Following “Space Oddity”, by the same producer, Elton John sings the tale of an astronaut, for whom space exploration is just his daily job. Bernie Taupin wrote the song inspired by the Ray Bradbury story “The Rocket Man”, from his book The Illustrated Man.

(given it was penned during the 1970s drug era, people can still see it serve as an extended metaphor comparing fame to space travel – turning into a rock star made Elton John feel like he was floating in space! Free!)