Elton John - Nikita (1985)

"Nikita" is a love song by English singer Elton John set in the Cold War from his 1985 album Ice on Fire. Released late in ...

"Nikita" is a love 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 a top ten hit in many countries.

Music video settings and song information

The video for the song was directed by Ken Russell. Elton John accepted the proposed script written by Russell which was a male-female love interpretation of the song, depicting his attempted romance of a blonde woman East German border guard with short hair. Scenes showed the two together in various happy situations, including wearing the colours of Watford FC of whom John is a supporter and former Chairman. In interviews, John has said that he was aware that Nikita was a male name in Russian. Anya Major plays the role of Nikita; Andreas Wisniewski plays a male border guard. In 1986, in the wake of the song's success, Major recorded a spin-off song titled "Moscow Nights" which she released under the stage name "Anya".