10 Best Classic Rock Ballads
3. Rocket Man - Elton John
Elton John has practically made an entire career out of writing some of the most beautiful ballads in rock. Whether it's "Your Song" or "Tiny Dancer," John always had a knack for finding the exact melody to get under your heartstrings and make you feel elated. Out of all the more somber Elton songs, "Rocket Man" is by far his most well-done character portrait.
Influenced by the science fiction he watched as a kid, lyricist Bernie Taupin came up with the story of a man whose job as a space cadet is treated like a typical 9-5 dayjob. Once the lyrics were married with John's winsome melody, the song became a musical marvel, as it turned this extraordinary job into something that seems all too familiar. While we may not all be punching in on a spaceship every day, everyone knows what it's like to feel disconnected from their loved ones due to life's hardships.
Eerily mirroring reality, the song is also a great parallel of the rockstar lifestyle, with many personal matters being sacrificed to appease the massive album-tour machine. The song may be about the journey of a spaceman, but this was the first time an artist had made something celestial seem so down-to-earth.