It was the director's idea to get an actor to lipsync the song; it was Elton John's idea to use Robert Downey Jr., who had recently suffered a series of misfortunes stemming from substance abuse and was out of jail on parole. John feared that the lyrics were so close to home that Downey would turn down the offer, but once he'd heard the song, the actor enthusiastically took the part.
There were 16 takes of Robert Downey Jr. performing the song, and they opted to use the final one because he'd become very relaxed and underplayed it.
Elton John was vacationing in France while the video was being shot in Beverly Hills.
Filmed at Greystone Mansion, a location used for countless films and television series.