The Glittering Saga of the Girl Who Aimed for the Hollywood Stars
A nostalgic, high-energy Glam Rock tale of ambition, exploitation, and the fleeting nature of fame.
Ah, the 1970s. For those of us who lived through the glorious, gaudy, slightly silly era of Glam Rock, few bands evoke that time quite like Mud. While their smash-hit “Tiger Feet” might be the song that instantly springs to mind—that unforgettable, infectious stomp—it’s the track that followed it, “Rocket” (sometimes known by its full title, “Rocket (The Story of Abigail Rocketblast)”), that captures a different, slightly poignant, and purely ’70s strain of ambition. Released in the summer of 1974, right in the thick of Mudmania, this single perfectly encapsulates the band’s transition into their high-octane, Teddy Boy-meets-Glam-Rock aesthetic.
Charting the Glam Climb
“Rocket,” released on RAK Records as a single in 1974, was an undeniable success, cementing Mud’s place in the upper echelon of the UK charts. It launched onto the Official Singles Chart and reached a peak position of number 6, a respectable showing following two consecutive number one hits (“Tiger Feet” and the previous year’s “Lonely This Christmas”). The single spent nine weeks on the chart in total, running from late July to late September 1974. Though it wasn’t the chart-topper some of their other hits were, it was a pivotal part of their breakout period and was included on their debut studio album, “Mud Rock,” also released in 1974.
The band, comprised of Les Gray (vocals), Rob Davis (guitar), Ray Stiles (bass), and Dave Mount (drums), were the ultimate vehicles for the songwriting genius of the legendary team Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Chinnichap, as they were known, crafted hits for a stable of Glam Rock royalty, including The Sweet and Suzi Quatro. “Rocket” is pure Chinnichap magic: an infectious, tightly structured piece of rock and roll with a strong narrative drive and that unmistakable Les Gray vocal, leaning heavily into his much-loved Elvis-inspired mannerisms and vocal tics.
The Story Behind the Blast
The “story” is right there in the extended title, and it speaks to a universal, yet distinctly Hollywood, dream. The lyrics tell the vivid, fast-paced tale of Abigail, an ambitious, small-town girl who reinvents herself as “Abigail Rocket-Blast” to chase the lights of Hollywood stardom. She’s only sixteen, ditching her old blue jeans and sweet-sixteen innocence for the perceived glamour of the movie business—big cigars, motor cars, and the fast-talking agents who promise her the world.
The song’s narrator is someone from her past, a boy who clearly had a soft spot for the original Abigail. He observes her transformation with a mixture of awe, concern, and a touch of jealousy. The chorus—“You’re gonna take off soon, you’re gonna reach the moon / You’ll know when your time has come, I’ll give you 3-2-1!”—is the ultimate promise, the rocket launching her to fame.
However, the second verse introduces the cruel reality. The narrator finds her not on a movie set, but simply “sitting in the soda store where all the cast-off stardust falls,” a poignant image of faded dreams and disillusionment. She’s been used, her ambitious new name becoming a hollow joke. But in a twist of retro romance, the narrator decides to get rid of the “Abigail Blast” facade, call her simply “Rocket,” forget the past, and promise to “launch” her himself, suggesting a return to a simpler, more authentic love, away from the phony showbiz machine. It’s a classic cautionary tale wrapped in a glorious three-minute package of rock and roll.
This narrative, combined with Mud’s energetic, almost theatrical delivery, is what made the song so memorable. Watching them perform it on Top of the Pops was an event—Les Gray’s charismatic gyrations, the band’s sharp, contrasting Teddy Boy and Glam outfits, and the sheer, unadulterated fun of it all. It was music that didn’t take itself too seriously, a pure escape, yet one that still contained these little slices of human drama that we, the viewers and listeners, could latch onto. It evokes a simpler time, when a three-minute pop song could tell a complete story and make you want to dance all at once.