Lonely Astronauts and Famous People: An Analysis of Rocket Man

LONELY ASTRONAUTS AND FAMOUS PEOPLE: AN ANALYSIS OF

ROCKET MAN By Elton John

Elton John - Rocket Man (Official Music Video)

A few years after the moon landing, the world seemed to have had a cosmic itch that needed to be scratched. On April 17, 1972, Elton John released his fifth studio album entitled "Honky Chateau". Die-hard blues fans who were alive during the 70s recognize the album as one of Elton's greatest work, with songs like Honky Cat and Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters. But for most people, the fifth song on the album was what solidified Elton's greatness as both a storyteller, and a musician. The song I'm referring to is of course, Rocket Man.

The song itself was inspired by a story written by Ray Bradbury, a particularly famous fiction author who also happens to have written one of the best selling science-novels of all time; Fahrenheit 451. While Rocket Man isn't as anywhere near as psychologically in-depth as the former, the story of The Rocket Man (The Illustrated Man) does not fail to transcend its underlying themes from words on a page, to ideas that linger and stick to the back of your head. And the song itself isn't any different, but this time; it's accompanied by Elton and Piano.

As a person born just after the turn of the millennium, this song was constantly playing in my dad's car when headed back home from school, along with a couple of other well-known artists like Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Queen, and so on. However, this was the song that I hold the most dearest, as this was the first song I've every fully memorised (that was not a nursery rhyme). So evidently, the lyrics hold a special place in my heart, and I'm sure its the same with the other hundreds of millions who've had the pleasure of hearing this song as a kid.

Since there is a website that is designed to tell you what every single word of every single song means and where it originated from, I'm not going to sit here and analyse every single line of Rocket Man, but I do think the chorus exemplifies what the rest of the song expresses perfectly within the span of a couple of lines.

"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~"

As stated, Rocket Man is about a guy who is both an astronaut, and just a regular guy. This part of the chorus plays on the theme of astronauts being placed on pedestals and being regarded as sort of real life "superheroes" when in fact, its just another job. Elton plays on this theme relating it to fame, wherein people place stars like him on a pedestal when in fact, his is just another guy who happens to like making music. The astronaut wearing a helmet with his real face hidden beneath the dark-tinted glass is also a play on the facade that famous people put on when they are behind an audience. This directly correlates to the next line:

"I'm a rocket man - Rocket man, burnin' out his fuse up here alone~"

The last line of the chorus evokes the idea of loneliness being the bi-product of the mask they hide behind, similar to how an astronaut who is all alone has to hide behind a helmet in outer space or else he quite literally dies.

As the rest of the song also plays on the juxtaposition of lonely astronauts and famous people, we can assume that Elton wrote this song in the first place in order to let people know that the stars and astronauts we look up to up above are also people who have both their faults and triumphs.

In retrospect, it isn't really a surprise as to why Rocket Man is considered a timeless masterpiece by many. Whether you're an older individual reminiscing of the times, or a teenager who's just discovered the magic of the Rocket Man, this song continues to inspire and resonate with the people who choose to gaze through their own space helmets and ponder in self-reflection.

References:

Elton John. (2017, May 23). Rocket Man [Official Music Video]. YouTube. 

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