1983 - Elton John
I remember when this video was on MTV's rotation back in the day when MTV still played videos. Elton was obviously becoming more comfortable with his sexuality with the obvious gay overtones of the video, but I only remember liking the video and song for its sense of fun, the dance moves (yikes!) and its use of Cannes and Nice, France, as a backdrop.
This video has also been back in rotation lately because of one the principal dancers in it is Bruno Tonioli, who is a current judge on two very popular TV shows, "Dancing with the Stars" (US) and "Strictly Come Dancing" (UK).
His dance talent is obvious as he is one of the few dancers who is constantly on the right beat while dancing whereas most of the others have either jumped a few beats ahead or are always late. Am assuming their CV wasn't loaded with dance experience.
The video is full of 80's cliches and only Elton John holds up to a fluid translation into the 21st century, but it's so FUUNN to watch. His straw boater hat, natty white suit, rimless sunglasses while he manages to keep a pretty good sense of rhythm AND humor, modeling a few pairs of his famous sunglasses collection at the very end of the video.
Don't you love Bruno's white Capezio dance shoes and leg warmers? Bruno had a great sense of humor about the whole thing coming back out and mocked himself on E!s "Talk Soup".
When I was 16 and lived on Maui, Elton John used to vacation there a lot. I served him and his group of people lunch once when they came to the restaurant I worked at in Kaanapali. I didn't realize it was him at first, but once I did, I got pretty nervous. He had released both the autobiographical "Captain Fantastic and the Dirt Brown Cowboy" and "Rock of the Westies" that same year.
Our chef was a real dick and said he wanted to spit in his salad because he was gay, but I didn't let him. I doubt I knew what gay meant back then - all I knew was he was a rock legend and was sitting at MY table. His lyricist, Bernie Taupin, was there too and about 4 or 5 other guys. At first, I thought a couple of the thin, pale young men were girls. Not a whole lot of guys that pale or with hair that long in Lahaina.
I'd been listening to him forever or at least since 6th grade. My brother, Chris, used to play his album "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player" for me and after I heard some cuts of "11-17-70" on Dr. Demento, I went out and bought it. While "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road" is seminal for some, I believe it only reflected a portion of his talent to date.
He ended playing at "The Blue Max", a well-known restaurant and night club in Lahaina, a couple of days after I served him for a Save The Whales benefit (it later became Greenpeace). Only 500 people could fit into the place so everyone else gathered outside.
The Lahaina police closed down Front Street to car traffic and when the manager brought Elton out to the balcony, about 1,500 people had gathered. Remember kids, this is pre-cell phone, Twitter or Facebook and it was Maui.
He played "Benny and The Jets" and played the chorus forever as the crowd answered back. Pretty cool thing to have happen to you when you were a sophomore in high school.
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