FEATURE:
She Packed My Bags Last Night Pre-Flight
Kate Bush’s Reading of Elton John’s Rocket Man at Thirty
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I have talked about…
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. I have heard other female singers cover Elton John’s 1972 classic. I feel Bush’s 1991 rendition (for the album, Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin), was one of the first. 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). Not only did it give her a chance to role-reverse and put a different spin on another song. Her arrangement gives the song new angles, depth and resonance. 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. Whilst not as atmospheric and epic as John’s rendition, Bush adds jauntiness and lightness to the track. Ahead of its thirtieth on 2nd December, I would advise those who have not heard the song to dig it out. Before going on, the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia provide information about the song. Hearing Bush’s reasons behind covering this particular song are interesting. The Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin album was a variety of acts picking a John/Taupin song to cover. Bush’s Rocket Man, to me, is the highlight of the album:
“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. I really loved his stuff. It's like he's my biggest hero, really. 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. So he was very much my idol, and one of my favourite songs of his was 'Rocket Man'. 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…
'Rocket Man' was my favourite. 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. 'A long, long time' (laughs). It was just that I wanted to do it differently. I do think that if you cover records, you should try and make them different. It's like remaking movies: you've got to try and give it something that makes it worth re-releasing. And the reggae treatment just seemed to happen, really. I just tried to put the chords together on the piano, and it just seemed to want to take off in the choruses. So we gave it the reggae treatment. It's even more extraordinary (that the song was a hit) because we actually recorded the track over two years ago. Probably just after my last telly appearance. We were quite astounded when they wanted to release it as a single just recently. (BBC Radio 1 interview, 14 December 1991)
I remember buying this when it came out as a single by Elton John. I couldn’t stop playing it - I loved it so much. Most artists in the mid seventies played guitar but Elton played piano and I dreamed of being able to play like him. 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. To my delight they asked me to be involved and I chose Rocket Man. 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. I wanted to make it different from the original and thought it could be fun to turn it into a reggae version. It meant a great deal to me that they chose it to be the first single release from the album.
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... the Moon!
Alan Murphy played guitars on the track. He was a truly special musician and a very dear friend. 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. (KateBush.com, February 2019)”.
One of the great aspects of Kate Bush’s career is her cover versions. An artist who took from a wide spectrum of the musical landscape, she has reinterpreted songs from Elton John, George and Ira Gershwin and Donavon. She also provided her take on traditional songs. I feel this not only made her stronger and more curious as a songwriter. It also showed new sides to her voice. On Rocket Man, we hear emotions and colours that were not present on her 1989 album, The Sensual World. On 1993’s The Red Shoes, I feel her covering Rocket Man led to some revelations and new vocal tones. Eat the Music and Rubberband Girl, I feel, can be traced back to Rocket Man. Reaching number two in Australia (a country that has always supported and loved Kate Bush), and number twelve in the U.K., the public threw their weight behind the song. There has been some division in the music press as to whether Bush’s Rocket Man ranks alongside the best cover versions or the worse. I think it is a great version, and it is a shame she has not taken on more Elton John songs. I could see her doing marvellous versions of Madman Across the Water, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Song for Guy, I’m Still Standing or Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. She has a great affection for John (he was a featured vocalist on Snowed in at Wheeler Street from Bush’s 2011 album, 50 Words for Snow). Kate Bush’s respectful, inventive, passionate and interesting version of Rocket Man is…
ONE of her greatest moments.