Sir Elton John reveals he 'broke down' thinking about death while making new album
The artist was left 'crying for 45 minutes' due to his emotional new tracks.
Sir Elton John is known for emotional ballads – but even he was caught off-guard by the resonance of his latest new creation.
The 78-year-old star is releasing a new album with fellow icon Brandi Carlile, but in doing so found himself thinking about his own mortality, prompting a 45-minute cry while in the studio.
Speaking about the track, When This Old World Is Done with Me, Sir Elton spoke about how he was forced to reflect on his relationship with husband David, who he’s been with for 32 years, as well as his children Zachary, 14, and Elijah, 12.
Joining actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on their SmartLess podcast, the Rocketman star explained he was left emotional as the music played out.
"So 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 explained.
"When you get to my age, which is near 100, you think, 'How much time have I got left?' And you’ve got children, you’ve got a wonderful husband… you just think about mortality.
"So, when I got to the chorus, I just broke down for 45 minutes."
John added that the moment was later caught on film by a documentary camera crew, who followed the pair during the making of Who Believes in Angels? Stories from the Edge of Creation.
Both the album and the film, which bears the same name, will be released on 4th April.
The release also features collaborations with major music stars – including Red Hot Chilli Peppers stars Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer.
To mark the release, the pair are also hosting An Evening with Elton John and Brandi Carlile, a televised concert special.
The event is scheduled to air on Saturday 19th April on ITV1 and ITVX, and was recorded in March at the London Palladium.
According to a release, the conversation will "pull back the curtain on their 20-year friendship and look into their remarkable lives and journeys".
They will take to the stage to perform a combination of new tracks from the album as well as some of their timeless classics, before the pair have an "intimate sit-down conversation" together with Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy as moderator.
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Authors
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
