The title shocked me! ELTON JOHN The Bit*ch is back REACTION

[@IDriveAnAudi]

Hi Harri! Yes it was a radio hit and nothing was bleeped out!

[@pncombies]

Where, in communist Russia? No bleeping out in Austin, TX '74. If would been pointless to have even played it as many times as "Bitch" is all throughout the lyrics.

[@v.j.3029]

Yeah, it was such a catchy song that nobody batted an eye over the lyrics. They weren't looking for reasons to be outraged back then, they just had more fun.

[@davebzen795]

DJB-I could never get enough of Elton John and his enormous body of work. This submission choice and the review by Harri were outstanding. Bravo to both you and Harri.

[@bradsullivan2495]

At this point in his career, Elton could do no wrong.

[@balmpatchvideos]

Davey J can play!! The way he plays is beautiful, but they're ALL so great!

[@debbiechang5781]

I always love me some Sir Elton John! This was and still is a great, fun song! Fantastic choice and amusing reaction! Thanks Harri and DJ Bilodeau 🌸💐✌️

[@agnetesorensenelbom5085]

🥰🤩😇

[@marybaillie8907]

From the 1974 album, " Caribou" this song made it to Number 1 in Canada, Number 4 in the U.S. and Number 15 in the UK. Quite controversial to have the B word in a record in 1974 and some radio stations banned the tune. From the bee sting riff that opens the tune, the great bass, with hooks that are incredible and Elton's vocals oozing with honey and venom as he gets his point across. Tower of Power provided the delightful horn section and brass, with Dusty Springfield provided the backing vocals. ❤ Apparently Bernie's wife used to say the Bitch is Back, when Elton was in a bad mood, hence the title. Great reaction Handsome Harri ❤❤ Fabulous pick D.J.👏👏Cheers from Canada ❤❤🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@DJBilodeau]

Man we're having so much fun here! This is like a big family that I'm so glad to be part of!

[@agnetesorensenelbom5085]

🌺🌻🌹💐

[@chuck4tnvols681]

Elton rocking out in the early 70,s,well around 1974,this had massive radio play rotation,it was a hit,even though some stations banned it,it didn't stop it from success,and yes it was about Elton,great request,great reaction Harri! .

[@LetItBeSummer-1]

This was such a fun song to sing to out loud, especially the bitch lines lol! God I miss the old era of this music., especially the 70s 😊

[@threekidzmom04]

I AGREE!!!!

[@nancyharn1980]

I still sing it with a smile at work. The machines are so loud plus we wear ear plugs, no one knows what I'm singing. I may have someone in mind while singing. 😂

[@danielolson5378]

Thiis song fearures the mighty and legendary Tower of Power horn section! From what i've heard it was on of their first gig outside then band. This song is fire!!

[@iandowney4630]

It’s always a treat to hear Sir Elton! I’ve always loved this song. As has been noted, it got plenty of airplay without being bleeped. The bleeps in songs were so obnoxious when you were trying to enjoy a great song. How many kids hear their parents say far worse things 😂 Thanks for the request, DJ, and for your happy reaction, Harri.

[@agnetesorensenelbom5085]

💯👍👋💓

[@iandowney4630]

@@agnetesorensenelbom5085 My parents swore all the time!👍🏼😍✌🏼

[@agnetesorensenelbom5085]

@@iandowney4630 🤣😂😇 We had a teacher who used 1 lesson to explain the meaning of all the swearwords, hardly ever used them since. Dont remember my parrents swearing, sometimes its just a habit and you dont notice. Can hear your love for your parrents 🥰🙏😇

[@iandowney4630]

@@agnetesorensenelbom5085 Yes, I love, and miss, my parents dearly 🩵💛 They provided us with a wonderful lesson in swearing 🤣🤣, among many other things. I agree- it’s a bad habit 😉🎉

[@agnetesorensenelbom5085]

@@iandowney4630 😅🥰🥰

[@willow_wise]

I forgot how much I used to enjoy Elton John (and Bernie). Thanks for bringing back the memories!

