Rocket Man Rebuff

[nrc@bsbbs.columbus.oh.us (N. Richard Caldwell)]

MJM@ZYLAB.MHS.CompuServe.COM (Mike Mendelson):
> In an effort to inject a little Kate into the ionosphere, here is
> a repost of IED's now-classic Rocket Man post for the benefit of
> those who may have missed it.  Andy, any comments on Brazil?!

If you want to talk about Kate why not talk about some of her great
work instead of something as subpar as "Rocket Man?"

In my opinion "Rocket Man" remains one of Kate's least impressive 
works, surpassed in mediocrity only by "Candle in the Wind."  Since Andy's
original post was a response to me I'll take the liberty of reposting my 
response to his "classic" post below (with added comments in brackets). 

----------------

Subject: Andy's KoverT Flame
From:	caen!bsbbs!nrc@harvard.harvard.edu (N. Richard Caldwell)
Date:	Mon, 16 Dec 1991 01:34:19 -0800

IED0DXM@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU (Andrew Marvick) writes

>  Subject: thE Meaning of kt's reggAe; seLwyn stevens on "suspended in gaFfa"

In his clandestine flame some time ago Andrew Marvick wrote:

>    Richard Caldwell, Love-Hounds's staunch defender of the PMRC,
> has expressed the opinion that Kate's "reggae" version of "Rocket
> Man" fails to convey a sense of sadness and loneliness.  

Andy, you've been away from Love Hounds for some time now but I'm
surprised if your essay skills have wilted so rapidly that you
have to resort to such transparent tactics.  Clever asides may be
ideal for establishing a rapport with your intended audience but
they don't free the author from some responsibility to the truth. 

I've stated here that I do not agree with the PMRC's stickering
effort.  My stance has been that they have a right to advocate
their position and that their position should be judged on the
facts, not the half truths and innuendo spawned by the record
companies five years ago.  Further, it has been my position that
voluntary self-stickering, however misguided, does not constitute
censorship.

Disagree with that position if you like, but distorting that
position by labelling me a "staunch defender of the PMRC" is 
rather disappointing from someone normally so meticulous about his
facts.                                                            

[Isn't it funny that PMRC bashing isn't nearly as fashionable as it ]
[once was?  Tipper used to be considered some kind of anti-christ by]
[the music industry and now she's dancing with Fleetwood Mac on MTV.]
[I guess when you're supporting a ship that was launched on sea of  ]
[lies you don't want to rock the boat any more than necessary.      ]
     
> IED
> couldn't disagree more.  But which sense of sadness and loneliness
> do we refer to here: the piercing, shocking, thrilling sense
> of a real emotion felt as though for the first time?  Or the
> dull, safe sense of a half-remembered emotion dimly reflected
> in an all-too-familiar tradition?

Take your pick, _Rocket Man_ generates no hint of either for me. 
"Piercing", "shocking", "thrilling" -- none of these come to mind
as readily as "fun".  No one is saying that Kate should have felt
bound to any "all-too-familiar" tradition, only that the
alternative direction that she took was all-too-unsuccessful at
fulfilling the intent of the song as it's authors wrote it.  No,
no one is saying that Kate even had to feel bound by that intent
(although eschewing their intent seems a bit strange in what was,
after all, supposed to be a tribute).  But if Kate's idea was to
cast off the original focus of the song, she should have at least
found some plausible new theme.  In my view, she has not. 

It's interesting that _Rocket Man_ evidently elicits such
tremendous feelings of loneliness and sadness in Andy.  It seems
to me that even many of the people who have stated that they liked
the song have enjoyed it more as a light hearted jaunt than as a
song that conjures the kind of feelings that it's authors
intended.  Even the video that Kate has produced has been
characterized as being humorous.

Of course, among the many things that there are to admire in
Andy's personalities you will not find objectivity on matters
related to Kate Bush.  Since Andy does not acknowledge
imperfections in Kate's work, does he have any choice but to say
that the song does indeed conjure feelings compatible with those
expressed by the lyrics?  Admitting otherwise would be
acknowledging that Kate's performance is inconsistent with the
lyric and might hint at something less than perfection.

>    IED has two points to make about "Rocket Man".  First, "sadness"
> and "loneliness" need not be--and in fact seldom effectively are, at
> least not in rock music--expressed in a minor key and at a slower pace.

There is no question that "sadness" and "loneliness" need not be
expressed at a slow pace in a minor key.  No one has claimed
otherwise.  It is rather absurd, however, to contend that these
feelings are "in fact seldom effectively" expressed in that
manner.  First of all, Andy's "in fact" not withstanding, the
effectiveness of a song in expressing any sort of feeling is
almost entirely subjective.  Second, there are many examples of
songs that use just this approach that are widely considered to
achieve the desired degree of despondence.  The very artists that
were being paid tribute with Kate's latest effort have made this
approach a virtual trademark of their sad songs with great
success. 

>  Kate wants to evoke fresh, real emotions
> in her listeners, and to do that she must and does place
> traditional themes in unusual, sometimes incongruous settings.

Absolutely.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  But again, I'm
saying that in this case she has either not succeeded for myself
and some others or she was aiming for a feeling completely
different than that expressed by the lyric.

>    Besides, does it make sense to be disappointed because Kate didn't
> choose to approach Elton John's song by the most obvious musical path?

I am disappointed that Kate's version does not work better than
John and Taupin's because Kate is clearly the better artist.  Part
of the reason for that failure was that her chosen musical path
did not work for me.  I am not saying, nor have I ever said that
Kate should take the "most obvious musical path."  There is, 
however, little point in taking an alternative path if it is not 
at least as effective as the traditional.

