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Elton John — Rocket Man
Album: Honky Chateau
Avg rating:
8.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2621









Released: 1972
Length: 4:36
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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
'Til touchdown 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
Burnin' out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
'Til touchdown 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
Burnin' 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
Rocket man

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
'Til touchdown 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
Burnin' out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
'Til touchdown 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
Burnin' out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Comments (123)add comment
Thanx to Trump, this tune will always remind me of Kim from N. Korea!  LOL!   GREAT TUNE!   
 philbertr wrote:

I like every one of his other songs but this one is like fingernails on a chalkboard. I doubt there has ever been an Astro/cosmonaut who was anything like Rocket Man.

Metaphor.
c.

I like every one of his other songs but this one is like fingernails on a chalkboard. I doubt there has ever been an Astro/cosmonaut who was anything like Rocket Man.
 vandal wrote:

Still love this LP. The second album I purchased back in 1973... 



Had it on eight track.
Still love this LP. The second album I purchased back in 1973... 
I wonder how many people remember William Shatner's Priceline commercials from 2000.  He covered C.W. McCall's "Convoy" among others.
 Stratocaster wrote:

I'll think of William Shatner every time I hear this, now. That's not a bad thing.




Me too!!!  
Oh, the memories .... !!!!
 apd wrote:


Is it wrong to prefer William Shatner's version?

 



Yes and yes, so wrong
Elton's songs from this era are why Elton John is....Elton John.
I'll think of William Shatner every time I hear this, now. That's not a bad thing.
Summer 1981, I was working as a roofer in North Texas, in between my freshman and sophomore years at Texas Tech.  We had this guy on our crew, Wade, who would go smoke a joint during break and then go back on the roof and claim he was a "Rocket Man" because he could nail down shingles faster than any of us.  Well, we put up with his bullshit until the day, after proclaiming he was the rocket-man, he fell off of the roof and broke his arm.  No more Wade, no more Rocket-Man!
 vandal wrote:


Is it wrong to prefer Elton's version? 





No.
 rgio wrote:

The more I listen, the less I understand the process of Bernie writing lyrics and leaving them in a pile for Elton to write music for.  Scary brilliance.



Although I would in no way compare myself to Elton John, I'm also a pianist and composer and this was my preferred way of working (except that sadly my wonderful lyricist died a couple of years ago, and I haven't had the heart to find another).
 Dirktooth wrote:

I loved the animated version that he authorized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVBCG6ThDk


Totally makes me tear up, every time. But Benny and the Jets video is jawdropping.
Literally a barnyard favorite...I play it in the barn when the goats get crabby and peace is instantly restored. 
NASA had just landed Neil on the moon a few years before this song.  Now, all these years later we are headed for Mars. What a country we live in!
Few things are as enjoyable 😉 as listening to his music 🎶  from 1969 - 1972. 
Fitting as I watched the amazing Apollo 11 doc last night. Collins was later interviewed, did you feel lonely when Eagle left Columbia and you were left alone circling the moon? No! I was full of anticipation, excitement, confidence and almost exultation!
 Jdart22 wrote:
That's amazing! I wish DJ's could still do stuff like that. Only late night, small town stuff I guess now? 
 
horseplayer wrote:
I remember when this came out, there was a DJ on WBAI in New York who took the ending of this song and put it on a tape loop. He would let it loop for, like, 20 or 30 minutes at a clip. It was  . . . amazing.

 
Jean Shepherd told his late nite listeners to go to bookstores and ask for 
"I, Libertine", a hoaxed novel...The thing took off and Ballantine Books
commissioned Theodore Sturgeon (Kilgore Trout...;-) to ghost write the
book to satisfy the demand...Another literary hoax was when my buddy 
and I took his truck to every one of the Shakespeare & Co stores to pick
up all the unopened cases of the (also ghost written) Art of the Deal and
deliver 'em to the Trump Tower...And that, my friends, is how Donald
Trump got "his" book on the best sellers list...

Tony in NJ
W.A.S.T.E.
 

The more I listen, the less I understand the process of Bernie writing lyrics and leaving them in a pile for Elton to write music for.  Scary brilliance.
I loved the animated version that he authorized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVBCG6ThDk
 Daveteauk wrote:
But what exactly is he on about?
 
Being on the road performing. Many touring artists say it's like living on another planet. The equipment (science) is overwhelming. Sure it's not as linear as, say 'Turn The Page', but the meaning is the same.
c.
 cc_rider wrote:
The movie 'Rocketman' is very good. Part biopic, part musical, it is a great recap of his life.

