March 3, 1972 –
Elton John released the song Rocket Man, (officially titled Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time), on this date.
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.
