Rocket Man (Elton John)
Rocket Man by Elton John. At this point you're really wondering what's up with dear, old Joshua. Why this particular song? What, you don't like piano ballads from the 70s (1972 to be exact)? Let me frame this song for you. It's not what it appears to be, unless you can see through the veneer. In 1972, probably not many could. Here's a little song about an astronaut. How cute. Actually, this song is whatever you want it to be. This is just my take. This song was covered a million times over the five decades since its release. A notable one I'm familiar with is by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes . I like punk or ska versions of songs because they really tighten up the slack and make more compact songs. When a song has a lot of covers, it shows the strength of the original. A good song can withstand a lot of reinterpretation. Elton John somehow remains relevant, also, probably because of his gay lifestyle (very much promoted these days) and legendary rock/disco past ...