 4:12

Side two[edit][]

  1. "Candle in the Wind" – 3:51
  2. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – 5:58
  3. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (Lennon/McCartney) – 6:16
  4. "Philadelphia Freedom" – 5:42
  5. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" – 6:46

LP 2[edit][]

Side three[edit][]

  1. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee)" (credited to Carte Blanche/Ann Orson) – 4:32
  2. "Bennie and the Jets" – 5:21
  3. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" – 3:50
  4. "Song for Guy" – 6:41
  5. "Part-Time Love" (John/Osborne) – 3:15
  6. "Blue Eyes" (John/Osborne) – 3:28
  7. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (John/Johnstone/Taupin) – 4:45

Side four[edit][]

  1. "I'm Still Standing" – 3:03
  2. "Kiss the Bride" – 3:55
  3. "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" – 4:10
  4. "Nikita" – 5:44
  5. "Sacrifice" – 5:08
  6. "Easier to Walk Away" – 4:24
  7. "You Gotta Love Someone" – 5:00

The cassette track listing is the same as vinyl's (omits "Pinball Wizard", "The Bitch Is Back", "Passengers" and "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That").

B-sides[edit][]

Song Format
"Medicine Man" "You Gotta Love Someone" 7"/12"/CD (UK)
"Medicine Man" (with Adamski) "You Gotta Love Someone" 12"/CD (UK)
"Made for Me" "Easier to Walk Away" 12"/CD (UK)
"I Swear I Heard the Night Talkin'" "Easier to Walk Away" 7"/12"/CD (UK)

Music video compilation[edit][]

  1. "Your Song" (Top of the Pops 1971 live version)
  2. "Daniel" (live German 1973 version)
  3. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (Top of the Pops 1973 live version)
  4. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee)
  5. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (BBC Live Christmas Show version)
  6. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long Long Time)" (live Wembley 1977 version)
  7. "Blue Eyes"
  8. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
  9. "I'm Still Standing"
  10. "Kiss the Bride"
  11. "Sad Songs (Say So Much)"
  12. "Passengers"
  13. "Nikita"
  14. "Wrap Her Up"
  15. "Candle in the Wind" (live in Australia 1986 version)
  16. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (live in Prince's Trust 1987 version)
  17. "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That"
  18. "Philadelphia Freedom" (live in Verona 1989 version)
  19. "Sacrifice"
  20. "You Gotta Love Someone"

Charts[edit][]

Chart (1990) Peak

position

Austrian Top 75 Albums[3] 1
Finnish Albums Chart[4] 3
French Compilations[5] 1
German Albums[6] 2
Hungarian Top 40 Albums[7] 19
Italian Albums Chart[8] 1
New Zealand Top 50 Albums[9] 1
Norwegian Top 40 Albums[10] 1
Spanish Albums Chart[11] 1
Swiss Top 100 Albums[12] 1
UK Albums Chart[13] 1
Chart (1991) Peak

position

Australian Top 50 Albums[14] 1
Netherlands Top 100 Albums[15] 5
Swedish Top 60 Albums[16] 1
Chart (1995) Peak

position

Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums[17] 28
Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums[18] 17

Certifications[edit][]

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Austria (IFPI Austria)[19] 3× Platinum 60,000x
Brazil (ABPD)[20] Gold 100,000
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[21] Gold 25,000[21]
France (SNEP)[22] Diamond 1,000,000
Germany (BVMI)[23] 2× Platinum 1,000,000^
Italy (FIMI)[24] 4× Platinum 400,000
Japan (RIAJ)[25] Gold 100,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[26] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Sweden (GLF)[27] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[28] 3× Platinum 150,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[2] 9× Platinum 2,700,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[29] 5× Platinum 5,000,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone

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