Sir Elton John expressed surprise when he discovered the real inspiration behind his hit song, ‘Rocket Man’.

The legendary singer-songwriter spoke with co-writer Bernie Taupin in a new interview during which it was revealed that Elton John never knew the story behind the 1972 hit.

Elton John and Bernie Taupin met in 1967 after they both contacted each other about a songwriting ad. Five years passed and the two released their first hit song, ‘Rocket Man’.

“It was quite an easy song to write a melody to because it’s about space, so it’s quite a relaxed song,” he said.

Explaining the original source of inspiration when writing the song, Bernie Taupin revealed that Sir Elton John was unaware of the true meaning until then.

“It was actually a song inspired by (American author) Ray Bradbury and his book of science fiction short stories called The Illustrated Man,” he explained. At this point in the interview Sir Elton John said: “You know, I never knew that…”.