"Nikita"
Single by Elton John
from the album Ice on Fire
B-side	"The Man Who Never Died" (U.K.) "Restless" (U.S.)
Released	October 29, 1985 (U.K.) February 1986 (U.S.)
Format	CD single 7" single 12" single
Recorded	1985
Genre	Pop, New Wave
Length	5:44 (album version) 4:54 (single version)
Label	Rocket (U.K.), Geffen (U.S.)
Writer(s)	Bernie Taupin (lyrics), Elton John (music)
Producer	Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Act of War" (1985) "Nikita" (1985) "Wrap Her Up" (1985)

"Nikita" is a song by English singer Elton John about the Cold War from his 1985 album Ice on Fire. Released in late 1985, the song achieved success in many countries, becoming a top ten hit in almost all of them.

[edit] Song synopsis

In the song, Elton John describes his crush on a beautiful GDR borderguard whom he cannot meet because he is not allowed into the country. It features George Michael on backing vocals.^[1] The song charted at #3 on the UK Singles Chart and also made the top 10 in the US, charting at #7.

[edit] Video settings and song information

The video for the song "Nikita", directed by Ken Russell, featured Anya Major in the role of Nikita. Russell says he didn't realise^{[citation needed]} that Nikita was a man's name in the Russian language and Elton John accepted the proposed script written by Russell which was a male-female love interpretation of the song, as indeed the depicted GDR border guard in the video is a beautiful blonde woman with short hair. Scenes showing the two together in various happy situations, including wearing Watford FC colours, were based in fantasy, and many were expecting a follow-up after the fall of the Berlin Wall in which they would free to be together, but it never materialised. In interviews John admitted that Nikita was a male name in Russian, hinting at the song's homosexual view point.

[edit] Track listings

7" single

1. "Nikita" — 4:54
2. "The Man Who Never Died" — 5:10

or "Restless" — 4:26

or "I'm Still Standing" — 3:03

or "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" — 6:12

12" maxi

1. "Nikita" (extended version) — 5:43
2. "The Man Who Never Died" — 5:10
3. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (live) — 3:26
4. "I'm Still Standing (live) — 4:38

[edit] Personnel

• Elton John - GS piano, vocal, synth, backing vocals
• Dave Mattacks - drums
• David Paton - bass
• Nik Kershaw - electric guitar
• George Michael - backing vocals
• Fred Mandel - synthesizers
• Davey Johnstone - backing vocals

[edit] Certifications

[edit] Charts

[edit] References