![]() ![]() Tragically, he died just before we made the video so he wasn’t able to be there with us but you’ll see his guitar was placed on an empty chair to show he was there in spirit. He was a truly special musician and a very dear friend. the Moon!Īlan Murphy played guitars on the track. That meant I also had the chance to direct the video which I loved doing - making it a performance video, shot on black and white film, featuring all the musicians and. It meant a great deal to me that they chose it to be the first single release from the album. I wanted to make it different from the original and thought it could be fun to turn it into a reggae version. They gave me complete creative control and although it was a bit daunting to be let loose on one of my favourite tracks ever, it was really exciting. To my delight they asked me to be involved and I chose Rocket Man. Years later in 1989, Elton and Bernie Taupin were putting together an album called Two Rooms, which was a collection of cover versions of their songs, each featuring a different singer. Most artists in the mid seventies played guitar but Elton played piano and I dreamed of being able to play like him. I couldn’t stop playing it - I loved it so much. I remember buying this when it came out as a single by Elton John. (BBC Radio 1 interview, 14 December 1991) We were quite astounded when they wanted to release it as a single just recently. Probably just after my last telly appearance. ![]() It's even more extraordinary (that the song was a hit) because we actually recorded the track over two years ago. I just tried to put the chords together on the piano, and it just seemed to want to take off in the choruses. And the reggae treatment just seemed to happen, really. It's like remaking movies: you've got to try and give it something that makes it worth re-releasing. I do think that if you cover records, you should try and make them different. It was just that I wanted to do it differently. And I hoped it hadn't gone, actually – I hoped no one else was going to do it… I actually haven't heard the original for a very long time. Now, if I had known then that I would have been asked to be involved in this project, I would have just died… They basically said, 'Would we like to be involved?' I could choose which track I wanted… So he was very much my idol, and one of my favourite songs of his was 'Rocket Man'. And when I was just starting to write songs, he was the only songwriter I knew of that played the piano and sang and wrote songs. “ I was really knocked out to be asked to be involved with this project, because I was such a big fan of Elton's when I was little. Bush’s Rocket Man, to me, is the highlight of the album: The Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin album was a variety of acts picking a John/Taupin song to cover. ![]() Hearing Bush’s reasons behind covering this particular song are interesting. Before going on, the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia provide information about the song. Ahead of its thirtieth on 2nd December, I would advise those who have not heard the song to dig it out. Whilst not as atmospheric and epic as John’s rendition, Bush adds jauntiness and lightness to the track. I love the Elton John original, though Bush’s more Reggae/Calypso version is beautiful! The addition of Davy Spillane’s uilleann pipes gives the song a nice Irish flavour. Her arrangement gives the song new angles, depth and resonance. Not only did it give her a chance to role-reverse and put a different spin on another song. It is no surprise that Bush chose this song to record (the B-side of the single was another Elton John song, Candle in the Wind). I feel Bush’s 1991 rendition (for the album, Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin), was one of the first. I have heard other female singers cover Elton John’s 1972 classic. This song before but, as it turns thirty on 2nd December (though some sources say 25th November), I wanted to return to Kate Bush’s version of Rocket Man. ![]()
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