Pinball Wizard, one of the great songs by the Who, was recorded by Elton in 1974 in connection with the movie version of Tommy, the Who's seminal rock opera. The movie was released in 1975 with quite a bit of acclaim. Elton plays the Pinball Wizard, singing this scorching rocker in a 5-minute cameo appearance. It wasn't released as a single until 1976. Years later it was added as a bonus track to the reissued Caribou album.

Before Elton, no one could have imagined that this classic guitar song could be played on the piano. All Elton did is re-make it into a hit of his own with the piano front and center. Besides the classic 18-bar intro, I've included 10 bars of the first verse to get you started. This song shows that the piano can hold its own in an arrangement that is largely based on guitar power chords.

Also, at the 3:34 mark in the song, Elton rips on a short 4-bar Jerry Lee style solo before letting Davey take over. This is a barn burner. Enjoy!