[@josephthomas3912]

That's the entire Tower Of Power horn section rounding out the ensemble of musicians on this track.

[@iandowney4630]

My favorite horn section!

[@steveshovlar994]

Ticking from the album please.

[@debjorgo]

A hit single, fueled by FM radio. It wasn't controlled by the FCC like AM radio. Community standards ruled. It was Elton John. He was on top at the time. No censoring on it either. He called it his theme song. Around this time, Tipper Gore was doing all she could to restrict the airwaves. All she ended up with were advisory labels. Which was good. If you got a CD with dirty language, it is nice to know it.

[@brucedillinger9448]

Shout out to TOWER OF POWER. And the backing vocals are fire! 🔥

[@danielolson5378]

You can never go wrong with those guys!!

[@Imadrummin]

This is a bad a$$ song. Appreciate it DJ & Harri!!!👍👍👍

[@DJBilodeau]

Totally agreed! "Bad ass" is the precise phrase to describe this song!

[@agnetesorensenelbom5085]

@@DJBilodeau 👍👍👍

[@DJBilodeau]

I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) that Tina Turner did a cover of this song.

[@Scooterboi60]

Yes she did and they both performed it for the Divas VH1 special along with Proud Mary featuring Cher.

[@glt8696]

I forgot what a stomper this one was!! Deep cut "Elderberry Wine" from Don't Shoot Me album is another sublime rocker!

[@jdenino6022]

It was a single and I looked up the chart history: It was the second single released from John's 1974 album Caribou, and reached number 1 in Canada (his sixth in that country), number 4 in the United States and number 15 in the United Kingdom. from wikipedia. I remember hearing it played a lot on the radio.

[@1herbert100]

You MUST hear "Ticking" it will blow your mind.

[@keithjones7390]

My favourite Elton John song for years

[@markcornish2519]

In about 1993, I was working in a best buy. We had a 100 disc changer in the speaker room.the discs were picked out by the corporate office. When an older lady walked by I would tap the Elton John's greatest hits, this was the first song played, wanted to see the reaction. I also liked to pick out the Jimmy Buffett one, the first song being "let's get drunk and screw"

[@williamdemerchant7295]

Waay back, just after the song came out, I had a friend who would make sure she played this on the home stereo whenever her mother came home from work. The thing is, I always found her mother to be very pleasant.😅

[@DJBilodeau]

Loved your reaction. Really comes across that you felt this one! Wasn't expecting the reaction to be this much fun, but I had a ball watching this one!

[@Imadrummin]

👋👋👋

[@anneschreck5136]

It was great fun and thanks DJ!

[@han36solo]

The lyrics were a big part of what made it a hit!....(music wasn't so censored as now in our cancely world).

[@keithjones7390]

Caribou was the first Elton John album l bought. Its got a few quirky tracks such as Pinky, Solar Prestige a Gammon and Grimsby. It also has my favourite Elton John song, Ticking, Bernie's lyrics here are outstanding, a masterpiece!,

[@oriolesandravens]

DUDE!!! Ticking is one of my All-Time Faves from the Tin Pan Alley Twins. (reference to a line in Bitter Fingers from the Captain Fantastic LP). Check out their Empty Sky LP (1969) Tumbleweed Connection (1970). As for Pinky and Grimsby, I love them both.

[@briandonovan1584]

Great choice, Harri, my friend. Have you done Crocodile Rock? If not, you must. It is a lot of fun. A real classic. Love ya, my brother.

[@DJBilodeau]

briandonovan1584, I was absolutely knocked out by Crocodile Rock as a 13 year old. So, yes, I totally agree with you there!

[@greendayzd6728]

Elton is kickin' it. Heard this everywhere you went.

[@DJBilodeau]

Elton does actually have a biography entitled "Elton John: The Bitch Is Back". I have the book and I have given it a cursory read. It's quite long and very involved, as Elton has had a 50 plus year musical career in the public eye. I have a good hunch that, indeed Bernie wrote these lyrics with Elton's persona in mind. BTW there is a Disney biographical movie on Elton John coming out in December called "Elton John: Never Too Late". I've seen the trailer, and it looks incredible. It's definitely on my movie list to be seen when it does come out.

