FEATURE:
On Such a Timeless Flight
Kate Bush’s Cover of Elton John’s Rocket Man
___________
WHEN we talk about Kate Bush and her music…
we do not often discuss cover versions and her interpretative skills. Most of her work has been original songs but, when she has taken on someone else’s music, the results are largely stunning. I particularly love her version of The Man I Love by Ira and George Gershwin. She recorded that song for (the) The Glory of Gershwin album in 1994. Bush brought a smoky and sensuous vocal to the song. One of my favourite cover versions appeared as the B-side to King of the Mountain in 2005 when she tackled Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing. Bush recorded her version in 1993/1994 for Davy Spillane's 1994 album, A Place Among the Stones. The track was left off the Spillane album as it didn't fit with the sound of the rest of the record. I really like the breadth of Bush’s covers and the fact she wasn’t afraid of moving into different genes and areas. Elton John is an idol of Bush’s, and she has always had a huge love for his music. She recorded a decent version of Candle in the Wind which appeared as the B-side to the song I want to discuss. Rocket Man is one of Elton John’s best-known songs and I can see the appeal of covering it! One can find it on the album, The Other Sides, and there has been a divide in opinion regarding its status.
Some have called it a weaker version of the original whilst others have highlighted it as a great cover. I think there is more love for it than anything, but I feel Bush’s take on Rocket Man is fascinating! The original is suitably dramatic and epic, whilst Bush gives it a lighter touch with a cover that steps into Reggae and Calypso. The fact that she did not skew the lyrics to change the pronoun gives Rocket Man a little bit of mystery. I like it when female artists take on songs originally recorded by men – and vice versa -, and there is a lot of affection and respect for an Elton John classic. Bush’s version first appeared on the 1989 album, Two Rooms, which was a collection of Elton John/Bernie Taupin covers by popular artists. Bush released it as a single in November 1991 and it reached number-twelve in the U.K. charts. This article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia provides interview snippets where she discussed the song and Elton John:
“From the age of 11, Elton John was my biggest hero. I loved his music, had all his albums and I hoped one day I'd play the piano like him (I still do). When I asked to be involved in this project and was given the choice of a track it was like being asked 'would you like to fulfill a dream? would you like to be Rocket Man?'... yes, I would. (Two Rooms liner notes, 1991)
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)”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Elton John in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: John Swannell
It is great that Bush selected Rocket Man for consideration, as she gives the song a new lease of life. I like her take and the fact she does not change the lyrics. One gets a new angle to the song, and the video is really cool. Maybe it is my favourite cover version from her – though I do really like The Man I Love -, and it could have been easy to make the song too overwrought and sad. Instead, she manages to add some colour and kick to the song whilst retaining its emotions and seriousness. Kate Bush is no stranger to a cover version and, through her career, she has reinterpreted songs from The Beatles, Steely Dan and other artists…but I really love her connection to Elton John and what she did on Rocket Man. As I have said before, the two worked together on Snowed in at Wheeler Street on Bush’s 2011 album, 50 Words for Snow. I wonder whether Elton John will every cover any Kate Bush songs, as he has a lot of affection for her music! It must have been nervy for Bush to cover a song by a musical hero of hers and, whilst Candle in the Wind is not a great improvement on the original, she is more successful on Rocket Man. If you have not checked out Kate Bush’s version of Rocket Man then please do so, as she reimagines one of Elton John’s greatest songs…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1991/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cummins
IN her own inimitable way.