In September, the sequel to Spinal Tap was released, as was a soundtrack album. Elton is featured on Stonehenge and Listen to the Flower People.
He posted a photo of himself on his Instagram page, pretending he had to be hospitalised after ”rocking too hard” with cast members.
Rocking or not, Elton has teamed up with an impressive range of entertainers over the years. Some worked; others not so much.
Below are a few Elton Blog favourites. . . .
• Cold Heart with Dua Lipa: PNAU re-worked several EJ numbers for an effective, danceable hit.
• Don’t Go Breaking My Heart: While decades old, Elton and Kiki Dee sound as lively as ever. That includes Elton’s ”woo hoos.’
• Bad Blood: Neil Sedaka is backed by Elton, and his composition (written by Neil and Phil Cody) remains catchy all these years later.
• Wrap Her Up: According to the GM Forever website, George Michael predicted a ”massive hit” as soon as he heard Elton sing it over a backing track. It reached #12 in the UK singles chart, and #20 in the States, on Billboard‘s Hot 100.
• Slow Rivers with Cliff Richard: a poignant melody from 1986 with with the memorable comparison to a slow river that runs so cold. It brings to mind Cold as Christmas (In The Middle of The Year), which was released three years earlier.
Neither left the listener cold–which can’t be said for . . .
• Shakey Ground. First performed by the Temptations, it has been covered by the likes of Van McCoy and Bernie Marsden. Elton and Don Henley followed suit on the former’s 1993 Duets album, but were not an improvement.
• When I Think About Love (I Think About You). Another Duets track, this time with P.M. Dawn. It’s schmaltz, though the sentiments are nice.
• Hold Me Closer. An unrecognisable version of Tiny Dancer, with Britney Spears, which was ”rejiggered for the modern dance floor,” to quote The Fader.
• At least Hold Me Closer‘s not lacklustre, like Dolly Parton and Elton’s 2023 take on Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me. Their collaboration was part of Dolly’s first-ever rock album. She got the idea for Rockstar after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Two of Elton’s aforementioned collaborators, Neil Sedaka and Kiki Dee, are not (as of this writing) in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Both, meanwhile, have been https://radioeltonjohn.world guests!
