Honky Cat

"Honky Cat"
side-A label
One of side-A labels of the US single
Single by Elton John
from the album Honky Château
B-side"Slave"
Released31 July 1972
Recorded17 January 1972
Genre
Length5:12
LabelUni (USA), DJM (UK)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Rocket Man"
(1972)
"Honky Cat"
(1972)
"Crocodile Rock"
(1972)
Audio
"Honky Cat" on YouTube

"Honky Cat" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was used as the opening track for John's fifth studio album, Honky Château, released in 1972.[3]

"Honky Cat" was also released as the A-side of John's thirteenth single.[3] The single reached No. 31 in the United Kingdom, and fared better in the United States, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 just as John launched an American tour in September 1972.[4]

John has performed this song numerous times in the 50 years since its release.[5] A live version of the song was released on the Here side of the Here and There live set in 1976 (and its expanded CD version in 1995), and a solo piano version appeared on the EltonJohn.com Live in Madison Square Garden Vol. 1 limited edition CD, recorded in October 1999 during his 1999 solo tour.[6]

  1. ^ a b c Woodstra, Chris (2008). All Music Guide Required Listening: Classic Rock. Backbeat. p. 105. ISBN 978-0879309176.
  2. ^ Pollock, Bruce (2005). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 148. ISBN 978-0415970730.
  3. ^ a b Mason, Stewart. "Honky Cat – Elton John". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  4. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1991). Rock Movers and Shakers: An A-Z of People Who Made Rock Happen. Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0874366617.
  5. ^ "Honky Cat by Elton John Song Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Elton John – Live At Madison Square Garden (Volume 1)". Discogs. Retrieved 9 April 2022.