Elton John shares new song about mortality made him “break down for 45 minutes”: “You think, ‘How much time have I got left?'”

nme.com:

Elton John has revealed that a new song about mortality made him “break down” and reflect on how much time he “has left”.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.