elton john
Elton John Unveils Previously Unreleased ‘Regimental Sgt. Zippo’
Elton John is gearing up to release songs from his upcoming massive box set, and he’s gone deep into his archive to uncover songs that have never been publicly shared. That includes today’s unveiling of “Regimental Sgt. Zippo.” In introducing the song, John wrote on Twitter, “From the album that never was… Regimental Sgt. Zippo was going to be the title track of my unreleased debut album in 1969.” It’s different than what you’ve come to expect from the legendary piano man. It has a tinge of psychedelia and a very kaleidoscopic vibe that’s reflected in the clip. The tune is an obvious nod to the Beatles, when you think about it, John and John Lennon becoming pals a few years later makes sense due to the band’s influence on the songwriter. You can check it out below. [embedded content] Elton...
Gorillaz Release Latest Single From “Song Machine” Project Featuring Elton John and 6LACK
Back in January, Gorillaz announced their extensive “Song Machine” project, which features a series of collaborative singles dubbed “episodes.” Last month, they revealed the tracklist, which boasts a slew high-profile features such as Beck, ScHoolboy Q, and many more. With their latest release, they’ve enlisted the legendary Elton John as well as hip-hop artist 6LACK for “The Pink Phantom.” “The Pink Phantom” follows the trend that the “Song Machine” releases have been following since the first one, as it retains a laid-back, trippy feel and lets the features shine. The iconic John belts passionate, lovelorn lyrics while 6LACK handles perfectly crafted verses in-between. Much like the ...
Elton John Announces North American ‘Farewell Tour’ Leg Will Resume in 2022
Elton John will be back in North America…in 2022. While he’ll be resuming the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in the UK in fall 2021, he explained that he wanted to make sure that everything and everyone is safe. “While the scientists are making great progress,” he said in a video posted to social media, “we’re making big plans to make a return to touring that will allow us to ensure the health and safety of everyone.” John also added that his shows for New Zealand will be pushed to 2023. And if you’re worried that the tour will just never happen, the legendary pop singer reassured fans not to be concerned. “But don’t worry about me,” he said, “I’m using my downtime to keep myself fighting fit and healthier than ever. I’m raring to go.” And considering delaying his New Zealand dates due to...
Nigerian doctor named one of TIME’s Most Influential People in the world
TIME named Nigerian physician Tunji Funsho to the 2020 TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related tributes are available now at time.com/time100, and Mr Funsho’s TIME100 profile is available here. The list, now in its seventeenth year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. Mr Funsho, a cardiologist based in Lagos, Nigeria, is the first Rotary member to receive this honour for the organisation’s work to eradicate polio, having played an essential role in ensuring Africa’s certification as wild polio-free in August of 2020. “I’m honored to be recognized by TIME for my part in ensuring that no child in Africa will ever again be paralyzed by wild polio, a disease that once disabl...
Elton John to Release Massive Career-Spanning Jewel Box
Sir Elton John is getting a massive, career-spanning box set appropriately titled Jewel Box. The set, which encapsulates his entire career from 1965-2019, features 148 personally-curated songs by John. The collection includes the previously unreleased 1969 tune “Sing Me No Sad Songs,” along with other rarities from 1965-1971 and lesser-known B-sides. The set will be released in numerous formats, including an eight-CD box with accompanying hardcover book of photos and commentary by John; a four-LP set; a three-LP set and a two-LP version. The collection, which lands Nov. 13th through UMe, will also come out as a digital download and via streaming services. “To delve back through every period of my career in such detail for Jewel Box has been an absolute pleasure,” J...
Gorillaz Reveal Feature-Filled Tracklist for “Song Machine” Project with Elton John, Beck, More
Blur frontman Damon Albarn and illustrator Jamie Hewlett‘s eclectic animated brainchild Gorillaz have been dominating airwaves for two decades. With timeless classics like “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc.,” the Gorillaz name has become associated with subverting expectations and wowing with ever-changing style and monumental features. Gorillaz have now announced a new project (not to be referred to as an album), Song Machine Season One: Strange Timez, which is chock full of incredible features and set to expand on the already iconic Gorillaz legacy. The tracklist boasts some truly legendary names featured on this next batch of Gorillaz tunes, including Elton John, Beck, ScHoolboy Q, The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Skepta, an...
