Elton John: I'm Still Standing (1983)

[eregyrn]

I went looking for this recently because of a bag that raqs posted about, and it gave me vivid flashbacks to this video. Check me on this: when this video came out in 1983, was there ANYone who said, "No! Elton John is TOTALLY STRAIGHT! Why do you ask?"

Comments

[okojosan.livejournal.com]

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?

Actually, I don't think I paid much attention to this video- with the exception of Rocket Man I'm not a very big Elton John fan. I don't hate him, just sort of neutral on most of his stuff. Rocket Man, though, is awesome.

I do remember clearly my grandparents FREAKING OUT over Annie Lennox's shaved and dyed hair in Sweet Dreams. Ah, the memories.

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

My brother had a bunch of Elton John's albums, so when I was little I was familiar with his 70s stuff. I didn't LOVE him, but knew of him.

I vividly remember when this came out (*snort*) because it was his BIG COMEBACK! I'm pretty sure it was his first big hit since that run in the 70s, and then he'd sort of dropped out of sight for a while. After the death of disco, you know. So everyone was talking about this in a "Hey! Look! Elton John is BACK, BABY!"

[lynxreign.livejournal.com]

I actually have this video on a vhs tape I made back in 1983 when I was staying at home "sick".

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

Apparently, so must have a lot of people, and some of them are putting those videos up on YouTube! Bless 'em!

[lynxreign.livejournal.com]

If I ever get my Dazzle card, I intend to do the same.

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

D'oh! Video's down already.

When I was in grade school in the '70s it was common knowledge that he was bi, and that the song "Someone Saved my Life Tonight" was about the fact that Elton (or Reg at the time) was going to get married. The night before the wedding a friend told him it would be a huge mistake, and that he'd miss the boysexin' too much. Oh, the '70s, when all the rockstars were bi! Damn the Reagan years.

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

That's odd! Try it again? It's still playing for me.

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Ha! Now it's working. And now I'm suffering from scary, scary '80s flashbacks. Thanks for that! *flees screaming*

;-)

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, very much so. It was cool to be bi in the 70s. Who *wasn't*? (Well, Lynyrd Skynyrd, I guess.)

AIDS really had a deep impact on that whole "post-Stonewall joy of being gay" 70s vibe, though. Totally understandably. The Reagan years and the reascendancy of conservatism didn't HELP. But I also think it was years before a lot of the gay community could be happy again about being gay, you know?

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

Dang, but I had forgotten that vid. I didn't own the slash goggles in those days but even I knew there was something going on there

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I was totally not slash-goggle-equipped in those years either ("Wham!" went totally over my head), but REALLY, ELTON.

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

I get what you're saying (Michael Ian Black "George Michael? Of Wham? Surely not?").

But it also has to be said that there are so many 80's videos with what read as gay signifiers (for a cheesy and stereotypical pop media value of "gay" anyway) if you even have slash goggles or gaydar within arms reach, and yet are (barring new revelations) "straight", whatever that means. Straight artist, aimed theoretically at a straight audience, whatever.

I just think all the dangly earrings on men and day-glo shirts and purple cheek slash makeup and leotards and leg warmers and horrible horrible "high concept" dance choreography and spiky frosted hair in music videos of the time completely short circuited our filters, such that the George Michael's slipped by a lot of folks unnoticed. I mean, arguably the "macho" end of the mainstream music spectrum, away from all this dance music stuff, was...hair metal?

Sort of like how 70's style signifiers can make everyone look like they're involved in pimping or drug dealing or the porn industry or something (again, recognizing this is a sort of narrow, pop media distorted slice of the 70's).

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

I just think all the dangly earrings on men and day-glo shirts and purple cheek slash makeup and leotards and leg warmers and horrible horrible "high concept" dance choreography and spiky frosted hair in music videos of the time completely short circuited our filters, such that the George Michael's slipped by a lot of folks unnoticed. I mean, arguably the "macho" end of the mainstream music spectrum, away from all this dance music stuff, was...hair metal?

Yeah, you have a point.

It's also interesting now that I rewatch the video that there's a lot more women in it, and implied heterosexuality, than I actually remembered. I really just remembered as all ripped guy in swirly day-glo body paint.

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

TOO WEIRD. I just thought of this song last week, and dug up a copy of it two days ago. Love it.

I never saw the video back then, but... yeah. LOL!

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is, I didn't actually watch that much MTV during its heyday. That was because the only tv in the house that had cable was the one in the basement, and that became my Dad's tv. Couldn't dislodge him to get to watch what *I* wanted to watch.

But I certainly saw this particular video. (It helped that I liked the song, too.) BOY, did it sear itself into my brain!