Elton John Helping Britney Spears Make A Music Comeback
The Rocketman sure does play well with others. And now it seems Britney Spears will be the next one to benefit from Elton John‘s talent. According to the Hollywood Reporter,…
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 02: Singer Britney Spears performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball 2016 presented by Capital One at Staples Center on December 2, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
[Mike Windle] / [Staff] via Getty ImagesThe Rocketman sure does play well with others. And now it seems Britney Spears will be the next one to benefit from Elton John's talent. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a duet between the two is now officially available for pre-save. They reported that a rep for Universal Music’s Interscope Records announced this on Monday. And much like his duet "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" with George Michael, this collaboration will be a remake. We don't know much about this duet except that it will be a remake of John's 1972 hit "Tiny Dancer". The song was written by the legendary songwriting team of John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. And now it's going to be remade with Spears under a different name. "Hold Me Closer" is what they will call the new project, after the first words in the original song's chorus.
This will be very interesting for two reasons. One, it is the first major project by Britney Spears in 6 years, since her Glory album came out in 2016. Second, it's the first project for her since being released from her conservatorship in a highly-publicized court case. So, will this be like that crazy haircut after a breakup? Will Spears pull out all the stops just because she can? And what does that look like? We're very intrigued. Especially because of all the mystery surrounding the project. Even when he announced it on Twitter, all John did was post artwork and a #HoldMeCloser caption with a link to pre-save the track. The artwork is a picture of a simple red rose for Spears and a picture of a rocket for himself.
That's all we know so far. Even the release date hasn't been announced yet. But we know Elton John doesn't do anything halfway, so we're excited to see what comes of this. If you want to pre-save the track, you can do it here.
–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas
Elton John: His 40 Greatest Songs
Some of Elton John's songs are absolutely iconic hit singles, but one of the great pleasures of being a big Elton John fan is finding the lesser-known gems. We’re partial to his hit-free album Tumbleweed Connection from 1970 (as you’ll see), as well as his criminally underrated Songs From The West Coast from 2001, and a few of the diamonds in the rough from albums that you may have overlooked.
For this list, we’re going with the best version of each song, which sometimes means a live version. And in one case, an alternate studio version that you may not have heard before. Enjoy!
40. “Hey Ahab” from ‘The Union’ (with Leon Russell) (2010)
Decca39. “Have Mercy On The Criminal” from 'Live In Australia' (1987)
MCA38. “The One” from 'The One' (1992)
Island Records37. “Believe” from ‘Made In England’ (1995)
Island Def Jam36. “The King Must Die” from ‘Live In Australia’ (1987)
MCA35. “Elderberry Wine” from ‘Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only The Piano Player’ (1973)
MCA34. “Holiday Inn” from ‘Madman Across The Water’ (1971)
MCA33. “Home Again” from ‘The Diving Board’ (2013)
Capitol Records32. “Tonight” from ‘Live In Australia’ (1987)
MCA31. “Daniel” from ‘Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only The Piano Player’ (1973)
MCA30. “The Last Song” from ‘The One’ (1992)
Island Records29. “Sacrifice” from ‘Sleeping With The Past’ (1989)
MCA28. “I Need You To Turn To” from ‘Live In Australia’ (1987)
MCA27. “Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again)” B-side of “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” (1973)
MCA26. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” from ‘Breaking Hearts’ (1984)
Geffen25. “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time)” from ‘Honky Chateau’ (1972)
Uni/MCA24. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” from ‘Blue Moves’ (1976)
MCA23. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” from ‘Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy’ (1975)
MCA22. “The Bitch Is Back” from ‘Caribou’ (1974)
MCA21. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” from ‘Too Low For Zero’ (1983)
Geffen20. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” from ‘Caribou’ (1974)
MCA19. “Sixty Years On” from ‘17-11-70’ (1970)
MCA18. “I Want Love” from ‘Songs From The West Coast’ (2001)
Republic17. “Take Me To The Pilot” from ‘17-11-70’ (1970)
MCA16. “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)” from ‘Jump Up!’ (1982)
Geffen15. “Bad Side Of The Moon” from ‘17-11-70’ (1970)
MCA14. “Madman Across The Water (featuring Mick Ronson)” outtake from ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ (1970)
MCA13. “Burn Down The MIssion” from 'Tumbleweed Connection' (1970)
MCA12. “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore” from ‘Songs From The West Coast’ (2001)
Republic11. “Bennie And The Jets” from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (1973)
MCA10. “Amoreena” from ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ (1970)
MCA9. “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (1973)
MCA8. “Come Down In Time” from ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ (1970)
MCA7. “Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters” from ‘Honky Chateau’ (1972)
Uni/MCA6. “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (1973)
MCA5. “Border Song” from ‘Elton John’ (1970)
Mercury4. “Your Song” from ‘Elton John’ (1970)
Mercury3. “Candle In The Wind” from ‘Live In Australia’ (1987)
MCA2. “Tiny Dancer” from ‘Madman Across The Water’ (1971)
MCA1. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
MCA