The 25 Best Soundtrack Albums of the 1990s
In the 1980s, music and film collided for cross-promotional blockbusters both transcendent (Purple Rain) and transcendently cheesy (Footloose). In the ‘90s, soundtracks continued to sell in the millions, capturing cultural moments like the Seattle grunge of Singles or the Britpop and electronica of Trainspotting. Auteurs like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson reached deep into their record collections to set the mood while movies like Above the Rim and Menace II Society pioneered the concept of soundtracks as hip-hop mixtapes. A great soundtrack can propel an unsuccessful single, like Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose,” to the top of the charts, or revive a decades-old hit, like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It can also push a cult singer-songwriter like Elliott Smith or Aimee Mann to an Oscar perf...
Elton John on Today’s Hits: ‘They’re Not Real Songs’
Elton John has spoken out on the current state of modern pop music, and it’s not pretty. “Everybody else there’s four or five writers on (a track),” John told BBC Radio 6 Music. “You look at most of the records in the charts – they’re not real songs. They’re bits and pieces and it’s nice to hear someone write a proper song.” He continued, “I like people who write songs. And there’s plenty of people that do but a lot of them don’t get played on the radio because they’re too sophisticated and we get songs made by a computer all the time and I’m not interested in that.” John admitted that he’s a fan of both Father John Misty and Conan Gray. SPIN profiled Gray in April, which you can read here. “(Misty) reminds me a little bit of me the way he writes songs,” he said. “Conan’s from America and ...
Rolling Stones, Ariana Grande, Elton John Are Music’s Highest-Paid Musicians
This year may be a disaster for the music biz, but that doesn’t (obviously) mean that 2019 wasn’t. Last year, a number of artists made a shit-ton of money on the strength of touring. Billboard shared its ranking of last year’s highest-paid musicians, and the Rolling Stones top the list. The band made $65 million last year, including $60.5 million in touring. Ariana Grande was in second with $44.3 million, with $33.7 million from touring. The top five is rounded out by Elton John ($43.3 million overall), the Jonas Brothers ($40.9 million) and Queen ($35.2 million). Other names on the list include Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Post Malone, Kiss, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Backstreet Boys, BTS, Khalid, John Mayer, Fleetwood Mac, Cher, Metallica, Aerosmith and Billie Eilish. Che...
Elton John Discusses Love of Electronic Music, Kraftwerk on Apple Music’s Rocket Hour
The depth of EDM’s roots in contemporary music is unfathomable. They go back decades and inspire and influence some of the greatest minds in the history of music, including legendary musician Elton John. John and his husband, David Furnish, recently recorded a new episode of the former’s Apple Music Beats 1 radio show, “Rocket Hour,” in which the two wax poetic about their appreciation for electronic music. They also chat about their admiration for Donna Summer, Depeche Mode, and iconic electronic outfit Kraftwerk. “I’ve always been a big electronic music fan, and I remember the first time I heard Kraftwerk sing Autobahn, and I’d heard nothing like it before in my life,” said Furnish. “And I was a big science fiction TV fan. I...
Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica” Album is Finally Here, Featuring Production by Skrillex Axwell, Tchami, Madeon, and More
The long-awaited debut of Lady Gaga‘s sixth studio album Chromatica is finally here. It’s her first LP since 2016’s Joanne, and first new-music release since the soundtrack to 2018’s A Star Is Born. However, this new album feels to pick up where Born This Way left off, as a reboot to her deeply honest, unapologetically Gaga dance-pop ways. She masterfully crafted 16 tracks within 43 minutes with the help of some of dance music’s most skilled producers, including BloodPop®, Tchami, BURNS, Axwell, Madeon, Skrillex, among others. If you enter your Chromatica listening experience expecting merely dance-floor music, you are going to have a good time but will miss out on the true beauty Gaga has crafted for us. There̵...
Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert From 1992 to Stream This Weekend
The Freddie Mercury tribute concert, which took place in 1992 at London’s Wembley Stadium, will be coming to YouTube for three nights, just like the upcoming Prince and the Revolution stream. The event, which was broadcasted across the globe, took place on April 20, 1992 in front of over 70,000 fans. It helped raise money for AIDS research. Throughout the night, the surviving members of Queen performed their biggest songs with some of the biggest singers in rock history including David Bowie, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, George Michael, Elton John and Axl Rose, Tony Iommi, James Hetfield, Seal and many, many more. Groups like Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Spinal Tap, Def Leppard and U2 performed as well. The concert will air starting at 2 pm EST/11 am PST on Friday, May 15. Viewers are asked t...
