10 Hard Rock Songs By Non-Hard Rock Artists

Elton John is known in rock history as one of the greatest songwriters of the 70's. With the assistance of lyricist Bernie Taupin, John has received a reputation as the writer of some of the best melodies in the world of soft rock. Though the British pianist's repertoire is far from heavy hitting, "Saturday Night's Alright" showed his penchant for more aggressive material.

After getting bogged down with all of the pastiches of American westerns in his previous work, John wanted to write a song that was the epitome of the American rock lifestyle from the British point of view. To bring the typical rocker into the pop sphere, John took inspiration from the glam rock that had been popularized in the UK and turned it into one of his most forceful tunes. John drifts across the tune like a glam update of Jerry Lee Lewis, as he assaults his piano with blistering runs while the buzzing guitar wails away across the tune's chorus.

With bands like the Who taking rock in harder directions, Elton John created a song that had the attitude of a Rolling Stones song if it were interpreted by T. Rex. Since a lot of hard rock deals with heavy subjects, this is the ideal tune for a night of musical mayhem.