Rocket Man 40 years on Elton's classic single

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Rocket Man - 40 years on
Spacemen remember Elton's classic single, released 40 years ago
By the Editor/eltonjohn.com


Forty years ago, during April 1972, Elton's single Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time) was released around the world.


In Britain the single was released as a 'maxi-disc,' an innovative format comprising three tracks - Rocket Man (from Honky Chateau, Elton's forthcoming album), Holiday Inn and Goodbye from Elton's then current album, Madman Across The Water - in a full-colour picture sleeve. Announcing the release, DJM Records said that 'the first 50,000 copies incorporate a mini-LP sleeve with the lyrics of the songs, plus photos of Elton and colleague Bernie Taupin.'


Elton's American record company connected the release of Rocket Man to the launch of Apollo 16, and took out press advertisements saying 'On the morning of April 16, 1972, Apollo 16 was launched into orbit on a journey to the moon. A few mornings earlier Uni Records launched a new Elton John single into a world-wide orbit. WHAT A TRIP! Both launchings bound to set new records.'


On 28 April 1972 Elton and the band played a concert at Hofheinz Pavilion, University of Houston, Texas, the second date of their 1972 American tour. Ahead of the show, the Rocket Man met the 'Rocket men' at the Manned Space Centre in Houston, Texas, where Al Worden, Apollo 15 command module pilot, took Elton, Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone on a conducted tour of the NASA headquarters.


We are delighted to hear that still today spacemen are celebrating this great song. As you can see here, European Space Agency astronaut André Kuipers made a special point of playing Rocket Man over the airwaves of the International Space Station.


Back in April 1972 Rocket Man received excellent reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. In the USA Record World wrote 'while the astronauts are on the moon, Elton John explores the outer limits of the possibilities of pop music. This should be a huge hit; it's one of his best.' The British music paper Melody Maker said 'Elton returns with a fine new composition, packaged on useful maxi-single, taken from his forthcoming album Honky Chateau.'


Meanwhile the journalist from Disc completely lost his cool and exclaimed 'this is by far the best thing Elton John has ever done - it's quite superb...this band is great, the song is great, Bernie Taupin's lyrics are great and if the Honky Chateau LP is going to be like this you're going to have to listen to it in little doses or you'll go mad. After two hearings I was so busy singing along that I couldn't get myself organised into taking notes about the structure of the record. Consumer, not critic, that's me, and I can consume music like this for evermore.'


The single entered the UK charts on April 22, reaching the number 2 position and staying on the chart for 13 weeks. In the USA the single entered the Billboard chart on May 6 and reached the number 6 position, staying in the US chart for 15 weeks. These were the highest positions achieved so far by an Elton John single in the UK and the USA.