> Should she have done what Hall & Oates (on "Philadelphia Freedom"), Oleta
> Adams (on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"), The Who (on "Saturday
> Night's Alright for Fighting") and The Beach Boys (on "Crocodile Rock")
> did: taken a Philly soul song, a gospel rock mini-epic, a fast rocker and
> a nostalgic '50s pastiche, respectively, and turned them into overblown,
> unintentional parodies of--a Philly soul song, a gospel rock mini-epic, a
> fast rocker and a nostalgic '50s pastiche?

Actually, some have seen Kate's version of Rocket Man as an
unintentional parody of the consummate "alternative" artist, one
who must do things differently at all cost.

>    What is the use in conforming to the well-defined limitations of
> tired, empty genres?  Is this what Love-Hounds came together to celebrate?

No, we came together to celebrate the genius of Kate Bush.  Part
of that genius that has always impressed me has been Kate's
ability to evaluate musical influences, see what is best in them
and integrate that into her own music.  Given that ability, I
would have expected that she could easily discern that Elton
John's tremendous talent is in melding great melodies to a lyric
and creating wonderful piano arrangements.  I believe she has
virtually ruined these features in both _Rocket Man_ and _Candle
in the Wind_.    

>    Shouldn't we rather be rejoicing that when Kate listened to "Rocket Man"
> she did _not_ any longer hear only a '70s-era Elton John rock ballad--
> _not_ just another quaint nugget from our past to be reproduced in bright,
> antiseptic but utterly unimaginative '90s colors?

Kate could have easily applied her own genius for harmony, rhythm,
orchestration and counterpoint without destroying the portions of
the songs that were already very well conceived.  As Andy well
knows, Kate has numerous songs that may at first appear very
conventional or traditional.  Careful attention, however, often
reveals that Kate has added her own touch of genius to the
otherwise conventional effort, lifting it to an entirely new
level.

>    Shouldn't we rather be counting our lucky stars that there is still
> a Kate Bush out there who listened to Elton John's "Rocket Man" and
> heard instead Jamaican, Irish and Kazakh dance music (albeit dance music
> that stops and starts fitfully, confounding its own principles, as in
> the Kate Bush of _The_Dreaming_ and before), embellished with entirely
> new, multiple countermelodies, extended phrases, and even several
> basic changes to the main-vocal's melody-line?  Are there any _real_
> Kate Bush fans who can be unhappy with that?

I am unhappy that Kate has produced a pair of songs that are, for
me, almost entirely unsuccessful.  If no "real" Kate Bush fan can
admit that then I guess I've failed the test.  I am instead merely
a person who enjoys the vast majority of Kate Bush's music a great
deal more than any other music I've ever heard.  I am just another
listener who has spent a great deal of time and effort pursuing a
love for the art of Kate Bush.  I am only an ardent admirer who
will never sacrifice his right to an honest opinion to earn the
most exalted rank of "real Kate Bush fan."

[This _real_ Kate Bush fan nonsense has been used as a bludgeon       ]
[against those who would suggest that Kate is not perfect for entirely]
[too long.  It's not as popular as it once was, but I imagine that    ]
[would be too much to ask that we never hear it again.  It does, after]
[all, sound rather silly coming from someone who doesn't regularly    ]
[attend the electronic church of Kate in this age of cheap and easy   ]
[net access.                                                          ]

>    But in the early 1970s--when Kate saw Elton John as her "hero", and
> was creating within the original context of "Rocket Man" itself--she
> wrote another song about the loneliness of an astronaut stranded in space.
> Fans (for want of official knowledge) sometimes refer to that song as
> "Keeping Me Waiting".  Strangely--and effectively--the desperation felt
> by the character in that song is expressed through one of Kate's
> most lightly charming, even playful, vocals.  

Andy is at somewhat of an advantage here.  As a mere passionate
admirer I have been able to resist that bane of the "real Kate
Bush fan", the uncontrollable urge to violate her right to control
her own art, and therefore have never heard this song.  

I don't doubt for one instant that such a treatment of this
subject could be entirely successful.  It is therefore that much
more tragic that her treatment of _Rocket Man_ was so unsuccessful.  
When allowed to employ her full talents Kate can work wonders in 
the most mysterious of ways.  I can only hope that the failure of 
_Rocket Man_ and _Candle in the Wind_ stems from Kate's inability 
to employ the full spectrum of her talents without scrapping the 
original songs entirely.  You may as well ask Rembrandt to paint 
by numbers.

Few things would make me happier than to be able to rave over
these songs the way some of you have.  Please, don't mistake
my disagreement for flamage.  It is not my intention or desire
to change anyone's mind.  Enjoy the new music from Kate, have a
safe and happy holiday, and consider this as one person's honest
opinion.


"Don't drive too slowly."         Richard Caldwell
                                  The Big Sky BBS (+1 614 864 1198)
                                  {n8emr|nstar}!bluemoon!bsbbs!nrc
                                  nrc@bsbbs.UUCP

[Keep in mind that all of these remarks are addressing Andy's comments ]
[from 1991.  After all, it wasn't Andy who chose to repost this        ]
[message.  I may often disagree with Andy but I'm glad to see him back ]
[and I hope he can stick around a while this time.                     ]

"Don't drive too slowly."         Richard Caldwell
                                  The Big Sky BBS (+1 614 864 1198)
                                  nrc@bsbbs.Columbus.OH.US