Elton John - Rocket Man (Extended Version) from the album "Honky Château" (1972)

"Rocket Man", also known as "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)", is a song written by British musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally released on 17 April 1972 in the US, as the lead single to John's album Honky Château. The song first charted in the UK on 22 April, rising to No. 2 in the UK singles chart and No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major hit single for John. It is considered to be John's signature song.

On 5 April 2024, the song was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of 1,800,000 digital downloads and streaming equivalent sales. With sales of five million in the US the song was certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Rolling Stone lists it at No. 149 of its 500 greatest songs of all time. On 6 January 2024, Rocket Man surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.

The song was inspired by Ray Bradbury's short story "The Rocket Man" in The Illustrated Man, about a professional astronaut whose work keeps him away from his anguished family for months at a time. It echoes the theme of David Bowie's 1969 song "Space Oddity" (both recordings were produced by Gus Dudgeon). Taupin has denied that the Bowie song was an inspiration.

Musically, the song is a highly arranged classical rock ballad anchored by piano, with atmospheric texture added by synthesizer (played on the recording by engineer Dave Hentschel) and slide guitar. It is also known for being the first song in John's catalogue to feature what would become the signature backing vocal combination of his band at the time, Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone.

The first stanza of "Rocket Man" was thought of by Bernie Taupin while he was on the motorway heading to his parents' home; he had to "repeat it to himself for two hours", which was "unfortunate", but in later interviews he said that since it gave him a hit, it was all worthwhile.


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