Greatest Hits 1970–2002 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | 11 November 2002 | |||
Recorded | 1970–2002 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 156:46 | |||
Label | UTV | |||
Elton John chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Greatest Hits 1970–2002 is a career-spanning compilation album of popular songs by English musician Elton John, released on UTV Records in 2002. It debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 12 on 30 November 2002, for a total run of 67 weeks. It was certified gold and platinum in December 2002, double platinum in March 2003, triple platinum in August 2004, four- and five-times platinum simultaneously in February 2011, and 6× platinum in April 2016 by the RIAA. [2]
It was the first Elton John compilation released since PolyGram, which had controlled the pre-1976 Elton John catalog, was sold to Universal Music Group, which controlled the post-1976 recordings. Before 1992, rights to John's music had been complicated as they shifted between various companies. UMG now owns worldwide distribution rights to all of John's music, while sharing overall ownership with John himself. It was configured differently for the American and European markets, and also available in a three- compact disc version in addition to the standard two-disc version. It contains every song released on the first two greatest hits packages released respectively in 1974 and 1977, with the exceptions of " Border Song" on Greatest Hits; " Grow Some Funk of Your Own", " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", and " Pinball Wizard" from Greatest Hits Vol. II, as well as " Levon" on the European version. All of those excepting for "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" are available on the bonus disc to the European edition.
In 2004, the album was reissued with the 2003 UK number 1 hit " Are You Ready for Love" as the final track on the second disc, replacing " Song for Guy". " Kiss the Bride" was also omitted to make room for the remake of " Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" featuring the boy band Blue. The two newer hits are appended at the end of the third disc for the expanded editions, leaving the second disc tracklisting intact.
All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin unless otherwise noted.
No. | Title | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | " Your Song" | Elton John, 1970 | 4:03 |
2. | " Tiny Dancer" | Madman Across the Water, 1971 | 6:17 |
3. | " Honky Cat" | Honky Château, 1972 | 5:14 |
4. | " Rocket Man" | Honky Château | 4:43 |
5. | " Crocodile Rock" | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, 1973 | 3:56 |
6. | " Daniel" | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | 3:54 |
7. | " Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973 | 4:54 |
8. | " Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 3:15 |
9. | " Candle in the Wind" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 3:50 |
10. | " Bennie and the Jets" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 5:23 |
11. | " Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Caribou, 1974 | 5:38 |
12. | " The Bitch Is Back" | Caribou | 3:45 |
13. | " Philadelphia Freedom" (edited version) | Non-album single, 1975 | 5:21 |
14. | " Someone Saved My Life Tonight" | Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, 1975 | 6:45 |
15. | " Island Girl" | Rock of the Westies, 1975 | 3:43 |
16. | " Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee) | Non-album single, 1976 | 4:35 |
17. | " Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Blue Moves, 1976 | 3:53 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | " Levon" | Madman Across the Water | 5:24 | |
2. | " Border Song" | Elton John | 3:24 | |
3. | " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (7" edit) | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Non-album single, 1974 | 5:57 |
4. | " Pinball Wizard" | Pete Townshend | Tommy soundtrack, 1975 | 5:17 |
5. | " True Love" (featuring Kiki Dee) | Cole Porter | Duets, 1993 | 3:35 |
6. | " Live Like Horses" (featuring Luciano Pavarotti) ( single version) | The Big Picture | 5:08 | |
7. | " I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" | Reg Strikes Back, 1988 | 4:32 | |
8. | " Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (featuring George Michael) (live) | Duets | 5:49 | |
9. | "Your Song" (featuring Alessandro Safina) | Previously unissued, 2002 | 4:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
10. | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | 3:38 | |
11. | " Are You Ready for Love" | Casey James, Thom Bell, LeRoy Bell | 3:29 |
No. | Title | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Your Song" | Elton John | |
2. | "Levon" | Madman Across the Water | |
3. | "Tiny Dancer" | Madman Across the Water | |
4. | "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" | Honky Château | |
5. | "Honky Cat" | Honky Château | |
6. | "Crocodile Rock" | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | |
7. | "Daniel" | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | |
8. | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |
9. | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |
10. | "Candle in the Wind" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |
