Like every dedicated sports fan, I binge-watched the Winter Olympics with enthusiasm despite having no professional knowledge of any of the sports that were being shown.Â
Ok. That was a shallow, rigid opening. I only watched the Winter Olympics for two (equally as corny) reasons. One, it kept popping up on my network subscription home page and two, I have an obsessive crush on the figure skating gold medalist, Nathan Chen.
However, I didn’t realize that the Olympics was going to have such a striking impact on my life.Â
As I sat in front of my laptop watching spin after spin accompanied by elegant classical music, my eyelids started to get heavy and I desperately needed a food break. To make sure I didn’t miss Nathan’s part, I kept my ear pods on while fetching the ingredients from the fridge. I was just about to add honey to my greek yogurt when familiar music started playing. Elton John? Who was figure skating to my favorite 70s singer? None other than Nathan Chen!
I ran back into my room just in time to catch the chorus of “Rocket Man.” Little did I know that this was just the beginning of an endless replay of Elton John playlists. I am not entirely what ignited my unsatisfied Elton John craving but ever since I watched Nathan Chen’s legendary “Rocket Man” performance, I haven’t been able to stop myself from playing Elton John.
I listened to it at work, in the shower, while exercising, even while standing in line at Crossroads. It got to a point where I was humming an Elton John song twenty-four-seven. I felt like a radio. I even watched the movie Rocket Man and that stuck the song even more in my head. My roommate noticed my Elton John transformation and being a calm, responsible, and logical person, she simply said, “Well, he holds a world record for album sales. I’m not surprised you’re like this.” It’s almost scary how Elton John’s songs can take over one’s mind.Â
I never would have thought that watching the Winter Olympics would ignite my Elton John fandom. But to be honest, I’m kind of enjoying not wasting ten minutes on choosing which playlist to listen to every morning. It’s going to be a long long time before my Elton John fever dies down. And if you are reading this and scoffing at what is happening to me, feel free to search “Nathan Chen Winter Olympics long program 2022” and remember to turn the sound on.