‘Tis The Season
Step-Into-Christmas has been playing on many a radio station now because it’s that time of year!
Did you ever hear a pan pipe version? This was part of Ricardo Caliente‘s panpipes-for-christmas album. Elton and Bernie Taupin’s composition has also inspired a charity drive in which British youngsters-in-need will receive presents.
According to NewcastleWorld, Step Into Xmas is an opportunity for North East residents to purchase trees named after celebrities with Christmas hits, like Elton and Mariah Carey.
Step Into Xmas, which includes a cup of hot chocolate, is at the MetroCentre in Gateshead and Manor Walks in Cramlington, England, until 21 December.
Elton and Mariah’s holiday tunes have made the UK’s officialcharts. The latter’s All I Want For Christmas is the top UK single, and another festive number, Elton and Ed Sheeran’s Merry Christmas, made fourth place.
Mariah Carey? ?
Elton John and Ed Sheeran? ?
Wham? ?
Who do you want to see at Number 1 this week? ? Check out all the contenders including @MariahCarey, @raye and more ⬇https://t.co/EOYVFqzHPE
— Official Charts (@officialcharts) December 13, 2022
In 2017, Boston, Massachusetts-based musicologist Joe Bennett determined that perfect Christmas songs have 115 beats per minute. Such as is the case with Merry Christmas. When the track came out last year, he told Discover magazine that it had ”every cultural reference–fireside and mistletoe, plus the sleigh bells, naturally.”
Did you know that Elton’s bandmate, John Mahon, came up with a holiday number which was used on a Hallmark movie, Welcome to Christmas, in 2018? Everyday-christmas ”is about making the fun of Christmas happen every day,” he remarked.
Dolly Parton has been thinking about one of Elton’s evergreens. She told Radio 2‘s Zoe Ball on Friday that she’s been working on a rock and roll album, and among the covers is Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me. Dolly also shared that she sent a message to Elton, asking if he would contribute vocals and piano to the song.
As for composing new tunes, Elton doesn’t believe he will ever run out of notes. On Saks Live Events, he told Alessandro Michele and David Furnish that he’s a better musician than most. Curiously, Elton claimed he had no clue about his identity when he was 15 years old. Yet Reg Dwight was younger than that when he was in his first band, the Corvettes (pre-Bluesology).
Elton Blog was amused by part of the Saks Live interview–where Elton said he would have liked to be a punk, but was too old. He did wear a mohawk wig in concert, though! What’s more, he went punk–as did ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and ‘Prince Philip’ on a Saturday-Night-Live skit in 2011.
Elton also admires grunge, but not their clothes. And he appreciates the stage outfits Alessandro has created: He has yet to lose a sequin or bead.
One thing Elton is losing is his Twitter account. He explained that while he has tried to bring people together through his music, Twitter‘s recent policy change ensures that misinformation will flourish and ”divide our world.”
All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world.
I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) December 9, 2022
New owner Elon-Musk wondered if there was any particular misinformation which concerned Elton. He wrote that he loves the star’s music and hopes he returns to the social media platform.
I love your music. Hope you come back. Is there any misinformation in particular that you’re concerned about?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2022
On his instagram page, Elton posted a photo of himself with his Aunt Win. She has died at the age of 95, and Elton said she was ”kindness personified.” We send condolences to Elton and his loved ones.
We also hope that Celine Dion, who alternated nights with Elton’s Red Piano shows in Las Vegas, Nevada (the first of his two residencies at Caesars Palace), prevails in her health battle. She has been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, stiff-person syndrome, which causes severe muscle spasms.
In 2006, Celine and Elton performed together at the Harrah’s Entertainment Artists Rally Together (H.E.A.R.T) benefit concert after Hurricane Katrina. Along with Jerry Seinfeld, they raised 2.1 million dollars for over nine thousand employees of Harrah’s, the parent company of Caesars Palace.
Another charitable endeavour is taking place now: Saks Fifth Avenue is selling everything from Versace sneakers to a Baccarat crystal butterfly to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Prior to appearing at Saks‘ window unveiling in New York and on the aforementioned Saks Live event, Elton shared some of his favourites with enews. Appropriately enough, rocket-themed ornaments were among his picks . . . a way of announcing the EJAF‘s Rocket Fund, not to mention, a reminder of the singer himself!
Elton John Holiday Gift Picks Give Back to a Special Cause https://t.co/xN2c6PhtXv
— E! News (@enews) December 9, 2022