Hopping and Bopping to the Crocodile Rock by Nigel DeRego

On a long drive down to my grandmother's house my dad and I were listening to the radio and as soon as the crocodile rock by Elton John song started playing I was hooked on it. I must have listened to this song a couple thousand times by now and it will always be one of my favorite songs ever. Elton John is a English pop artist that was born in 1947 and he is 69 years old. He was inspired to learn piano to make his unloving father proud of him. He commonly writes about love, hardship and heartbreak. Elton John uses allusion and symbolism in the song to convey the theme that you should have fun while you can because nothing last forever.

By using allusion, Elton John helps listeners understand that you should have fun while you can and that nothing last forever. In his first verse John is remembering when he was young and telling the listeners about one of the things he loved doing more than anything else, “Was doing a thing called the crocodile rock/ While the other kids were rocking around the clock/ We were hopping and bopping to the crocodile rock,” (“Crocodile” 6-8). Elton alluded to the crocodile rock which was a very unknown dance in the 50s and 60s that died out very quickly. This reveals the theme that you should have fun while you can because nothing last forever because the crocodile rock was something he really loved but it only lasted a few short decades

Another way that elton conveys our theme is using symbolism. In lines 16-19 he tells us what he misses doing and that he is sad because he can't do those things anymore. “But the years went by and the rock just died/ Suzie went and left us for some foreign guy/ Long nights crying by the record machine dreaming of my chevy and my old blue jeans,” (“Crocodile” 16-19). John symbolises a record machine as something outdated similar to the crocodile rock that is now outdated and is rarely seen anymore. This reveals the theme that you should have fun while you can and that nothing last forever by showing us the pain and regret that you could go through if you waste the early years of your life not having fun.

Something that makes this song so strong is that elton made it very easy for people to  connect to it. For instance in line 19 he says, “Dreaming of my chevy and my old blue jeans,” (“Crocodile” 19). This is easy to connect to because cars and clothing seems to be some of the main things people think of when they think of the past. For instance you probably remember the 70s for bell bottoms and cars with bad gas mileage and you remember the 60s for big american muscle cars and a lot of denim.

On the other hand something weak about this song is its tone. When you first hear this song it comes out as happy and cheerful but if you listen to the lyrics it’s actually a very sad and heartbreaking song. The fast and happy tone of the song makes it weak because it makes it harder to listen to the lyrics and creates the assumption that Elton is talking about something happy.

“Crocodile Rock” with its fast pace and happy tone is actually a very sad song about losing things that you hold dear to you. Elton John uses symbolism and allusion to convey the theme that you should have fun while you can because nothing last forever. This really reminds me of my father telling me stories of when he was young and having fun with his friends and although they were happy memories I could tell he was sad because that time was long ago. After listening to this song I am going to live my life to the fullest and spare some time to have fun every once and awhile.