Nikita by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
(An Analysis by Garth Leonard)
Through my apparent obsession with Leonard Cohen’s songs and poetry, I still recognize the artistic accomplishments of other musicians, and I still listen to and appreciate their music. The list isn’t very long, but near the top of the list is Elton John.
Elton John released his song Nikita in 1985 in England, and in America in 1986. I can’t remember the first time I heard the song, but it was likely in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s. I liked the song better than most other Elton John releases. Over time, the song has grown on me to the extent that it is certainly now my favorite Elton John song.
The song was co-written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Sir Elton Hercules John (née Reginald Kenneth Dwight) was born on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England. His collaborator Bernie Taupin was born May 22, 1950 in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England. Bernie Taupin has collaborated with Elton John on some 30 albums, spanning back to 1967. Well-known singer/songwriter George Michael sings back-up vocals in Nikita.
As the story goes, Elton John is singing about a beautiful East German border guard that he has seen through the fence. Since he is in West Germany he is not able to get to her, nor she to him. It is likely that the song was inspired by an actual encounter. However, it is not clear what the gender is of the beautiful Nikita. This song came out before Elton John came out. (He had admitted to being bisexual in a 1976 interview with Rolling Stone, but it wasn’t until after his divorce from his wife Renate Blauel in 1988 that he told the magazine he was gay.)
A video for the song, directed by Ken Russell, was released depicting Nikita (played by English actress Anya Major) as a beautiful blond woman. Though the name is a bisexual name, it is normally considered masculine in East Europe (i.e. Nikita Khrushchev). The name means unconquered or unconquerable. Elton John himself admitted in an interview that he knew Nikita was a masculine name. This heightens the probability that there was a homosexual undertone to the song.
A video for the song, directed by Ken Russell, was released depicting Nikita (played by English actress Anya Major) as a beautiful blond woman. Though the name is a bisexual name, it is normally considered masculine in East Europe (i.e. Nikita Khrushchev). The name means unconquered or unconquerable. Elton John himself admitted in an interview that he knew Nikita was a masculine name. This heightens the probability that there was a homosexual undertone to the song.
With my background in Spanish, a name ending in the letter “a” makes it feminine. In the Latin-based languages Nikita would seem to be the feminine derivative of Nikito. But this rule does not hold in the East European languages. Still, in my mind Nikita sounds feminine. When I hear the song, my background in Spanish coupled with the images of the female border guard from the video prevail over images of Nikita Khrushchev. Like so many other art forms, music is open to interpretation by the audience.
Though the literal interpretation of the song is apparent -- Elton’s obsession with the beautiful border guard -- there is also a figurative interpretation not too far below the surface. It can be seen in the line, “Oh, Nikita is the other side of any given line in time, counting ten tin soldiers in a row “. In this line the singer implies that Nikita is something desired, but out of reach on “the other side of any given line . . .”. And the ten tin soldiers may represent the consequence for breaching the line. Who among us hasn’t been obsessed with something that was out of our reach?
The term “tin soldier” means a toy soldier made of metal. But it also refers to someone who enjoys playing at being a soldier. The 1971 movie “Billy Jack” uses the song “One Tin Soldier” as its theme song. In this movie Billy Jack (played by Tom Laughlin) protects a hippie-themed Freedom School from local townspeople who harbor animosity towards the hippies and Native Americans at the school. Billy Jack being half Indian and in a relationship with the school’s director Jean Roberts (played by Laughlin’s real-life spouse Delores Taylor) takes on the town’s aggressors, demonstrating his martial arts expertise and his uncontrollable temper in equal proportions. The theme song “One Tin Soldier” implies that Billy Jack is playing at being a one-man army in the war on the social injustices dealt against the Freedom School by the townspeople. So in the song Nikita, do the ten tin soldiers represent a real threat, or are they merely putting on a blustery show for intimidation purposes? Perhaps this subterfuge gives hope that if the walls and fences ever come down (as they in fact did a few years after the song was released) that Elton may be reunited with Nikita, “And if there comes a time, guns and gates no longer hold you in, and if you're free to make a choice, just look towards the west and find a friend “.
In the metaphysical interpretation there is a glimmer of hope for reaching that unreachable obsession if circumstances change. In that light the song Nikita has an uplifting, if subliminal, message.
Here’s a link to the song and video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2eaz5_elton-john-nikita-pour-nikita_music
And here are the lyrics:
Nikita
Hey Nikita, is it cold in your little corner of the world?
You could roll around the globe and never find a warmer soul to know
Oh, I saw you by the wall
Ten of your tin soldiers in a row with eyes that looked like ice on fire
The human heart a captive in the snow
Oh Nikita, you will never know anything about my home
I'll never know how good it feels to hold you
Nikita, I need you so
Oh, Nikita is the other side of any given line in time
Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
Oh no, Nikita, you'll never know
Do you ever dream of me?
Do you ever see the letters that I write?
When you look up through the wire, Nikita do you count the stars at night?
And if there comes a time, guns and gates no longer hold you in
And if you're free to make a choice, just look towards the west and find a friend
Oh Nikita, you will never know anything about my home
I'll never know how good it feels to hold you
Nikita, I need you so
Oh, Nikita is the other side of any given line in time
Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
Oh no, Nikita, you'll never know
Oh Nikita, you will never know, never know anything about my home
I'll never know how good it feels to hold you
Nikita, I need you so
Oh, Nikita is the other side of any given line in time
Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
Oh no, Nikita, you'll never know
(No)
(Nikita) Counting ten tin soldiers in a row (No)
(Nikita) Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
(Nikita) Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
(Nikita)
It's interesting how one artist / poet interprets another's work on a deeper level than the rest of us who might only hear what's on the surface.
ReplyDeleteNicely analyzed, looking forward to future posts.
~Jonquil
In my analysis about Elton John's song Nikita, I mentioned Leonard Cohen. I just discovered that these two musical icons collaborated on a song together back in 1993, Born to Lose. It can be found on Elton's Duets album.
ReplyDeleteIn the West, Nikita seems to have become a feminine name, although it's sometimes spelled "Nakita," just as the name "Leslie" in England was a male name but in North America it's usually a girl's name. I suspected Elton John really saw "Nikita" as a male name (since he's gay). I saw the video of Elton John dancing with the actress playing "Nikita," and he's not very convincing as a heterosexual love interest.
ReplyDelete