Knowing what we know now... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

andrewtayloruk · 12-07-2004, 05:43 AM

Hi,

Just sitting here on the run up to christmas listening to some fantastic music in the office. I'm playing Elton John's Greatest hits CD, now I'm only 25 so I'm too young to have heard most of this music the first time around, leaving aside how fantastic this album is (close to pop perfection), I wonder how many songs there are out there by different artists that we really only recognise their true meaning now, decades later.

Example, Rocket Man by Elton John.

She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour nine a.m.
And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then
I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It’s lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it’s gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I’m a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it’s cold as hell
And there’s no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don’t understand
It’s just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man

And I think it’s gonna be a long long time...

To me, this is clearly about Elton's sexuality, he's a rocket man

Andrew

quadro2000 · 12-07-2004, 06:20 AM

I can't tell if you're joking or not...if so, yes, you're very funny, he takes it in the butt and therefore is a rocket man.

But truth be told, Elton doesn't write the lyrics. He writes the music. Bernie Taupin writes the lyrics, then gives them to Elton, who adds the music to them. It's a strange process I'll never understand, but it works amazingly for them.

Bernie has said that "Rocket Man" is about a cocaine user, but I see it more as a tragic description of what it's like to live the life of a rock star, on the road all year, isolated from family and friends. I think that's the magic of really good lyrics, when they can be interpreted in so many varied ways.

You are correct, though - Elton's greatest hits are pop perfection!

andrewtayloruk · 12-07-2004, 06:44 AM

It was meant to be a stab (hehe I did it again) at humour. I figured it was widely known to be about the use of cocaine. I was thinking that as soon as people see 'Rocket Man' by Elton John, they'll think 'yeah, I'm going to listen to that'.

<edited for clarity>

Obviously the point I was making still stands, when this was released, I'm sure not many people understood the drug association.

I can't get over how good this CD is, the production on Bennie and the Jets is fantastic.

Cool avatar.

quadro2000 · 12-08-2004, 02:33 PM

My bad, I thought the entire post was just a setup for the butt joke. (maybe it was!

) Either way, yes - I'm sure the intention was missed on a lot of his songs - it's impossible to say what they're really about, since we didn't write them. For example, according to Eltonlinks.com, the song "Daniel" has a meaning I never would have figured out:

Quote:

Daniel is the fictional story of a blinded Vietnam veteran who comes home after the war and everybody wants him to be a hero, but all he wants is to be left alone. So he takes off for Spain to get away from it all. The story is told from the point of view of his younger brother, who misses him and would like him to come back home. It's not a true story, just an account of what crippled Vietnam veterans had to go through when they came home from the war. It is inspired by news coverage of the war that Bernie (Elton's lyricist) watched in the early 70s."

Apparently there was a third verse that explained most of this, or at least the Vietnam connection, but it was deleted from the song.

Interesting, huh?

12-07-2004, 05:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
andrewtayloruk Upright	Knowing what we know now... Hi, Just sitting here on the run up to christmas listening to some fantastic music in the office. I'm playing Elton John's Greatest hits CD, now I'm only 25 so I'm too young to have heard most of this music the first time around, leaving aside how fantastic this album is (close to pop perfection), I wonder how many songs there are out there by different artists that we really only recognise their true meaning now, decades later. Example, Rocket Man by Elton John. She packed my bags last night pre-flight Zero hour nine a.m. And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then I miss the earth so much I miss my wife It’s lonely out in space On such a timeless flight And I think it’s gonna be a long long time Till touch down brings me round again to find I’m not the man they think I am at home Oh no no no I’m a rocket man Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids In fact it’s cold as hell And there’s no one there to raise them if you did And all this science I don’t understand It’s just my job five days a week A rocket man, a rocket man And I think it’s gonna be a long long time... To me, this is clearly about Elton's sexuality, he's a rocket man Andrew

12-07-2004, 06:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
quadro2000 All Possibility, Made Of Custard Location: New York, NY	I can't tell if you're joking or not...if so, yes, you're very funny, he takes it in the butt and therefore is a rocket man. But truth be told, Elton doesn't write the lyrics. He writes the music. Bernie Taupin writes the lyrics, then gives them to Elton, who adds the music to them. It's a strange process I'll never understand, but it works amazingly for them. Bernie has said that "Rocket Man" is about a cocaine user, but I see it more as a tragic description of what it's like to live the life of a rock star, on the road all year, isolated from family and friends. I think that's the magic of really good lyrics, when they can be interpreted in so many varied ways. You are correct, though - Elton's greatest hits are pop perfection! __________________ You have to laugh at yourself...because you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't. - Emily Saliers

12-07-2004, 06:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
andrewtayloruk Upright	It was meant to be a stab (hehe I did it again) at humour. I figured it was widely known to be about the use of cocaine. I was thinking that as soon as people see 'Rocket Man' by Elton John, they'll think 'yeah, I'm going to listen to that'. <edited for clarity> Obviously the point I was making still stands, when this was released, I'm sure not many people understood the drug association. I can't get over how good this CD is, the production on Bennie and the Jets is fantastic. Cool avatar.