Elton John has had a remarkable career that spans nearly six decades. While he will continue to perform and record new music, he will no longer tour after his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour concludes. The “Tiny Dancer” singer recently announced that he will end his farewell tour by headlining the 2023 Glastonbury Festival, an honor he has never had before. Glastonbury Festival is an annual music festival held in the English town of Glastonbury. Thousands of people attend each year to hear some of the world’s most popular acts. While there are many fantastic bands, the headliners take the stage at Pyramid Stage. Last year, Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, and Kendrick Lamar were among the musicians who performed.
The roster for this year’s event was recently published, and it includes Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, Lizzo, Lil Nas X, and Elton John. Sir Elton is performing there for the first time, and he believes it’s the perfect way to round off his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. In an interview with the BBC, John discussed this unique chance and why he wants to retire from touring in this manner. “This is my first time being asked to play it…”It came at the right time,” John explained. “I believe in serendipity and fate, and this is the most wonderful way to leave England.” John hinted at some surprises for this performance, saying, “I’ve got guests, and I can’t tell you who they are.”
While Elton John is accurate that “Rocketman” is about space, the song goes far deeper. In the same interview, Bernie Taupin revealed the song’s inspiration, stating that it was inspired by a short story written by Ray Bradbury. “It was actually a song inspired by Ray Bradbury from his book of science-fiction short stories called The Illustrated Man,” Taupin added. “In that book, there was a story called The Rocket Man, which was about how astronauts would become sort of an everyday job in the future… so I kinda ran with that idea.” “Do you know, I never knew that…” said Elton in response.
“Rocketman” is perhaps the first song that comes to mind when most people think of Elton John. It was one of his first hits and helped define him in many ways. His biopic, starring Taron Egerton, was titled after the famous song. It is now certified double platinum and has been covered by various artists, including Kate Bush and William Shatner from Star Trek. John even just remixed the song with Dua Lipa, which became a top 10 smash. However, John is mistaken in one detail: “Rocketman” did not reach the top of the charts. It peaked at No. 2 in the United Kingdom and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Still, it’s not as if John’s career has suffered as a result, since he has had multiple No. 1 songs, including “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, “Candle in the Wind”, “Philadelphia Freedom”, and “Bennie and the Jets”.