The U. S. president nicknamed the North Korean leader after the iconic 1972 song. The musical gift will…
The U. S. president nicknamed the North Korean leader after the iconic 1972 song.
The musical gift will reportedly be hand delivered to Kim Jong Un by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during his travel to North Korea on Friday. The trip marks Pompeo’s third visit to the region to discuss agreements on denuclearization less than a month after Trump joined him to meet Kim Jong Un.
“Trump then asked Kim if he knew the song and Kim said no,” the insider said.
Pompeo is giving Kim Jong Un a Trump-autographed copy of Elton John’s «Rocket Man»: report https://t.co/rKlXutfXCO pic.twitter.com/6UFSnGwFZI
— The Hill (@thehill) July 6,2018
Elton John and Bernie Taupin penned “Rocket Man,” a song about loneliness and space travel, way back in 1971. After Trump coined his nickname using the song’s title, Taupin told The Wall Street Journal he was not happy about the mention.
The “Rocket Man” songwriter went on to say he felt “powerless” over the situation, but added, “If the use of ‘Rocket Man’ results in peace, I will be very happy to take full credit for it.”
Taupin reveals the song was inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story about a homesick astronaut, “The Rocket Man,” as well as a retelling of the story in another song titled “Rocket Man” by a band called Pearls Before Swine.
Trump first started using the famous song title in his speeches last year. At a rally in Alabama last September, Trump said of Kim John Un, “We can’t have madmen out there shooting rockets all over the place. This shouldn’t be handled now, but I’m gonna handle it because we have to handle it. ‘Little Rocket Man.’”
Trump later said his nickname for Kim Jong Un was intended to be a compliment.
You can listen to Elton John’s “Rocket Man” below.
