I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself

The song maintains the New Orleans atmosphere from "Honky Cat", the opening track of Honky Château, with a style that Elizabeth Rosenthal describes as "New Orleans-style jazz". Rosenthal calls the song "an amusing ditty". Author Philip Norman describes it as "a cheerful little thing",{{cite book|title=Elton John|author=Norman, P.|author-link=Philip Norman (author)|pages=203, 218–219|year=1993|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-671-79729-4}} but AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls it "surprisingly cynical and nasty".{{cite web|title=Honky Chateau|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/honky-chateau-r10459|author=Erlewine, S.T.|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=2012-03-04}} Mary Anne Cassata calls it "a jumpy pop tune", like "Honky Cat", and an "ode to teenage lust".{{cite book|title=The Elton John Scrapbook|author=Cassata, M.A|page=95|year=2002|publisher=Citadel|isbn=978-0-8065-2322-4}} The book Songwriting for Dummies described the song as "a deceptively happy ditty" and an example where the lyrical content contrasts with the music.{{cite book|title=Songwriting for Dummies|url=https://archive.org/details/songwritingfordu00aust_388|url-access=limited|author=Peterik, J.|page=[https://archive.org/details/songwritingfordu00aust_388/page/n252 13]|edition=2nd|year=2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-61514-0|display-authors=etal}}

It opens with an upbeat piano, with accompanying bass licks and fast-paced drumming, stirring up a situation image. The chorus continues this, before briefly turning into a slow-paced doo-wop choir, accompanied by a smooth acoustic guitar, singing the word "blues". After that, it returns to its main tempo. Later, a honky-tonk piano solo accompanied by tap dancing is present, with the song switching in and out of the slow-paced "blues" before fading out. "Legs" Larry Smith performed the tap dancing routine on the track.{{cite book|title=Elton: The Biograph|author=Buckley, D.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/eltonbiography0000buck/page/140 140–141, 148–149]|year=2007|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=978-1-55652-713-5|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/eltonbiography0000buck/page/140}}

It was premiered in 1972, both with and without "Legs" Larry Smith, who also did the tap dancing on the album. Smith performed the tap dance on stage during the American leg of the 1972 tour, which began on 26 September, with Smith sometimes wearing a wedding dress. Smith also performed on the song at the London Palladium for the Royal Command Performance Variety Show on 30 October.{{cite book|title=His song: the musical journey of Elton John|author=Rosenthal, E.J.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/hissongmusicaljo0000rose/page/47 47. 57–59, 145]|year=2001|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0-8230-8893-5|url=https://archive.org/details/hissongmusicaljo0000rose/page/47}}

After that tour, it was not played until returning as a solo piece in 1976, and on the 1979 tour with Ray Cooper. The second tour with Ray Cooper (1993–95) also featured this song, and it was also featured in his 2009–12 tour with Cooper. It has not been played solo since 1976.

During these performances, the honky-tonk solo is transformed into a marimba-solo played by Cooper, adding to the already tragi-comical melody.

• Elton John – vocals, piano
• Dee Murray – bass, backing vocals
• Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
• Davey Johnstone – guitar, backing vocals
• "Legs" Larry Smith – tap dancing

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{{Elton John songs}}

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Category:Elton John songs

Category:1972 songs

Category:Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin

Category:Songs with music by Elton John

Category:Songs about suicide

Category:Song recordings produced by Gus Dudgeon