If you were a music critic in London during the winter of 1991, you probably had some very strong feelings about Kate Bush. Most of them involved wondering why on earth she had turned an Elton John space-ballad into a reggae-inflected, accordion-heavy experiment. The NME famously joked that the track caused "widespread vomiting." Melody Maker called it a "curio." But fast-forward to 2007, and the readers of The Observer voted the Kate Bush Rocket Man cover the greatest cover version of all time.
Talk about a turnaround.
Honestly, the story of how this track came to be is as eccentric as the song itself. It wasn't some corporate-mandated cash grab. It was a genuine love letter from one piano prodigy to another. Kate Bush didn't just cover "Rocket Man"; she dismantled it, added some uilleann pipes, and rebuilt it in a way that only she could.
The Two Rooms Project: How It All Started
In 1991, a tribute album titled Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin was released. The "Two Rooms" part referred to how Elton and Bernie famously wrote separately—Bernie would send the lyrics, and Elton would set them to music. It was a star-studded affair featuring Eric Clapton, Sinéad O’Connor, and Tina Turner.
When they asked Kate Bush to pick a song, she didn't hesitate. She went straight for "Rocket Man."
You've gotta understand that for Kate, Elton John was the blueprint. She bought the original 1972 single when she was just thirteen. In her own words, back then everyone played guitar, but Elton played piano. Since she was a budding pianist herself, he was her hero. She even joked in a 1991 BBC Radio 1 interview that she hoped nobody else would pick the track before she could get her hands on it.
Why Reggae?
This is where things get weird—and very "Kate." Most artists covering a classic like "Rocket Man" would try to match the original's sweep or perhaps go for a stark, "emotional" piano version. Kate did neither.
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She decided it needed a reggae beat.
"It just seemed to want to take off in the choruses," she explained later. She sat at her piano, tried to re-work the chords, and the rhythm just sort of... happened. She leaned into it. She brought in Del Palmer on bass and Charlie Morgan on drums to lay down a groove that feels more like a sunny day in Kingston than a lonely night in orbit.
But because it’s Kate Bush, it couldn't just be pure reggae. She threw in:
- Uilleann pipes (played by Davy Spillane)
- A concertina (played by Alistair Anderson)
- A 1930s-style "ickle-girl" vocal delivery
The result is a bizarre, lilting, Celtic-reggae hybrid. It’s light. It’s bouncy. It’s almost happy—which is a total 180 from the melancholy isolation of Elton's original.
A Secret Tribute in the Music Video
If you haven't seen the video for the Kate Bush Rocket Man cover lately, it's worth a re-watch. Kate directed it herself. It’s shot in black and white and looks remarkably simple compared to the high-concept wizardry of "Cloudbusting" or "Running Up That Hill."
But there’s a heartbreaking detail hidden in plain sight.
During the recording of the track in 1989, Kate’s longtime guitarist and close friend, Alan Murphy, played the guitar parts. Tragically, Alan died of AIDS-related pneumonia shortly after the session, before the video could be filmed.
In the video, you’ll notice a guitar sitting alone on an empty chair. That was Kate’s tribute to Alan. It’s a quiet, devastating nod to a lost collaborator in the middle of a song that sounds, on the surface, quite joyful. It adds a layer of "poignancy" that most casual listeners miss.
What People Got Wrong About the Chart Success
There’s this weird myth that the cover was a "flop" because of the initial critical lashing. That’s just factually wrong. In reality, the song was a solid hit.
- UK Charts: It peaked at Number 12 and stayed in the Top 75 for eight weeks.
- Australia: It was a massive smash, reaching Number 2.
- Awards: As mentioned, it eventually took home that 2007 "Greatest Cover" title from The Observer.
People actually liked it. The public was far more receptive to the "reggae-vibe" than the high-brow music press was. Looking back, you can see how this track paved the way for the "world music" influences Kate would explore further on her 1993 album, The Red Shoes. Tracks like "Eat the Music" feel like direct descendants of the "Rocket Man" experiment.
Elton’s Reaction (And Their Friendship)
Elton John didn't just like the cover; he loved Kate. Over the years, the two became genuine friends. He even sang on her 2011 track "Snowed in at Wheeler Street." Elton once described her as "one of the greatest innovative artists" and "elfin-like."
There’s something beautiful about the fact that a thirteen-year-old girl playing Elton John records in her bedroom ended up becoming one of his peers—and then re-imagined his most famous song with a ukulele in her hand.
How to Appreciate the Song Today
If you’re listening to the Kate Bush Rocket Man cover for the first time, or the first time in a decade, forget the original. Don't look for the "Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids" gravity.
Instead, listen for the interplay between the bass and the pipes. Notice how her voice "arches up like a missile" during the choruses. It's a masterclass in how to do a cover properly. A cover shouldn't be a photocopy; it should be a conversation.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans:
- Check out the B-Side: The single actually featured another Elton cover, "Candle in the Wind." It’s much more traditional than "Rocket Man" but showcases her vocal range beautifully.
- Watch the Remaster: In 2019, Kate released a high-quality HD remaster of the music video as part of The Other Sides rarities collection. The black-and-white cinematography looks stunning in 4K.
- Compare the Versions: Listen to the 1972 original, then the Kate Bush 1991 version, and then the Young Thug "High" (which samples Elton). It shows just how much "stretch" there is in Bernie Taupin’s lyrics.
Kate Bush proved that you can take a sacred cow of rock music, give it a reggae beat and some Irish pipes, and somehow make it more "her" than the original. It’s weird, it’s bold, and it’s why we’re still talking about it thirty-five years later.