[@agnetesorensenelbom5085]

🥰🤩😇

[@chab1rd155]

NEXT by him should be, Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting! A rocker by him!

[@randystalnaker6700]

Lol...had this album when I was in high school...my anthem!!! Thanks Harri!!!

[@charlesbracelen8031]

This was a highlight of the show(one of many)when I saw him the first time...75? Tower of Power Horns wrte great!!

[@danielolson5378]

You can't go wrong with the TOP horn section!!

[@darrylvonrokk]

great song!!! Do "Grow Some Funk Of Your Own" next!!!

[@jesterger]

It was a hit single in Canada. If I am not mistaken, The Tower of Power Horn Section, played on the album.

[@oriolesandravens]

yes. They toured with Elton and The Boys. Check out the Live LP/CD Here and There, Thanksgiving Night at Madison Square Gardens when Elton brings John Lennon on stage to perform Lucy in the Sky, I Saw Her Standing There and Whatever Gets You Through the Night.

[@John_Locke_108]

This song is about a dog he owned but ran away. However a few days later it came back.

[@kallsop2]

I grew up in a very conservative state (nicknamed under the buckle of the bible belt) and this song was on the radio and in jukeboxes when it came out and for years after. The only "censored" lyrics I seem to remember is the second verse of Lou Reed's Take A Walk On The Wild Side about Candy not losing her head and editing out ""bullshit" in Pink Floyds Money but by the late 70's they both would get airplay in their entirety.

[@markcornish2519]

Steve Miller band lyrics were changed from funky shit to funky kicks

[@DJBilodeau]

This was a single Harri! You should really read the lyrics on this one; lots of tongue in cheek humor on this song! My favorite line in the whole song is "I don't like those, my God, what's that???!!! Just a fun song! Davey Johnstone's guitar riff sets up the whole song.

[@agnetesorensenelbom5085]

Thank you DJ 🥰🤩😍 Loved the intro 😇

[@patswanson2870]

If this song shocks you maybe you should react to Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed.

[@DJBilodeau]

patswanson2870, that's an excellent suggestion!

[@jdenino6022]

Or "Who Are You" by The Who.

[@mewzishun]

The story goes that Bernie and his wife were in their house. Elton came in and she said "Uh, oh, the bitch is back." And the rest is history.

[@DJBilodeau]

Glad you picked out the bass line-Dee Murray is indeed a very underrated bass guitarist. No, he's not a songwriter or a multi-instrumentalist like Paul McCartney, but that's certainly no shame for Dee. However, Dee, from a technical standpoint, is a very interesting bass player indeed!

[@ravenmccall5486]

When my children got out of line, and I had to handle it, they knew it was coming when I sang the chorus! So glad those days are over, but I still love my British King of Rock & Roll!

[@samuelgates5935]

Great song. Such controversy for a word that is commonly used in the dog show and breeding world. Elton John was a backup singer on Neil Sedaka's song "Bad Blood," which also contained the dreaded "B" word.

[@bigbow62]

Oh it was a single and on FM radio every 15 minutes with no beeps. It was just another song it was the 70s man, look at the songs from... Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Ted Nugent and many others... there weren't any P.C police hanging around it was music free easy and uncensored.... life was good in fact I'm goin' back --> who's with me ?✌️😎 Even the Beatles.... LSD "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"... that one was floating around for years. Almost every rock group has a song that can be taken many ways... hey its rock-n-roll man 🎙🙂🎸

[@hoopsmccann9228]

From Wiki~ The idea to create the song was inspired not by John or Taupin directly, but rather by Taupin's wife at the time, Maxine Feibelman, who would say, "The bitch is back," when John was in a bad mood. Taupin then wrote the lyrics. Later, John would comment: "It is kind of my theme song." 😄

[@ronjm945]

It was a single here in the States and not blipped out during radio play…

[@jdenino6022]

I bought this album on Record Store Day, I haven't opened it yet bc I don't have a turntable. 😉

[@14gilbertst]

"I get High in the Evening ......you beat me to IT!! (Bernie wrote the lyrics!)

