Following the album's release, the Screaming Jets went to the UK where they based themselves for over two years, touring there and throughout Europe with a variety of hard rock and heavy metal bands. During a series of shows with Ugly Kid Joe, Heaney was fired and replaced for the rest of the tour by one-time Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland.
The band's next album Tear of Thought, which featured Heaney's drumming, was initially slow to gain acceptance until a cover of Boys Next Door's "Shivers" saw the Screaming Jets back in the charts. Heaney was permanently replaced in the line-up by former BB Steal drummer Craig Rosevear and after a US tour with Def Leppard Lara was replaced by Melbourne musician Jimi "The Human" Hocking, who had previously fronted his own band, Jimi Human and Spectre 7, that released an album and two singles at the turn of the decade.
While the Screaming Jets remained only moderately successful overseas, in Australia they were one of the top-drawing live bands of the early-mid 1990s and perhaps the last remaining example of the pub rock acts that had ruled the country's live scene in the late 1970s - mid 1980s. While their single releases rarely scored high on the charts, they won significant airplay on rock radio and the band's tours were wildly successful. In 1995 the Screaming Jets' self-titled album made history when it became the first CD launched via live Webcast.
By the late 90s the Screaming Jets were touring less often and had not released an album of new material since 1996. Hocking had left in 1997 to be replaced by former Judge Mercy guitarist Izzy Osmanovich and after an extensive Australian tour in 2000, Rosevear left to be replaced by Col Hatchman. Although no longer the force they had once been, the Screaming Jets could still draw large crowds and in 2001 were selected to tour with Kiss and Alice Cooper; at the end of that year the band announced an extended break from all touring and recording, playing a final series of shows.
In December 2002, the Screaming Jets did another brief tour in support of a self-financed live album that had been recorded the previous year, but then did not play live again until mid-2004. Since then have continued to record and tour, though more sporadically than during the early 1990s and have also signed a record publishing deal with Universal Records.
Rocket Man
The Screaming Jets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Zero hour, nine a.m. and I′m gonna be high
As a kite by then
I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space on such a timeless flight
And I think it′s gonna be a long, long time
Till touch down brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no, no, no, I′m a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone
Mars ain′t the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell
And there′s no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don't understand
It′s just my job, five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
The Screaming Jets's song Rocket Man is a cover of Elton John's classic hit, depicting an astronaut's lonely and near-eternal journey through space. In the first few lines, the singer is seen bidding goodbye to his loved ones as he prepares to leave for space. He anxiously waits for the moment when he would be "high as a kite," lost in the vast emptiness of space. However, he soon realizes the harsh reality of his journey and how much he misses the warmth of the earth and the companionship of his loved ones.
The astronaut knows that it will be a long time before he touches the ground again, and until then, he would remain a "Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone." The next few verses highlight how harsh the astronaut's life in space could be, especially if one chose to raise their kids on a place like Mars. The song ends on an ominous note, where the astronaut acknowledges that all the science he uses to facilitate his journey isn't easy to understand, but it's still his job to undertake it.
Line by Line Meaning
She packed my bags, last night, pre-flight
My partner packed my bags the night before I left on this journey
Zero hour, nine a.m. and I'm gonna be high
I will take off at 9 am and be lifted high into the sky
As a kite by then
I will feel as ecstatic as someone flying a kite
I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife
I feel a deep longing for Earth and the person I love
It's lonely out in space on such a timeless flight
Being in space on a long mission like this is lonely and feels like time is standing still
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
I anticipate that the length of this mission will feel like an eternity
Till touch down brings me 'round again to find
Until I land back on Earth and can reunite with what I left behind
I'm not the man they think I am at home
People back on Earth have an idea of who I am, but it's not really me
Oh, no, no, no, I'm a rocket man
In reality, I'm someone who has the job of being a rocket pilot
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone
Being a pilot on this mission is wearing me out emotionally and I'm currently isolated from other humans
Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
Mars is not a suitable environment for human life and is not a place to raise a family
In fact it's cold as hell
Mars is an extremely cold and inhospitable place
And there's no one there to raise them if you did
Even if humans tried to live on Mars and raise a family, there would be no community to support them
And all this science I don't understand
As a pilot, I am not an expert in the scientific aspects of this mission
It's just my job, five days a week
This is just the job I do, Monday to Friday
A rocket man, a rocket man
Once again, I am a pilot with the job of flying a rocket
Writer(s): Grant Walmsley, Richard Lara, Paul Woseen, Bradley Heaney, David Gleeson
Contributed by Jeremiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mr Dee
Hey Aussi, love that band, rocket man a rare gem, good shit dingo.
Jeffery M. Whaley
tight.
haha i used to have this on cassette, nice upload
sounds like satriani got some inspiration from that.
UltimateSteevil
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. Used to have the Cassingle.......... Sick of only hearing the live vers' around. Thanks mate. :)
TJ BEAM
No idea why the studio version never makes greatest hits albums. I reckon it’s their best song! I had the cassingle too, still got it lying around somewhere lol. 🤘
danvanism
haha i used to have this on cassette, nice upload
jason cottrell
tight.
Cameron Smith
He said he could send his soul from him to me ;
merriam Webster
sounds like satriani got some inspiration from that.