Context

This line was sung by Elton John in the song "Bennie and the Jets," written by Bernie Taupin and Elton John, from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973).

"Bennie and the Jets" is both a celebration and satire of glam rock during its hey-day, when the world was owned by David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and, of course, Sir Elton John himself.

The song is written from the POV of a fan of a fictional glam band named Bennie and the Jets, and the narrator basically geeks out about these musicians, especially the frontwoman Bennie, who has Stevie Nicks beat with her "electric boots and mohair suit." Think Ziggy Stardust turned up to eleven.

What makes "Bennie and the Jets" so unique is that it sounds like you're listening to a live Elton John concert even though the crowd noise is just studio magic. And Sir Elton is famous for never playing it the same way at each gig, especially the piano solo part towards the middle of the song.

"Bennie and the Jets" is really a perfect capsule to a time in music where outfits were shinier, piano solos were longer, and everyone was just a bit weirder.

Where you've heard it

"Bennie and the Jets" is both a karaoke and oldies radio staple so you've either heard a really good version or a really bad version… Elton John's falsetto is hard to top.

Additional Notable References:

• The mascot of the NHL team Winnipeg Jets got his name from this song. Doesn't he look adorable?
• In the 2008 romantic comedy 27 Dresses, our starcrossed lovers (played by James Marsden and Katherine Heigl) sing an off-key rendition of "Bennie and the Jets."
• In Parks and Recreation, Leslie Knope is a big fan of the pasta themed children's music artist Freddy Spaghetti. Her favorite song by the artist is the master class in puns, "Penne and the Jets."

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Maybe, the "oh-oh" is a little much, unless your dinner party's being held at a karaoke bar, but it's perfectly normal to use a magazine article to strike up a conversation. See, print media isn't dead after all.