Crocodile Rock

"Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in summer 1972 at the Château d'Hérouville studio in France (it was listed as "Strawberry Studios" in the album's credits), where John and his team had previously recorded the Honky Château album. It was released on 27 October 1972 in the UK and 20 November 1972 in the U.S., as a pre-release single from his forthcoming 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, and became his first U.S. number-one single, reaching the top spot on 3 February 1973, and stayed there for three weeks. In the U.S., it was certified Gold on 5 February 1973 and Platinum on 13 September 1995 by the RIAA.

In Canada, it topped the chart as well, remaining at No.1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart for four weeks from 17 February – 10 March. It was the first song released as a single on the MCA label (catalogue #40000) after MCA dissolved its Uni, Decca, Kapp and Coral labels. (John had previously been with the Uni label.) "Crocodile Rock" is dominated by a Farfisa organ, played by John. The lyrics take a nostalgic look at early rock 'n' roll, dating and youthful independence of that era. Elton John band members, including Davey Johnstone on guitars, Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums, were also performers on the song. Elton John, however, did all the vocals, including the falsetto backing vocals.

Miami Vice

Miami Vice is an American television crime drama series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. The series ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984 to 1989. The USA Network later began airing reruns the next year, in 1990, and broadcast an originally unaired episode during its syndication run of the series on January 25, 1990.

Unlike standard police procedurals, the show drew heavily upon 1980s New Wave culture and music. The show became noted for its integration of music and visual effects. It is recognized as one of the most influential television series of all time.People magazine stated that Miami Vice was the "first show to look really new and different since color TV was invented".

Michael Mann directed a film adaptation of the series, which was released on July 28, 2006.

Crockett's Theme

"Crockett's Theme" is an instrumental song written for the hit NBC series Miami Vice. The surname Crockett refers to Don Johnson's character, James "Sonny" Crockett. The initial version of the theme first appeared in the episode Calderone's Return: Part 1 – The Hit List which aired on October 19, 1984. The song was composed by Jan Hammer.

Chart performance

Although not a big success in America, the song was a smash hit in the UK, reaching #2 in the singles chart there. It was a #1 in the Netherlands for 4 weeks. It was not originally called "Crockett's Theme", but its success led Jan Hammer to feature the original version on his 1987 album Escape from Television.

Cover versions

It spawned many covers; the notable covers include Trance Atlantic Air Waves in 1998, released as a single.

Other uses

Between 1991 and 1994, the song was featured in a series of adverts for National Westminster Bank in the United Kingdom, and was subsequently re-released as a single in May 1991 in the UK as a double A-side with Hammer's theme tune for Chancer. This time it reached #47 in the UK Singles Chart.

Elton John

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Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and composer. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriting partner since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date. In his five-decade career Elton John has sold more than 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. He has more than fifty Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums, 58 Billboard Top 40 singles, 27 Top 10, four No. 2 and nine No. 1. For 31 consecutive years (1970–2000) he had at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100. His single "Candle in the Wind 1997" sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts. He has also composed music, produced records, and has occasionally acted in films. John owned Watford Football Club from 1976 to 1987, and 1997 to 2002. He is an honorary Life President of the club, and in 2014 had a stand named after him at the club's home stadium.

John Broomhall

John Broomhall is an English composer, audio producer/director, journalist and consultant, working mainly in the video game industry. During the 1990s, Broomhall worked with MicroProse/Spectrum HoloByte as their head of audio. He has played live jazz, blues, funk and gospel. In 2002, he set up Broomhall Projects Limited (BPL) "to provide a full range of audio services covering management, consultancy, content direction and production."

In 2009, he was honoured with a Recognition Award by the Game Audio Network Guild. He also chaired many BAFTA Audio Awards and sits on the BAFTA Video Games Committee.

Work

Games