William Shatner "Sings" 'Rocket Man' AI Upscaled to Ultra HD 

Shatner was just messing around when he did this yet it is still an amazing piece of pop culture history. Kudos to the Captain.

This is hands down the coolest thing in the history of doing things. 2023 and still no comparison can come close.

this guy is going to out live us all

This why the internet exists: to archive stuff like this for all posterity.

Single greatest display of modern art in the last 100 years

still badass 44 yrs later

This song fits Captain Kirk so well and captures all the complexities of the character. He's on a long 5 year mission in deep unexplored space. He's lonely being separated from the crew as he has to act like the captain always. He's not a scientist; he's from Iowa. If you separate the woman who packed his bags from his wife, it fits even better. His wife is deceased and the woman packing his bags was just one his many loves he had to leave behind. He has a son that he didn't raise as he was working. All of this is what makes the original Star Trek show so great. Space exploration is just the backdrop and the show is really about the characters.

Ohh now I get why in Futurama, Shatner "raps" slim shady, but he just talks like in this video and Walter Koenig says "How can anyone do a spoken word version of a rap song?" Melllvar says "He found a way" and seeing this it all makes sense now! 🤣

Gunna be honest, if you look past the surface level of this performance, its actually a good interpretation of the song.

Happy 91st birthday, Rocket Man!

This is one of the greatest acting performance in history.

10/13/21...Now he really is THE ROCKETMAN!!!🚀👨‍🚀🚀

After the third Shatner came out I swear to God I thought that I might die. I couldn't stop laughing.

Man. Shatner always delivers. He definitely delivers something! Often not what you'd expect. Gold.

This man is still so far ahead of his time if you still don't get this humor. Bill Shatner is a genius.

Shatner on the left is where Bryan Cranston got his acting career.

This video got me blocked by William Shatner on Twitter!

The best thing about this performance is that he perfectly timed it to the length of the cigarette.🤣

Man, that was far out! In fact, as someone who grew up in the 70s, I can say it was out of sight!

"Look, I promise, this time I won't go third Shatner." *Two Shatners later:* 3:44

Lifelong Shatner fan and one thing I admire is his gumption.

Great description as "a moving oil painting" and excellent reference to "The Enemy Within"

Getting more positive comments in 2022 than it originally did when I saw...it....live in....19...78.

That's so great that Bernie Taupin was there to see it.

If there's anyone with a right to sing this song outside of straight-up NASA astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts, it's Bill Shatner! Well done, big chap!

Ha Shatner reads Taupin's lyrics as a poem with the music accompanying. A different perspective. Nice.

I bought his album, Has Been, back in 2004. It was a matter of curiosity, nothing more. I'd heard that he'd done this kind of thing before, but I'd never gotten around to listening to any of it. Imagine my surprise when Has Been turned out to be a masterwork. Every track shines. This rendition of Rocket Man is fantastic, but it is obviously a first attempt. He got better, his pacing became more precise and better timed, his material original works. If you haven't listened to that album yet, do so. Now. Drop everything else and go listen to it.

This is beyond any greatness we’ve ever known.

Can you imagine being trapped in space with three Shatners?

This is genius, Shatner is a legend on so many levels. Thanks for the HD, good work.

I love when druncle Shatner comes in, all messed up - brilliant.

You can't deny that William Shatner is a true artist - this is his interpretation and I somehow believe he made all the arrangements and production on this rendition....who else then Shatner could pull this off.

I'm shocked people weren't laughing from the moment Shatner kicked in, I'm even more shocked people didn't laugh after the synth kicked in.

oh to be so full of oneself

His hair looks fantastic in this version 😂

Never gets old!

I remember watching this when it first aired. Damn am I getting old!!!! LOL!

William Shatner es muy macho. 💖

I am no kind of expert, but really enjoy watching this version better than the many others I’ve ran across. Thank you!

He says “I’m gonna be HIGH” like a mf who has been high as a kite before

different world, and shatner is just so cool.

You've done a great service to humanity. Thank you.

So bad it's great!

love this...there's nothing shatner can do i wouldn't love

Zapp Branigan its that you ?

