Britney Spears and Elton John Finally Drop ‘Hold Me Closer’ Duet

variety.com:

Thania Garcia Brintey Spears and Elton John have released “Hold Me Closer,” a reimagined duet of the piano man’s immortal tune, “Tiny Dancer.” The song is Spears’ first release since the termination of her conservatorship in November of 2021 and her first new music release in six years.While the chorus is, of course, unmistakable, the song has been completely overhauled into a breezy dance-pop song, with Spears and John duetting gently on the verses and chorus and John adding trademark piano flourishes throughout.

It’s an ideal follow-up to his similar reinvention on “Cold Cold Heart” with Dua Lipa, released last summer and featured on his “Lockdown Sessions” duets album, which essentially mashed up his songs “Sacrifice” and “Rocket Man.”   “Tiny Dancer” was originally released in 1971 and was a minor hit in the U.S.

and Europe at the time, but gained a second life when featured in a key scene in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film”Almost Famous,” a semi-autobiographical retelling of his experiences as a young rock writer in the early 1970s.

On Aug. 8, just two weeks after Variety reported that Spears and John were working on a brand-new recording of John’s 1971 song, “Tiny Dancer,” the remake was confirmed by reps for both artists.