11. | "Bennie and the Jets" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |
12. | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Caribou | |
13. | "The Bitch Is Back" | Caribou | |
14. | "Philadelphia Freedom" (edited version) | Non-album single | |
15. | "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" | Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy | |
16. | "Island Girl" | Rock of the Westies | |
17. | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Blue Moves |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee) | Non-album single | ||
2. | " Little Jeannie" | Elton John, Gary Osborne | 21 at 33 | |
3. | "I'm Still Standing" | Too Low for Zero | ||
4. | "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" | Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Davey Johnstone | Too Low for Zero | |
5. | "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" | Breaking Hearts | ||
6. | "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" | Reg Strikes Back | ||
7. | "Nikita" | Ice on Fire | ||
8. | "Sacrifice" | Sleeping with the Past | ||
9. | "The One" | The One | ||
10. | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" | Tim Rice, Elton John | The Lion King soundtrack | |
11. | "Circle of Life" | Tim Rice, Elton John | The Lion King soundtrack | |
12. | "Believe" | Made in England | ||
13. | "Blessed" | Made in England | ||
14. | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (single edit) | The Big Picture | ||
15. | "Written in the Stars" (with LeAnn Rimes) | Tim Rice, Elton John | Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida | |
16. | "I Want Love" | Songs from the West Coast | ||
17. | "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" | Songs from the West Coast |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Candle in the Wind" (live) | 4:02 |
2. | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (with George Michael) (live) | 5:49 |
3. | "Live Like Horses" (with Luciano Pavarotti) (single version) | 5:08 |
4. | "Your Song" (with Alessandro Safina) | 4:19 |
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia ( ARIA) [31] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Austria ( IFPI Austria) [32] | Gold | 15,000* |
Brazil ( Pro-Música Brasil) [33] | Gold | 50,000* |
Canada ( Music Canada) [34] | 4× Platinum | 400,000^ |
Denmark ( IFPI Danmark) [35] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
France ( SNEP) [36] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany ( BVMI) [37] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
New Zealand ( RMNZ) [38] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Norway ( IFPI Norway) [39] | Platinum | 40,000* |
Switzerland (
IFPI Switzerland)
[40] certified in 2002 |
Gold | 20,000^ |
Switzerland (
IFPI Switzerland)
[40] certified in 2003 |
Gold | 20,000^ |
United Kingdom ( BPI) [41] | 5× Platinum | 1,500,000* |
United States ( RIAA) [42] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000‡ |
Summaries | ||
Europe ( IFPI) [43] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Greatest Hits 1970–2002 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | 11 November 2002 | |||
Recorded | 1970–2002 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 156:46 | |||
Label | UTV | |||
Elton John chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Greatest Hits 1970–2002 is a career-spanning compilation album of popular songs by English musician Elton John, released on UTV Records in 2002. It debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 12 on 30 November 2002, for a total run of 67 weeks. It was certified gold and platinum in December 2002, double platinum in March 2003, triple platinum in August 2004, four- and five-times platinum simultaneously in February 2011, and 6× platinum in April 2016 by the RIAA. [2]
It was the first Elton John compilation released since PolyGram, which had controlled the pre-1976 Elton John catalog, was sold to Universal Music Group, which controlled the post-1976 recordings. Before 1992, rights to John's music had been complicated as they shifted between various companies. UMG now owns worldwide distribution rights to all of John's music, while sharing overall ownership with John himself. It was configured differently for the American and European markets, and also available in a three- compact disc version in addition to the standard two-disc version. It contains every song released on the first two greatest hits packages released respectively in 1974 and 1977, with the exceptions of " Border Song" on Greatest Hits; " Grow Some Funk of Your Own", " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", and " Pinball Wizard" from Greatest Hits Vol. II, as well as " Levon" on the European version. All of those excepting for "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" are available on the bonus disc to the European edition.
In 2004, the album was reissued with the 2003 UK number 1 hit " Are You Ready for Love" as the final track on the second disc, replacing " Song for Guy". " Kiss the Bride" was also omitted to make room for the remake of " Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" featuring the boy band Blue. The two newer hits are appended at the end of the third disc for the expanded editions, leaving the second disc tracklisting intact.
All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin unless otherwise noted.