Great restoration, thanks 👍

Every so often I come back and watch this when I need a shot of surreal and utterly ridiculous.

This was how lounge singers sang in the 1970s.

A true classic

I love this man.

the acid was good in those days

Classic. I give anyone credit who could go up there and do that. Lol. U gotta be a special breed of cat . I like the 3rd Shattner. With the tie loosened , dancing . Haha

This is so bad it's good. I must have watched it a dozen times over the years. It's like Plan 9 from Outer Space

It’s beautiful isn’t it

Only William Shatner can play a cigarette like that!!

When the teacher asks you to perform your song as a monologue

I’ll have what he’s having!

I love this video, so much.

What ya smoking there William? 🤗😁🤗

We'll be fine as long as we can keep it to two Shatners..... 3rd Shatner - "Here's JOOOHNNYYY" Audience - "Fuck, we're screwed"

Family Guy brought me here

I didn't know William Shatner could look so cool smoking a cig.

Thank you stewie for introducing me to this

I'm a Rocket.... man... 🚬

This is actually pretty cool (though it's hard to tell exactly what angle Shatners taken with this performance lol). Of course I was a kid when he did this and honestly never knew of it till today. I've got Nimoys album and grew up on TOS. Pretty cool rendition of this song.

If you don't like William Shatner then I just don't know.

This is awesome! This year Halloween fell on karaoke night. I dressed as Rocket Man, and my first song? What else, "Rocket Man!"

Gotta admit, the technical work on this was amazing, given the available recording equipment in 1978 (video tape, no digital). The performance, on the other hand....

Looks trippy!

Smoked like that and he's still here at 90 years old?

That felt a lot longer than one cigarette

This was actually amazing haha Legend! 👏

Gotta love his shamelessness.

Tht boi high as hell

Some moments are passable,. some moments look like oil painting animation

Biggest balls ever.. He doesn't give a sh!t what anyone thinks..

If you look it from a certain distance it looks pretty good. Nice job. Congrats on Bill Shatner blocking you on twitter 😂 what a guy.

Be honest, kids. We all know Shatner was smoking a joint during that performance. That dude was high off his head! Everyone else wished they had some just to ride out this cover. It’s the one act he’ll never get to live down even if somehow he gets an Oscar or a Nobel Peace Prize.

he nailed it.

A Rocket.... Man!

Beautiful😢

What was Captain Kirk thinking of

No offense to Shatner. I am sure he tried his best. But there can be no debate, Shatner was the real star of this video!

This is a really hideous upscale. Bernie Taupins eyes are like marbles in a cup of coffee. But it somehow fits this video. Would've really liked to have had an attempt at filtering out that ground loop hum from tho.

I remember watching this on my grandparents zenith system 3. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Ah brilliant. William Shatner is a genius

History will remember this as more based than cringe.

This first reached my ears in the 90s as an mp3 file that was shared at music college. I find it funnier without the video for some reason.

Simultaneously, the worst and greatest thing I have ever seen.

I've heard a cd compilation of a few of these parodies from William Shatner Love it😂 Not everyone gets this kind of humor. Hearing that made me a fan because I only knew him as Captain Kirk but actually he is actually really smart, funny and a really good actor!

There's nothing humorous about it, it's tragic tale of drugs, status, expectations and the duality of showbusiness. The highs and the lows. Something Shatner had already lived twice over by the late 70's. Shatner does a double-dive into this by adapting a song **about it*, *then** extrapolating that into separate personae. This is an iconic self-referential piece decades ahead of it's time and a rare vulnerable look into Shatners self image.

UM PARA SUBIR , Sr. SCOTCH

Hilarious!!! I love it.

Classic 👏👏👏👏

I wanna do this version at karaoke lmao

I know we all think it's hilarious, but it's pretty badass all the same

playing your old dos games with the AdvMAME3x scaler be like

No FINAL , EU PENSEI QUE ELE IA se TELETRANSPORTAR

*crying AI sounds*

Damn it bill its a rocket I'm a dr not an engineer