[@oriolesandravens]

I entertain by picking brains...

[@bobdelp2023]

WANT THE DEEP TRACK ON THIS ALBUM ( CARIBOU ) HARRI😊GREAT STORY, FINAL TRACK AND A PIANO BANGER FOR SURE💯 TICKING 👍 TAKE CARE MAN

[@keithjones7390]

Ticking is my favourite Elton John song

[@dcmtrader]

More Yellow Brick Road please. If that was shocking try Sweet Painted Lady

[@captainsatellite2112]

Tina Turner did a great cover of this song.

[@DJBilodeau]

captainsatellite2112, I thought so! Thanks for confirming that!

[@captainsatellite2112]

@@DJBilodeau It was on her album Rough. Here's a solo vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipSrZqqeoJhnrqssi=mN9yzUigxcpUu4py And with Elton: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqTUiGmXibmCbbMsi=86NNfXWh5RcL_kai

[@captainsatellite2112]

Dusty Springfield sang back up with others on this song.

[@chab1rd155]

He probably did sniff pots of glue back in the day. As I'm SURE you know, he was Big into drugs! Still LOVE this jam!!!❤

[@captainsatellite2112]

According to his song Social Disease, he liked to "get juiced on Mateus and just hang loose."

[@oriolesandravens]

around this time he was discovering coke. Allegedly, Ray Cooper was (allegedly) his enabler. If you get the LP with all the art work, or the CD with all the liner notes, there is a picture of Elton's face taking up the entire side of the lyric sleeve (where the LP was stored). His nose is running. When I bought it in 1974 (age 12) I thought he had a cold and runny nose. I didn't know until a few years later.....

[@chab1rd155]

@@oriolesandravens 👍😊

[@balmpatchvideos]

This song has some Rolling Stones sound to it. I can picture Jagger singing it too, but even the guitar is kinda Stonesy.

[@rogerfleming6354]

I used to listen to this song to get psyched up for my my high school wrestling matches. I’m better than you, its the way that I move, the things that I do…

[@SG-js2qn]

I don't remember this song being controversial at all, FWIW.

[@thomasripley1548]

Bernie and Elton had an argument about something , and then whoever it was came back , thus the song...

[@carlgibbons5777]

Is this Marjorie Taylor Green's theme song? lol If not, it should be.

[@kirkhall2099]

It was on the radio and the society was more liberal with much of the music at the time. Today it is no different as rap has some really gross stuff. Blazing Saddles was one of the best comedy movies that came out in 74. It would not be allowed today. There are far more restrictions in America than what it used to be.

[@tommyc6066]

If you think that's shocking, check out Back Off B*tch by Guns N Roses 😉

[@Cynthia...]

Great Elton song then you won't find any bad ones mind you. Thank you Dan and Harri.

[@blackwolf6082]

I love how edgy this song is

[@DJBilodeau]

To your point about us all having an "inner bitch". . .one of the tenets of Judiasm is that God made humans with an "irreduceable rascality" within, according to the philosopher Alan Watts. So what the hell does this have to do with this song? Just seemed to dovetail nicely with the point you made!

[@loadedorygun]

As soon as he became your kindly out gay uncle, I lost interest lol. He was so much better as the young brash punk who didn’t apologize for anything including how he felt. Lucky for us that period lasted a good 10+ years of incredible output. Letting Davey Johnstone shine and highlighting more of his guitar work really re-energized Elton’s music IMO.

[@phillipnash2843]

I don’t think that word is appropriate on a platform that children look at.

[@pncombies]

Then tell your mommy and daddy to enable the "Parental Lock". Are you kidding me, Milk Toast? Go back to bed you, simp!

[@pncombies]

Grow a pair!! Bitch /biCH/ noun 1. a female dog, wolf, fox, or otter. verb informal