Crocodile Rock
Elton John
1973
Annual listening-list association retained: 1973. The source-checked recording release year is 1972; these are separate date fields. No new regional or single-release date is inferred from this list year.
Release: 1972
Release: 1972Source checked | Recent carryover
UK single issued October 1972 and US single in November 1972, before the 1973 album. The album year is not substituted for its first release.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
Diamond Moments: Crocodile Rock
UK single issued October 1972 and US single in November 1972, before the 1973 album. The album year is not substituted for its first release.
Inspiration and background
Documented songwriting inspiration
Elton described wanting to capture the sound of nostalgic rock and roll, naming the Beach Boys, Eddie Cochran and earlier pop hits as touchstones. The recording features him on piano and Farfisa organ. It was already a 1972 single before appearing on the 1973 album.
Evidence scope: Official session history quotes Elton on his intended musical nostalgia and lists instruments and separate single/album releases.
Sources for this information
Don't Shoot Me: Inside the Studio and On the Charts
Official session history quotes Elton on his intended musical nostalgia and lists instruments and separate single/album releases. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Earlier note and its recorded status
Earlier status: Supplied note - not independently verified. This earlier wording is retained as historical context; the reviewed account above is the current summary.
Elton John's first number-one single in the United States Pays homage to 1950s rock and roll
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Original release date and exact pressing/version are not independently established.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Editorial artist-repertoire classification; Style term found in imported, unverified source annotation
Billboard year-end 1973 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata.
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