No. | Title | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | " Your Song" | Elton John, 1970 | 4:03 |
2. | " Tiny Dancer" | Madman Across the Water, 1971 | 6:17 |
3. | " Honky Cat" | Honky Château, 1972 | 5:14 |
4. | " Rocket Man" | Honky Château | 4:43 |
5. | " Crocodile Rock" | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, 1973 | 3:56 |
6. | " Daniel" | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | 3:54 |
7. | " Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973 | 4:54 |
8. | " Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 3:15 |
9. | " Candle in the Wind" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 3:50 |
10. | " Bennie and the Jets" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 5:23 |
11. | " Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Caribou, 1974 | 5:38 |
12. | " The Bitch Is Back" | Caribou | 3:45 |
13. | " Philadelphia Freedom" (edited version) | Non-album single, 1975 | 5:21 |
14. | " Someone Saved My Life Tonight" | Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, 1975 | 6:45 |
15. | " Island Girl" | Rock of the Westies, 1975 | 3:43 |
16. | " Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee) | Non-album single, 1976 | 4:35 |
17. | " Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Blue Moves, 1976 | 3:53 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | " Levon" | Madman Across the Water | 5:24 | |
2. | " Border Song" | Elton John | 3:24 | |
3. | " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (7" edit) | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Non-album single, 1974 | 5:57 |
4. | " Pinball Wizard" | Pete Townshend | Tommy soundtrack, 1975 | 5:17 |
5. | " True Love" (featuring Kiki Dee) | Cole Porter | Duets, 1993 | 3:35 |
6. | " Live Like Horses" (featuring Luciano Pavarotti) ( single version) | The Big Picture | 5:08 | |
7. | " I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" | Reg Strikes Back, 1988 | 4:32 | |
8. | " Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (featuring George Michael) (live) | Duets | 5:49 | |
9. | "Your Song" (featuring Alessandro Safina) | Previously unissued, 2002 | 4:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
10. | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | 3:38 | |
11. | " Are You Ready for Love" | Casey James, Thom Bell, LeRoy Bell | 3:29 |
No. | Title | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Your Song" | Elton John | |
2. | "Levon" | Madman Across the Water | |
3. | "Tiny Dancer" | Madman Across the Water | |
4. | "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" | Honky Château | |
5. | "Honky Cat" | Honky Château | |
6. | "Crocodile Rock" | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | |
7. | "Daniel" | Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | |
8. | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |
9. | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |
10. | "Candle in the Wind" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |
11. | "Bennie and the Jets" | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | |
12. | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Caribou | |
13. | "The Bitch Is Back" | Caribou | |
14. | "Philadelphia Freedom" (edited version) | Non-album single | |
15. | "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" | Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy | |
16. | "Island Girl" | Rock of the Westies | |
17. | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Blue Moves |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee) | Non-album single | ||
2. | " Little Jeannie" | Elton John, Gary Osborne | 21 at 33 | |
3. | "I'm Still Standing" | Too Low for Zero | ||
4. | "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" | Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Davey Johnstone | Too Low for Zero | |
5. | "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" | Breaking Hearts | ||
6. | "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" | Reg Strikes Back | ||
7. | "Nikita" | Ice on Fire | ||
8. | "Sacrifice" | Sleeping with the Past | ||
9. | "The One" | The One | ||
10. | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" | Tim Rice, Elton John | The Lion King soundtrack | |
11. | "Circle of Life" | Tim Rice, Elton John | The Lion King soundtrack | |
12. | "Believe" | Made in England | ||
13. | "Blessed" | Made in England | ||
14. | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (single edit) | The Big Picture | ||
15. | "Written in the Stars" (with LeAnn Rimes) | Tim Rice, Elton John | Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida | |
16. | "I Want Love" | Songs from the West Coast | ||
17. | "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" | Songs from the West Coast |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Candle in the Wind" (live) | 4:02 |
2. | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (with George Michael) (live) | 5:49 |
3. | "Live Like Horses" (with Luciano Pavarotti) (single version) | 5:08 |
4. | "Your Song" (with Alessandro Safina) | 4:19 |
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia ( ARIA) [31] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Austria ( IFPI Austria) [32] | Gold | 15,000* |
Brazil ( Pro-Música Brasil) [33] | Gold | 50,000* |
Canada ( Music Canada) [34] | 4× Platinum | 400,000^ |
Denmark ( IFPI Danmark) [35] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
France ( SNEP) [36] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany ( BVMI) [37] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
New Zealand ( RMNZ) [38] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Norway ( IFPI Norway) [39] | Platinum | 40,000* |
Switzerland (
IFPI Switzerland)
[40] certified in 2002 |
Gold | 20,000^ |
Switzerland (
IFPI Switzerland)
[40] certified in 2003 |
Gold | 20,000^ |
United Kingdom ( BPI) [41] | 5× Platinum | 1,500,000* |
United States ( RIAA) [42] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000‡ |
Summaries | ||
Europe ( IFPI) [43] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |