Elton John and Brandi Carlile have shared the latest single from their upcoming album, an LGBTQ+ anthem called ‘Swing For The Fences’. Check it out below.
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Shared today (March 5), the new track marks the latest preview of the duo’s forthcoming collaborative album ‘Who Believes In Angels?’. The record was announced last month, along with the title track as the lead single.
Now, the two have shared another insight into what to expect from the album, the joyous and self-assuring track ‘Swing For The Fences’. Alongside capturing the same rock n’ roll charm that first put both Carlile and Sir Elton on the map, it also carries a message of empowerment for the LGBTQIA community.
“Swing For The Fences’ was a little gem I took into the studio with me: I’m a gay woman, Elton’s a gay man and we both have families, and our dreams have come true,” Carlile explained. “I was thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to write an anthem for young gay kids out there that calls them into a bigger, more elegant, more fabulous life. Just like ‘go, go! Don’t let anything hold you back!’”
Sir Elton continued: “When we recorded ‘Swing For The Fences’, it was the moment that crystallised where the album was going. It was hard to get to that point, but we knew we had to rise to the occasion and we all just felt this massive sense of joy and euphoria. After our initial difficulties, all the uncertainties started to dissipate when this song came together. It just sounded great.”
Check it out below.
‘Who Believes In Angels?’ is set for release on April 4 via Island EMI and includes collaborations from Andrew Watt and John’s longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin.
It comes as a follow-up to the legendary artist’s 2021 album, ‘The Lockdown Sessions’, and also includes the 2025 Oscar-nominated song ‘Never Too Late’, which was created especially for the Disney+ documentary of the same name. Visit here to pre-order it.
In the LP, the two are backed by iconic musicians including Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ drummer Chad Smith, Pino Palladino (Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan and David Gilmour) and Josh Klinghoffer (Pearl Jam, Beck).
The writing and recording sessions took place over three weeks in October 2023, and saw Sir Elton allow cameras in for the first time to document the entire creative process. That has been compiled into a new ‘Making Of’ film, for which a trailer is available to watch below.
To celebrate the upcoming record, Carlile and Sir Elton have announced a special, one-off show at The London Palladium. It is scheduled for March 26 and access to tickets will be available exclusively to those who pre-order the album.
In other news, it was revealed last month that the ‘Rocketman’ hitmaker smashed his iPad and told Carlile to “fuck off” during the making of their album, and he has since gone on to share praise for Kneecap – describing them as “extraordinary”.
The post Listen to Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s new “anthem for young gay kids”, ‘Swing For The Fences’ appeared first on NME.