Songs connected to the Battle of the Sexes Soundtrack is our subject matter this month. Our lead song is Rocket Man by Elton John and its use by Donald Trump and the current state of world affairs . The other Elton John song not used in the movie but a strong link to the story of Billy Jean King and that song is Philadelphia Freedom . Then next is What is Life by George Harrison. While our flashback song is Tommy James, Hanky Panky. Tommy James has Crimson and Clover on the Battle of the Sexes Soundtrack.
Rocket Man
Elton John
- The song came out around the time of the Apollo 16 mission in 1972. The inspiration for Bernie Taupin's lyrics, was the short story The Rocket Man, written by Ray Bradbury. The sci-fi author's tale is told from the perspective of a child, whose astronaut father has mixed feelings at leaving his family in order to do his job. It was published as part of the anthology, The Illustrated Man in 1951. Bradbury's story also inspired the folk group, Pearls Before Swine song of the same name in 1970 and Taupin states this gave him the idea for "Rocket Man" . In the Pearls Before Swine song, a child can no longer look at the stars after his astronaut father perishes in space. Elton John's Rocket Man was produced by Gus Dudgeon, who worked with David Bowie on his 1969 song "Space Oddity." Both songs have similar subject matter, and lots of people accused Elton of ripping off Bowie. Which apparently is'nt so.
- Trump is a fan of the song, and often played it at his campaign rallies. Speaking at the United Nations on September 19, 2017, American president Donald Trump reffered to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as "Rocket Man" because of his missile program. "Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself," Trump declared. This song immediately began trending. This wasn't the first time the phrase was used in this context in The Economist magazine they put Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, on the cover of their July 8, 2006 issue with the headline "Rocket Man". Kim Il sung, is considered to be the founding father of North Korea. Kim Jong un was born on January 8, 1983 in Pyongyang.
Rocket Man /Kim Jong-un
Battle of the Sexes Soundtrack
What Is Life George Harrison
What is Life /George Harrison
- What is Life was actually written for Billy Preston but George decided
to do the song himself. It was produced by Phil Spector and was the
B side to My Sweet Lord. Battle of the Sexes is a movie made about the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs which became the most watched televised sports event of all time. Billie Jean was wanting equal pay for women.
- Our next song this week linked to the movie is Philadelphia Freedom. The story goes, Elton John was looking to honour his friend, Billie Jean King in 1974, and so asked Taupin to write a song called "Philadelphia Freedom" as a homage to her tennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms.
Flashback
- Crimson and Clover was a song, written by Tommy James when looking for a change in direction from their first hits, Mony Mony and Hanky Panky . He came up with the lyric after waking up one morning, thinking of his favorite color and his interest in clovers actually went together well lyrically. Crimson and Clover has been covered by artists like Prince and Joan Jett. Here is Tommy and the Shondeles first hit Hanky Panky pulled out of a rubbish bin by a DJ and played at his sixties club in Pitsburgh in 1965 to become a nationwide number one by 1966.
Hanky Panky
Tommy James and the Shondelles
Rocket Man
Pearls Before Swine Song
