Kate Bush later told NME that 'Rocket Man' was one of her favourite songs of all time, saying: "I remember buying this when it came out as a single by Elton John.
The song's intergalactic theme and sentiment of loneliness and longing made a huge impact on future artists, namely Kate Bush who in return influenced Elton. In a recent UK poll conducted by Ispos, 'Rocket Man' ranked first as the nation's favourite Elton John song. It was the ballad that helped him break through to the mainstream, which shone a light on previous releases such as 'Your Song' and launched him to the top of the charts. 'Rocket Man' is now synonymous with Elton John, becoming the title of his critically acclaimed 2019 biopic as well as helping to shape his dazzling stage persona. Rocketman (2019) - Official Trailer - Paramount Pictures It went on to sell three million copies across the pond, achieving certified triple platinum status in the US, and eventually going platinum in the UK in 2019.
'Rocket Man' was the lead single from Elton's fifth studio and breakthrough album Honky Château which topped the Billboard 200 in the US and reached No.2 in the UK charts. In the UK the song reached No.20 in the charts so was a moderate success, whilst it peaked at No.6 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100, launching Elton's career in the process. 'Rocket Man' was released on Apwith 'Susie (Dramas)' on the B-side. 'Rocket Man' launched Elton's international career. When was ‘Rocket Man’ released and how did it perform in the charts? "Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids" touches upon the idea of raising children whilst being a rock star, living an unconventional lifestyle which is often consumed by addiction, late nights, and being away from home for long periods of time. "Higher than a kite" being the rush musicians feel being in the limelight and out of touch with reality below them. "Burnin' out his fuse up here alone" is seen as a metaphor for a rock star reaching new heights on stage. Parallels have been drawn between the isolation of an astronaut alone in space to the isolation a rock star feels from their friends, family, and the real world after achieving astronomical fame. How was the meaning of ‘Rocket Man’ interpreted?Įlton John - Rocket Man (Official Music Video)Įven though 'Rocket Man' was inspired by a science-fiction story, the meanings of the lyrics have been interpreted in many ways over the year, namely in line with the 'rock star isolation' theory. It was only recently however that Elton found out about the song's inspiration, who said in an interview discussing the song's beginnings that "you learn something new every day". This encouraged Bernie to write his own idea who later said: "It's common knowledge that songwriters are great thieves, and this is a perfect example." The short story is written from the perspective of a child whose father is an astronaut that expresses mixed feelings about having to leave his family to go to work in outer space.īradbury's story also inspired another song called 'Rocket Man' by folk group Pearls Before Swine in 1970, about a child who can no longer look at the stars after his father perishes whilst doing his day job. What in fact inspired 'Rocket Man' was the short story The Rocket Man, written by Ray Bradbury which was published as part of his 1951 anthology The Illustrated Man. That's often why 'Rocket Man' was considered a rip-off of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' initially - because of the shared themes of space and isolation, both being sung by budding British artists, as well as them being produced by the same person, Gus Dudgeon - which both Elton and Bernie strongly deny. A post shared by Elton John idea of space exploration was enormously popular throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, so was present in most pop culture at the time.
0 kommentar(er)
