Jun 27, 2026 · 5 min · 6 segments
The best selling crime author on the tracks that have inspired him. Inherited: Have Mercy on the Criminal by Elton John Pass on: He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones
Mark BillinghamGuest
The name of the song I've inherited is Have Mercy on the Criminal by Elton John.
My mum's second husband Tony was only 10 years older than me and he loved his music, he had all sorts of music and he introduced me to people like The Kinks and very crucially for me The Beatles and Elton John.
And the first Elton John album of his that I pulled out of the rack was an album called Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player and this was the track from that album that immediately just jumped out at me and caught my imagination.
It has this really powerful, fast string section that sounds like Layla by Derek and the Dominoes.
And then it crashes into this slow, bluesy thing that just builds and builds.
This was 1973 and I'd seen Elton John on Top of the Pops and he just didn't look like all the other people around him.
He didn't look like, you know, Mark Bolan or David Bowie or any of the people that were his contemporaries.
But he had this voice and he clearly had this incredible presence and this charisma and I was just attracted to him right away and this is just my favourite track of his.
I love you
The track I'd like to pass on is He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones.
He stopped loving her.
So in 1981, I'm a student and I go out and I buy an album by Elvis Costello called Almost Blue.
I was a huge fan of his, so I bought it anyway, but it's an album of country covers.
And at this point, my knowledge of country music amounted to Johnny Cash singing A Boy Named Sue or Jolene by Dolly Parton.
But then this album introduced me to the likes of Hank Williams and Grant Parsons and crucially, the mighty George Jones.
As the years went slowly by
Frank Sinatra once said modestly that George Jones had the second best voice in popular music.
The name of the song I've inherited is Have Mercy on the Criminal by Elton John.
My mum's second husband Tony was only 10 years older than me and he loved his music, he had all sorts of music and he introduced me to people like The Kinks and very crucially for me The Beatles and Elton John.
And the first Elton John album of his that I pulled out of the rack was an album called Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player and this was the track from that album that immediately just jumped out at me and caught my imagination.
It has this really powerful, fast string section that sounds like Layla by Derek and the Dominoes.
And then it crashes into this slow, bluesy thing that just builds and builds.
This was 1973 and I'd seen Elton John on Top of the Pops and he just didn't look like all the other people around him.
He didn't look like, you know, Mark Bolan or David Bowie or any of the people that were his contemporaries.
But he had this voice and he clearly had this incredible presence and this charisma and I was just attracted to him right away and this is just my favourite track of his.
I love you
The track I'd like to pass on is He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones.
He stopped loving her.
So in 1981, I'm a student and I go out and I buy an album by Elvis Costello called Almost Blue.
I was a huge fan of his, so I bought it anyway, but it's an album of country covers.
And at this point, my knowledge of country music amounted to Johnny Cash singing A Boy Named Sue or Jolene by Dolly Parton.
But then this album introduced me to the likes of Hank Williams and Grant Parsons and crucially, the mighty George Jones.
As the years went slowly by
Frank Sinatra once said modestly that George Jones had the second best voice in popular music.
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3 of 4
The Song’s Devastating Twist
Listen as Mark dissects songwriting's greatest twist.
Elton’s Magnetic First Impression
Childhood discovery of Elton John's power still.
Country Tears and No Regrets
Why country clichés still make him weep.
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