BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985
“Nikita” is a song by English singer Elton John set in the Cold War from his 1985 album Ice on Fire. Released late in the year, the song was successful in many countries and was a top ten hit in almost all of them.
In the song, Elton John describes his crush on a person called Nikita, an East German border guard whom he cannot meet because he is not allowed into the country. It features George Michael on backing vocals with Nik Kershaw on electric guitar and is notable for a distinctive synthesizer solo. The song charted at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, and at number 7 in the US.
SIDE A:
Nikita (LP Version) 5:42
SIDE B:
Nikita (U.K. Edit) 4:54
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Nikita | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #7 |
| 1985 | Nikita | U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | #3 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Geffen Records – PRO-A-2440
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Pop
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Backing Vocals – Davey Johnstone, Elton*, George Michael
Electric Guitar – Nik Kershaw
Engineer – Stuart Epps
Producer – Gus Dudgeon
Written-By – Elton John / Taupin*
NOTES:
From the LP “ICE ON FIRE”
In custom promo sleeve.
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7 TubeGold Pins
Soundcard: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Muchas gracias por compartir semana tras semana éxitos en vinilo, admiro mucho tu trabajo, eres el mejor DjPaulT.
Saludos desde CHILE.
Definitely a classic when it comes to signature songs from the 80s!
George Michael 🙁
Not a day goes by without missing him.
His birthday is coming up, will you do something for that Paul ?
Thank you for this rip:)
Interesting i don’t think i have ever heard this song. But im totally hooked on the fact Nik Kershaw played a big part. I have collected a lot of Nik’s Singles and played them to death.
It seems there is plenty of room in http://burningtheground.net/category/nik-kershaw/ for more ! My favourite Is a clear vinyl promo i have of Wouldn’t it be Good that features “Dancing Girls” on the B side.
Formally requesting “Dancing Girls”
Thanks Paul !
The Mp3 are in “Joint Stereo” – Not Stereo !
I got a bit fed up with Nikita back then as it was massive over here. No 1 for three weeks with mind numbing radio play. Got to love it again later and still love it. Just the other day I watched the documentary “Tantrums And Tiaras” about and with Sir Elton. It´s so funny and revealing. Anybody around here watch it? One time he stayed at some posh hotel and while he was playing tennis some lady called “Yoohoooo!” from another court across and waved friendly. EJ got so annoyed, he stormed into his hotel suite and had one… Read more »
Have not seen this doc but will have to locate it sounds fun. 🙂
I once met a Russian man named Nikita in a computer repair shop. When he introduced himself to me, I made a puzzled face.
He said “yeah, I know, that damn Elton John song…Nikita is a common MALE name, not a female name.”
Considering that Elton John is gay…maybe this song was about a man?…
we all were wondering back then how they got that male/female name stuff mixed up in the lyrics and how no one noticed. In hindsight, knowing Elton is gay, it makes perfect sense. I bet he had a lot of fun getting the public confused about it!
Elton John is always a highlight for me and you have shown him incredible support by posting a lot of his dance records on your site. I’m with Daniel, I love this song very, very much. Great memories of this track from the days on my college’s Adult Contemporary station.
Thanks tons for this Paul!!
Jeff
You’re welcome Jeff 🙂
Elton John is one of the artists I love the most and his continued career is phenomenal. Nikita is one of my favourite singles. I didn’t know about the contributions of George Michael and Nik Kershaw. Thanks for posting.
My favorite Elton song lots of memories with this track 🙂
After all those years, from the first hearing, it’s Song For Guy for me.