Adin uses striking contrasts to drive the point home. The astronaut’s home is warm, saturated with golden yellows and soft reds. His wife’s hair flows naturally. In contrast, the rocket is all sterile grays, industrial blues, and harsh fluorescent lights.
While Elton John himself only appears in archival performance footage spliced into the video’s climax, the editing respects the song’s famous dynamics. During the gentle verses (“She packed my bags last night…”), the action is slow, deliberate, silent. But as the synthesizers swell into the iconic chorus (“Rocket maaaaan…”), the video cuts to the violent fire of liftoff and the vast, silent blackness of space. rocket man elton john video
If you want glitter and platform boots, watch Elton’s live performance from 1973. But if you want to feel the weight of being a thousand light-years from home, watch the 2017 video. Keep a tissue nearby. Adin uses striking contrasts to drive the point home