Songwriters can’t help but be influenced by what’s going on in the world around them. They can choose to tackle topical material head on, making a statement one way or the other about how they feel. Or they can choose to use that knowledge as context for the story they truly want to tell.
Lyricist Bernie Taupin chose the latter route for the Elton John song “Nikita,” which was a Top-20 hit single for John in 1985. Set against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall, the song managed to work as a tale about star-crossed love, something that’s relatable no matter what the circumstances of history might have been.
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What’s in a Name?
One of the striking things about “Nikita” is how the title name causes a bit of confusion in the listener. Nikita is generally considered to be a man’s name in Eastern Europe, which is where the song is set. But the video for the song suggests the soldier who is the object of the narrator’s desire is a woman.
John and Taupin likely didn’t care too much about that confusion, because that ultimately was outside the point of the song. And they’ve never been too concerned about a little misdirection and obfuscation when it comes to their songs anyway.
“Nikita” touches somewhat on the Cold War fears of the time by setting the song at the Berlin Wall, telling the tale of an outsider who has fallen in love with one of the guards stationed there. Circa 1985, fears of a large-scale flare-up of tensions between countries with competing agendas were everywhere. With this song, John and Taupin attempt their own kind of détente with a simple, relatable story.
Taupin has always been a lyricist who comes at things from unusual angles. That’s partly why the setup where he tackles the words and John focuses on the music works so well, as it allows him to concentrate on variety and surprise. Elton lends “Nikita” a dreamy melody, along with subtle references to the stately music one might expect to hear wafting over the wall.
The Deeper Meaning of “Nikita”
David Bowie tackled a similar topic with “Heroes,” with the difference being the two people in the song were able to be together, albeit in the pressurized environment surrounding the Cold War. Even though the setting is the same, Taupin denies that opportunity to the narrator here, which leads to the undertones of longing that drift throughout the song.
What’s interesting is there’s no indication “Nikita” even knows the narrator exists. He starts by asking, Hey, Nikita, is it cold / In your little corner of the world? It feels like this is something he would know if they had conversed in some way before. If you do believe they’ve never met, the song becomes as much about the loneliness of the narrator as it is about Nikita’s predicament.
Taupin does a nice job using imagery that’s apropos to the location, imagining the wintry surroundings as a symbol of Nikita’s inner life: With eyes that looked like ice on fire / The human heart, the captive in the snow. In the second verse, he’s still wondering about how much Nikita regards him.
But he holds out hope for a meeting, perhaps even a romance: And if you’re free to make a choice / Just look toward the West and find a friend. The chorus, however, is less optimistic. Taupin uses a fascinating metaphor for Nikita: Oh Nikita is the other side / Or any given line in time. And then this poor sap concludes all is lost: Nikita you’ll never know.
“Nikita” came out on Elton John’s Ice on Fire album in 1985. The Berlin Wall fell four years later, meaning we can imagine some sort of happy ending for this fictional relationship. But as we mentioned earlier, that wall was more of a stand-in for the impossible obstacles that keep two people from coming together.
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