The one singer Elton John called the greatest rock songwriter of all time

Posted On January 6, 2026January 6, 2026

In terms of rock and roll songwriting, there aren’t many people that pushed the genre forward quite like Elton John did. 

What he was doing wasn’t all that dissimilar from the greatest songsmiths that came before him, but given his vast musical knowledge, he could take a simple page of lyrics from Bernie Taupin and turn them into one of the greatest symphonies anyone has ever heard without really trying too hard. But even with all of those complex chords, nothing could beat a great rock and roll tune with three chords and a healthy amount of attitude behind it.

If you listen to what John was doing, though, he was clearly coming from a different world than the golden age of rock and roll stars. People like Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard were the template for what his stage persona was going to be like, but when listening to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, it was clear that he wanted something more. Elvis Presley got the ball rolling, but he needed a little bit more sophistication to get his rocks off whenever he performed ‘Tiny Dancer’.

And looking through his greatest songs, it’s not like anyone’s complaining by any stretch. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a stroke of genius across two discs of vinyl, and while there is a lot packed into every single song, it’s impossible to look at a song like ‘Candle in the Wind’ or even the rockers like ‘Grey Seal’ and feel like anything specific is out of place by the time the song’s over.

But a lot of the greatest songwriters in the world knew the purpose of restraint. It’s one thing for any artist to go wild and make some of the most daring music that anyone has ever attempted, but the mark of any true artist is being able to take the building blocks that everyone starts off with and twist them in a way that makes them sound new. After all, John Lennon had done that long before he and John became friendly, and that came from years of listening to what Chuck Berry could do.

And despite having the highest praise for everyone from Brian Wilson to The Beatles, John figured that Berry was on a completely different level, saying when learning of the legend’s passing, “Chuck Berry, without doubt the greatest rock and roll songwriter of all time. The architect of how rock and roll guitars would sound forever. A true giant of a talent. Thanks for making all those wonderful records that will define rock music forever.”

Then again, it’s probably hard for people to see what the fuss is about looking back on some of his greatest hits. Admittedly, Berry’s songs weren’t exactly the most groundbreaking tunes at the time, and there’s a case to be made that every one of them sounds the same, but it’s also important to realise the time and place they were made. This was the beginning of rock and roll, and people simply had no words to describe what they were hearing.

A tune like ‘Johnny B Goode’ is rock and roll by numbers at this point, but when listening to every other one of his songs, they’re perfect snapshots of teenage life. Everything from ‘School Days’ to ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ to ‘Maybellene’ all have that same bluesy character to them, but those lines about everyday life are done in such a way where nearly anyone can appreciate what he’s saying.

Other artists may be more verbose like Bob Dylan and even more musicians have paved the way for the guitar to do greater things, but the reason John called Berry the best had more to do with what he represented. This was the turning point where kids found their own type of music, and while it took someone like Elvis Presley to bring it to the masses, there’s no sense in trying to argue with anyone else being the true father of rock and roll.

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