Nikita (song)
| Nikita | |
|---|---|
| Elton John | |
| publication | September 1985 (UK) December 1, 1985 (US) |
| length | 4:54 (7 "single) 5:43 (12" single, album version) |
| Genre (s) | pop |
| Author (s) | Elton John , Bernie Taupin |
| Producer (s) | Gus Dudgeon |
| Label |
Rocket (UK) Geffen (US) |
| album | Ice on Fire |
|
Chart positions Explanation of the data |
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Nikita is a pop - ballad by Elton John . The track is a single from the album Ice on Fire and was released in September 1985.
The song was composed by John, and Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics as usual. George Michael took part in the recordings as singer and Nik Kershaw on guitar. The song reached number one in the charts in many countries , including Germany , Switzerland , the Netherlands , Ireland , New Zealand and Sweden .
content
The piece is intended to depict the division into East and West using the fictional character Nikita , who is posted as a border soldier on the Berlin Wall on the Soviet side . John, who was married to a German at the time, used it to process his experiences in divided Berlin . The piece allegedly has an autobiographical background: Elton John is said to have fallen in love with a young GDR border soldier in 1985 and processed the inaccessibility of the young man in this song.
Music video
The music video was directed by Ken Russell , with Anya Major playing the border guard Nikita. Russel claimed in an interview that he neither knew that Nikita came from Russian and is also a male first name, nor that only men served at the border. In addition, Elton John accepted the script . In subsequent interviews, John said that both he and Taupin knew that Nikita is also a male given name. He deliberately wanted to allude to his bisexuality . The video was shot on the West Berlin side of the Wall, John had his red Bentley flown in especially for the shooting . The border officer who rejects John when he crosses the border for the second time is played by the actor Andreas Wisniewski , who later became known for roles in James Bond 007 - The Living Daylights , Die Hard and Mission: Impossible .
Cover versions
The song has been covered several times, other versions have appeared by Bernhard Brink , The Spotnicks , Mel Jersey and Richard Clayderman , among others . It was also the subject of classic adaptations, including by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra .
literature
- Claude Bernardin, Tom Stanton: Rocket Man: Elton John from A - Z . Greenwood Publishing, 1996, pp. 186, 201 .
Web links
- Bettina Exner: An unfulfilled love on the Iron Curtain. radioBerlin 88.8, November 9, 2009, accessed November 14, 2016 .
- Music video on YouTube
swell
- ↑ Nikita in the German charts on OfficialCharts.de
- ↑ Nikita in the Austrian charts on AustrianCharts.at
- ↑ Nikita in the Swiss charts on Hitparade.ch
- ↑ Nikita in the Official UK Charts (English)
- ↑ Nikita in the US Billboard Hot 100
- ↑ Nikita on Whosampled.com