As a huge fan of Sir Elton, I went into it expecting it to be terrible. But Taron Egerton is terrific. He looks a bit like a young Elton, and he sings everything himself, no lip-synching.

Definitely recommend it.
c.
 

FWIW, you can get a preview of Taron's "Elton" work in the animated movie Sing - which in and of itself I found to be very entertaining.
Just for today
Fantastic song The movie was so cool much better than I thought it would be I think it’s gonna be a long long time
“the laws of physics I don’t understand...” is certainly true about this song. It’s still great music though!
 fredriley wrote:
This was one of the first singles I bought as a teen, back in the Jutassic, and I love it still now.
 
Weird, isn't it.  I'd just started secondary school and if I sit and just listen to this quietly I can see, feel and smell the place in my mind's eye.  Shame I can't remember what I did yesterday.
This was one of the first singles I bought as a teen, back in the Jutassic, and I love it still now.
Just saw him two weeks ago in Las Vegas, and it was such an extraordinary show that I got tickets to see him in San Francisco a week later (and it didn't hurt that Stubhub called to say they needed to upgrade our tickets!). Of course he did this song, but the whole show was incredible. I've been a fan since I was 12, and am now considering going to London next year for his final shows. 
The movie 'Rocketman' is very good. Part biopic, part musical, it is a great recap of his life.

As a huge fan of Sir Elton, I went into it expecting it to be terrible. But Taron Egerton is terrific. He looks a bit like a young Elton, and he sings everything himself, no lip-synching.

Definitely recommend it.
c.
 Proclivities wrote:


Don Knotts
 

 martinc wrote:
who is on the cover?
 

Don Knotts


I was 15 and my best friend liked Elton John a lot. I liked this song.
Our Dad's were in the Navy, and we lost touch with each other after that.
59 now and when I hear this, it does that thing to me that songs can do, you know?

If you're out there John Richardson . . . . . . . It's been a long, long time . . . .

1974/75 - Marrington Circle, NWS - Charleston, South Carolina - Goose Creek Gators

{#Crown}
Overplayed? Of course. And I sing along every time I hear it.  

Quality never grows old.  
A really good song -- that for me was really murdered forever by ad infinitum FM plays. I'm gonna psd. 

JOHN RICHARDSON !
We were 14.
NWS - Marrington
It has been a long, long time ~
I hope you are well, old friend.
- L.L.
 victory806 wrote:
I don't think Bernie and Elton understood the real meaning about Major Tom.
 
Which is what exactly...?
But what exactly is he on about?
I don't think Bernie and Elton understood the real meaning about Major Tom.
Ground Control to Major Tom eh?

Hmmm... not quite.
first time I heard a "bad" word in a song
That's amazing! I wish DJ's could still do stuff like that. Only late night, small town stuff I guess now? 
 
horseplayer wrote:
I remember when this came out, there was a DJ on WBAI in New York who took the ending of this song and put it on a tape loop. He would let it loop for, like, 20 or 30 minutes at a clip. It was  . . . amazing.

 

 Screature wrote:

He didn't write this song either... Bernie Taupin wrote it.

 
Alright, already! Please...it isn't my ignorance...it's my patience with all this technicality authorship. Of course, Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics and Sir Elton wrote the music. I knew this then and still. It's the general output is what I'm referring to in my previous comment. Sheeesh! I also didn't indicate the producer and sound engineer of this album...it doesn't change the sentiment.
 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote:

LP, 8 Track, CD and now on file.
What's next?

 
Don't forget cassette!
I remember when this came out, there was a DJ on WBAI in New York who took the ending of this song and put it on a tape loop. He would let it loop for, like, 20 or 30 minutes at a clip. It was  . . . amazing.

 A_Radio_Head wrote:
My first Elton concert in 1974 $8.50 - had to break open my piggy bank.
My fourth Elton concert in Vegas 2005 $250...had a nice chat with Nigel the drummer that night. 

 
And my first Elton concert was in December 2017 in Beirut! 


WAAAAAADDDDDDE!!!!! 
supurb song

goddelijk mooi
 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote:
LP, 8 Track, CD and now on file.
What's next?
 
Stream on demand. . . keep up at the back there!
 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote:

LP, 8 Track, CD and now on file.
What's next?

 
between 8 Track and CD you missed cassette tape, you just aren't a true Elton John fan if you don't have them all{#Cheesygrin}
 Phlegmaticman wrote:
I had this album on 8 track tape.

 
LP, 8 Track, CD and now on file.
What's next?
 gregskrtic wrote:
I was working as a roofer in Texas during the summer of '81. We used to bring a small boom box up on the roof with us to listen to the radio while we worked.  One day, just before quitting time, "Rocket Man" came on the station we were listening to when Wade declared, "I'M A ROCKET-MAN!" and jumped off the roof. Broken ankle, trip to ER, and workman's comp—clearly that "smoke-break" he had in his car at lunchtime was more than the usual Marlboro Reds he usually smoked.  

This one's for you Wade—not the cleverest Rocket-Man out there.

                             {#Iamwithstupid} 

 
All the roofers I've known, have been a little "burnt". {#Cheesygrin}
My first Elton concert in 1974 $8.50 - had to break open my piggy bank.
My fourth Elton concert in Vegas 2005 $250...had a nice chat with Nigel the drummer that night. 
I was working as a roofer in Texas during the summer of '81. We used to bring a small boom box up on the roof with us to listen to the radio while we worked.  One day, just before quitting time, "Rocket Man" came on the station we were listening to when Wade declared, "I'M A ROCKET-MAN!" and jumped off the roof. Broken ankle, trip to ER, and workman's comp—clearly that "smoke-break" he had in his car at lunchtime was more than the usual Marlboro Reds he usually smoked.  

This one's for you Wade—not the cleverest Rocket-Man out there.

                             {#Iamwithstupid} 
 DaidyBoy wrote:
Ah, puberty.  Wouldn't want to do that again.....

 
Indeed.
1972 was a good year, according to Wikipedia (mwahahaha!) {#Bananajam}
Almost perfect....
Correct that....fucking perfect! Pardon mon Francais
 
Ah, puberty.  Wouldn't want to do that again.....
 msymmes wrote:
Yup.  Well said.   A TEN !!
 
Thank you, msymmes...  hope you are having a marvelous time right this minute...

everybody in my alien space craft loves this song... 
Average rating of 8.5 with a huge spike in the 9 group !
 
This was one of the first singles I bought, and I still love it decades later. It was fitting for the time, in which the 'space race' was a recurrent theme. Our Reg sure knows how to spin a toon. It does help that he's been Watford FC through-and-through from childhood, and is now life president of the club. As we 'Orns chanted, mantra-like, in the club's 80s glory days: "Elton John's Taylor-made army!".

Apologies to innocents abroad to whom the arcane world of lower-league English football is as familiar as particle physics.
 Pedro1874 wrote:
Don't forget the genius wordsmith Bernie  Taupin {#Sunny}{#Clap}
 
{#Clap}
Don't forget the genius wordsmith Bernie  Taupin {#Sunny}{#Clap}
What do you thing about this cover in a German TV casting show: https://www.the-voice-of-germany.de/video/31-andreas-kuemmert-rocket-man-clip
Classic, Elton,Song, Nice!
 melsmith wrote:
EJ - quirky, weird, genius

 
..... yes
Yup.  Well said.   A TEN !!
  
 

Lazarus wrote:

This song is absolutely gorgeous...  love it...
 

 


EJ - quirky, weird, genius
 RabbitEars wrote:


 
vurrrrry niiiiiiiize.  Thanks!
 "...Moonaaa Liiisaaas and Maaad Haaatterrs……"

oh, sorry. wait.



Memories of senior year at high school... And the eoy camp...{#Angel}
Elton Quote from From a recent Rolling Stone Article regarding this song:
"Rocket Man"
Honky Château, 1972

The first huge single that I had. "Your Song" was a hit; "Rocket Man" was a big hit. It had an acoustic guitar on it, it was a different song for me – it was a simpler sound. I'd moved into a house, I was becoming successful, I was so confident, musically. Everything was to do with the music – touring, recording, radio interviews, photo shoots and "What are we going to do next?"

https://www.eltondaily.com/2013/10/elton-my-life-in-20-songs.html 

This song is absolutely gorgeous...  love it...
 
 martinc wrote:
who is on the cover?
 
Some dude named Reginald Dwight, I believe.
Simply perfection. Those days, the days of Madman Across the Water, Tumbleweed Connection and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road gone but immortalized in plastic.
 

One of those rare individuals you just want to run up to and give him a big bare hug to thank him for his gifts.
how about some STARMAN (ziggy stardus) !
 Screature wrote:

He didn't write this song either... Bernie Taupin wrote it.
 

