Elton John has revealed that a new song about mortality made him “break down” and reflect on how much time he “has left”.
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The new track is set to feature in the musician’s forthcoming collaborative album with Brandi Carlile, called ‘Who Believes In Angels?’.
Set for release on April 4 via Island EMI, the LP includes collaborations from Andrew Watt and John’s longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. It has so far been previewed with the title track, the 2025 Oscar-nominated song ‘Never Too Late’ and the LGBTQ+ anthem ‘Swing For The Fences’.
Now, in a new episode of the Smartless podcast, Sir Elton has discussed another track on the record, and said that the closing song is one that struck him due to its exploration of mortality.
“I wrote a song at the end of the album and I just got the lyrics, Bernie Taupin’s lyrics,” he explained in the episode (via Billboard). “I’m writing the verse, like, ‘Oh, this is really pretty.’ And then I get to the chorus and of course it’s about my death.”
He continued: “When you get to my age, which is near 100, you think, ‘How much time have I got left?’. You’ve got children, you’ve got a wonderful husband, you just think about mortality. And so when I got to the chorus, I just broke down for 45 minutes – and it’s all on film.”
The episode was shared with subscribers yesterday (March 25), which also marked the singer, songwriter and pianist’s 78th birthday. The reference to the film comes as the writing and recording sessions took place in October 2023, and saw the artist allow cameras in for the first time to document the entire creative process.
The footage has been compiled into a new ‘Making Of’ film, for which a trailer is available to watch below.
Elsewhere in the Smartless appearance, Sir Elton also looked back at his early work and the struggle to first make it as an artist. “I never imagined myself as a solo artist,” he revealed. “When I was in my group, Bluesology, I took the big risk of going up to Liberty Records saying, ‘I want to write songs. I’m so fed up with playing in a band that doesn’t want to go anywhere, and I can sing too.’”
To celebrate the upcoming record, Carlile and Sir Elton have announced a special, one-off show at The London Palladium. It is scheduled for tonight (March 26) and tickets were available exclusively to those who pre-ordered the album.
It is set to be filmed for a CBS special and is due to air on the network on April 6. It will also be shown on Paramount+.
For the concert, Elton John and Brandi Carlile are due to play a selection of songs from their joint album, as well as several individual classics. They are also expected to “pull back the curtain on their 20-year friendship, the journey behind their latest collaboration and share intimate footage from their process”.
In other news, it was revealed earlier this year that the ‘Rocketman’ hitmaker smashed his iPad and told Carlile to “fuck off” during the making of their album. He has also gone on to share praise for Kneecap – describing them as “extraordinary”.
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