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Elton John · S3 E3
Honky Château
Recording in a French castle. 'Rocket Man,' 'Honky Cat,' and the first number-one album in America
In January 1972, Elton and his band drive through the French countryside to a crumbling eighteenth-century chateau surrounded by beet fields and vineyards. Inside, there is a recording studio, a kitchen, and enough bedrooms for everyone to live together while they work.
Elton John, "Crocodile Rock" (1972). A throwback to 1950s rock and roll made in an eighteenth-century French castle. The falsetto chorus is borrowed from "Little Darlin'" by the Diamonds, and it becomes Elton's first number-one single in America.
Chateau d'Herouville, Val-d'Oise, France
The residential studio where Elton records two consecutive albums. The relaxed atmosphere produces some of the best music of his career.
Living Together, Recording Together
The idea is radical for 1972: instead of booking studio time in London, the entire band moves into the chateau. They eat breakfast together, record during the day, drink wine at dinner, and play football on the grounds between takes. Davey Johnstone joins as a permanent member on guitar, locking in the classic lineup. The music sounds exactly like that lifestyle: loose, confident, and completely free of pressure.
TAP TO REVEAL: Who else recorded legendary albums at Chateau d'Herouville?
Honky Chateau: The Numbers
Which song from the chateau sessions became Elton's first number-one single in America?
Hercules
From Honky Chateau (1972). Named after Elton's self-chosen middle name, borrowed from the horse in the BBC sitcom Steptoe and Son. A rollicking, piano-driven track that captures the loose, joyful energy of the chateau sessions.
Number-one album and a band that can do anything. Next: a song about loneliness disguised as a song about space.
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