Elton John previews new song during surprise restaurant performance
'Hold Me Closer' will be released on 26th August
Last updated 24th Aug 2022
Elton John officially announced the reimagined version of his classic track 'Tiny Dancer' that he remixed with Britney Spears on 8th August. After rumours had been circulating that the pair were working together, he confirmed the news as well as the name of the song, which is 'Hold Me Closer'.
The song is due to be released on Friday 26th August, and Elton gave fans a sneak preview of the track while at a restaurant in Cannes.
The 'I'm Still Standing' singer surprised diners when he got up to the DJ booth at La Guérite to play part of his new song. He introduced the song over the microphone saying: "Britney Spears, Elton John 'Hold Me Closer', here we go!". While the song played he even sang along to his parts, which also allowed on-lookers to hear Britney's vocals during the song's chorus.
The performance was filmed and shared on Elton's Instagram page with the caption: 'Sneak peak of Hold Me Closer - out this Friday 🌹🚀'.
At the end of the performance, Elton said: "Thank you. The song's coming out on Friday, the follow-up to 'Cold Heart'.'
His song 'Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)' was released as part of his 'The Lockdown Sessions' album. The song came out in August 2021 and features several of his songs including 'Rocket Man' and 'Sacrifice', with vocals from singer Dua Lipa.
Elton actually sang the song in the same restaurant when it first came out, surprising diners with the performance in 2021. He addressed the crowd saying: "During lockdown, I made this single, it came out yesterday with Dua Lipa."
Following on from the exciting teaser video of 'Hold Me Closer', Elton then shared a clip of what looks like the music video for the song on his social media pages.
The video features the song's chorus and shows an animation of a rocket taking off from a field of roses.
Elton John and Britney Spears' song 'Hold Me Closer' will be released on Friday 26th August.
You can hear songs by Elton John on Magic.
Take a look through some of Elton John's best collaborations:
'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' - Kiki Dee
'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' proved to be a career defining duet as it was both Elton John and Kiki Dee's first Number 1 single in the UK, making it into the charts in 1976.
Listen on YouTube.
'That's What Friends Are For' - Dione Warwick, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder
This classic track brought together the iconic musicians Elton John, Dione Warwick, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder and went on to win Grammy awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group. Released in 1985, this charity single also helped raise money for funding AIDS research.
Listen on YouTube.
'Through the Storm' - Aretha Franklin
Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin released her 32nd studio album 'Through the Storm' in 1984, and Elton John joined her on the title track.
Listen on YouTube.
'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me' - George Michael
Elton John and George Michael performed Elton's hit song 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me' at Live Aid in 1985. This duet version was a huge success and was released as a single in 1991, which peaked at Number 2 on the UK Charts.
Watch them sing it live on YouTube.
'The Power' - Little Richard
Rock 'n' Roll musician Little Richard was a big musical influence for Elton, so when he was making his 1993 album 'Duets', he reached out to collaborate on the gospel track 'The Power'
Listen on YouTube.
'Makin’ Whoopee' - Rod Stewart
Elton and Rod Stewart teamed up to create jazz song 'Makin' Whoopee' in 2005. The song was originally sung in 1928 by Eddie Cantor and has been covered numerous times since its release. Rod also went on to cover Elton's 'Your Song' in 1991.
Listen on YouTube.
'Face To Face' - Gary Barlow
Elton joined Gary Barlow on his 2013 track 'Face to Face'. The duet was a long time coming as they have been friends for years. Elton was also a huge influence on Gary's career, with Gary saying that he started playing piano because of Elton.
Listen on YouTube.
'(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again' - Taron Egerton
Taron Egerton starred as Elton John in the 2019 biopic Rocketman, and Elton wrote the song '(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again' for the film. The pair sang the song together and it went on to win an Oscar for Best Original Song.
Listen on YouTube.
'Ordinary Man' - Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne's title track 'Ordinary Man' from his 2020 album featured Elton who plays piano and sings on the track. The album got to Number 3 on the UK Chart.
Listen on YouTube.
'Finish Line' - Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder and Elton John have been friends for many years and worked together on 'That's What Friends Are For' with Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick, and Stevie also played the harmonica for Elton's 'I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues'.
Although they have worked together in the past, the first duet they did together was 'Finish Line' on Elton's 'The Lockdown Sessions' album in 2021. Speaking about working with Stevie, Elton said it was a "real honour".
Listen on YouTube.
'Stolen Car' - Stevie Nicks
As part of his 'The Lockdown Sessions' album, Stevie Nicks joined the star-studded line-up to create 'Stolen Car' with Elton. Although the pair have been friends for a long time, this was the first time they had created a song together.
Listen on YouTube.
'It's A Sin' - Years & Years
Originally released by The Pet Shop Boys, Elton John and R&B singer Years & Years performed their rendition of 'It's A Sin' at the 2021 BRIT Awards.
Watch their BRITs performance on YouTube.
'Cold Heart (PNAU remix)' - Dua Lipa
In 2021, Elton John asked pop singer Dua Lipa to sing the vocals on his new track 'Cold Heart (PNAU remix)' which was part of his incredible collaborations album 'The Lockdown Sessions'. The song went to Number 1 in the UK Charts and stayed there for 29 weeks, and after three years was certified 4x Platinum.
Listen on YouTube.
'Merry Christmas' - Ed Sheeran
Elton's friendship with Ed dates way back to their joint performance at the Grammys in 2013. Since then, the pair have become great mates, and finally collaborated on 2021 festive hit 'Merry Christmas' which went to Number 1 in the UK. Proceeds from the song went to their respective charities - the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation. They later worked with charitable Internet personality LadBaby on a reworked version entitled 'Sausage Rolls For Everyone', of which proceeds went to food bank charity The Trussell Trust.
Listen on YouTube.
'Hold Me Closer' - Britney Spears
In 2022, Elton followed up his 'Cold Heart (PNAU remix)' with a remix of his track 'Tiny Dancer'. The song is called 'Hold Me Closer' and features Britney Spears' vocals.
Listen on YouTube.
Glastonbury 2023 - Jacob Lusk, London Community Gospel Choir, Stephen Sanchez, Brandon Flowers and Rina Sawayama
Elton brought out a whole host of new collaborators for his performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2023. Throughout his 21-song set, Elton performed 'Are You Ready for Love' with Gabriels singer and American Idol star Jacob Lusk, as well as the London Community Gospel Choir who additionally joined him for 'Sad Songs (Say So Much)'. He later brought out US singer-songwriter Stephen Sanchez to accompany him on his own song, 'Until I Found You', sang 'Tiny Dancer' with The Killers' Brandon Flowers and duetted with Rina Sawayama for 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'.
Elton John is currently on his 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour, and he will return to the UK to play several shows in March and April 2023.
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Elton John: The man who gave us 'Sacrifice' and 'Your Song'