Yes he wrote the music - Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics.
...and all the science I don't understand...it's just my job 5 days a week..."
Um, he DID write the tune. Taupin wrote lyrics.
 ziakut wrote:
I simply love this song. He just don't write tunes like this anymore. A thing of the past for sure. Sadly.
 
He didn't write this song either... Bernie Taupin wrote it.
Why is John Prine on the album cover?
I simply love this song. He just don't write tunes like this anymore. A thing of the past for sure. Sadly.
My favorite EJ song.  Thanks!   {#Good-vibes}
Yes I am!
Makes me think of Ray Bradbury. RIP.
This song is a "10". Soundtrack to the year when I was 14, and played this album to death. Nothing else to say.

Oh, except that I've met Sir Elton.  Seriously. 
 martinc wrote:
who is on the cover?
 
Sir Elton, of course.

First concert I ever saw.... Chicago 1976.  Loved him then, love him now..... Always a 10
I had this album on 8 track tape.
 martinc wrote:
who is on the cover?
 
Looks like Kevin Smith, but I'm pretty sure it isn't.  He would have been, like, 4 when this came out.

Would be funny if it was tho.


I never understood how NASA would allow an astronaut's wife to pack up the gear he would need for the mission. They have, like entire departments tasked with this responsibility. Talk about your bossy and controlling spouse.

"But honey, I can't even wear these boxers under the spacesuit. Where would the urine and feces tubes go."
The perfect E.J. song for the last space launch that we all just watched on CNN.
Nice timing since the last shuttle just took off.
who is on the cover?
Very appropriate. Well done. :)

I can never remember the lyrics to this song. "Rocket man! Burning out his fuse up here alone" That's the one...

 mandolin wrote:
...godspeed atlantis...
 

Amen.
Nice nod to the last Space Shuttle launch, RadioP! :)
...godspeed, atlantis...
Prolly my favorite EJ song live.  Saw the F2F tour as it went thru Cleveburg a couple of years ago.  He stretched it out to nearly 20 delightfully hook filled minutes.
The real ROCKET era man.
 cc_rider wrote:

I thought he did a good job. The 'queen' jokes got a tad old after awhile, but hey. Leon Russell was great too, despite looking more like a statue than human.

 
On sad note, we now know that Leon is suffering a great deal of pain (bone cancer, I think?) so he was being a real trouper that night.


A lot of Sir Elton on RP today with no complaints from me.

 planet_lizard wrote:
Is it wrong to prefer Kate Bush's version?
  
 
apd wrote:
Is it wrong to prefer William Shatner's version?
 
Is it wrong to prefer Elton's version? 


 socalhol wrote:
Love this song!  Elton was simply GREAT on SNL as Host & Musical Guest this past weekend.
 
I thought he did a good job. The 'queen' jokes got a tad old after awhile, but hey. Leon Russell was great too, despite looking more like a statue than human.

Love this song!  Elton was simply GREAT on SNL as Host & Musical Guest this past weekend.
 planet_lizard wrote:

Is it wrong to prefer Kate Bush's version?
 

Is it wrong to prefer William Shatner's version?

 

 crogers wrote:
It's been overplayed on-air for decades, but I still love it and always will - from the gorgeous fingerwork on the acoustic guiter to the soaring synth notes at the end.  I still remember getting chills listening to it as a kid, on the floor, in the dark, with my ginormous coconut-half headphones glued to my noggin; bliss.  A true classic from The Piano Player.

  Exactly.


I recently listened thru Tumbleweed, Madman and Honky Chateau.  They were three masterpieces of the album format.

This one is a nice addition to the playlist....  in moderation.  And to everyone out there, Mister Shatner has the definitive cover.  If you've never seen it.... go, now, partake.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hARDXYz2io

Thanks be to Bill and Rebecca! 


It's been overplayed on-air for decades, but I still love it and always will - from the gorgeous fingerwork on the acoustic guiter to the soaring synth notes at the end.  I still remember getting chills listening to it as a kid, on the floor, in the dark, with my ginormous coconut-half headphones glued to my noggin; bliss.  A true classic from The Piano Player.

great song........... stewies version is also excellent
Can't get thoughts of Bill Shatner's appalling cover out of my head...
Darn near perfect tune!
I like the Stewie Griffin version, personally. :) 



As usual - too verbose to be the first comment  - and no - not wrong to prefer Kate's version - but never having heard it.  I really can't compare.

Thank you, thank you Bill!

I had forgotten what a great song this is. Haven't listened to Elton John in a long time. Still great, after all these years.