On Friday (November 3), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoured longtime Elton John collaborator Bernie Taupin with the Musical Excellence Award. Fellow inductee Kate Bush was very excited about it (although not enough to show up to the ceremony), as was John, who was on hand to give Taupin's induction speech. (The legend has himself been a hall-of-famer since 1994.)
John remarked in his speech that he and Taupin's storied musical partnership was far from over: "We've just finished an album in Los Angeles, which is going to surprise the shit out of you," the singer-songwriter said. "And it's absolutely wonderful, and it's full of youth, and it's full of vitality. It's a wonderful place to be after we've been together for 56 years."
He released his last album, the collaborative The Lockdown Sessions, in 2021. Since then, John has continued with the collaborative spirit, adding a pair of additional top-10 hits to his roster: "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" with Dua Lipa and "Hold Me Closer" with Britney Spears, the former being the icon's first charting hit in 24 years and one of the most listened-to songs in Canada on Spotify in 2022.
Of course, both of those singles reworked some John classics with contemporary dance-pop beats and the voices of newer or enduring pop idols, so it's not a stretch to think we might get more of this incorporation of younger sounds on this record. But he said it's going to surprise us, so who knows!
The artist has also launched his own limited-edition jars of Marmite, that sticky and salty dark brown paste some British people fancy putting on their sandwiches. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the jars — now available in the UK at Sainsbury's — are raising money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Watch fan-shot footage of Taupin's induction speech below.
John remarked in his speech that he and Taupin's storied musical partnership was far from over: "We've just finished an album in Los Angeles, which is going to surprise the shit out of you," the singer-songwriter said. "And it's absolutely wonderful, and it's full of youth, and it's full of vitality. It's a wonderful place to be after we've been together for 56 years."
He released his last album, the collaborative The Lockdown Sessions, in 2021. Since then, John has continued with the collaborative spirit, adding a pair of additional top-10 hits to his roster: "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" with Dua Lipa and "Hold Me Closer" with Britney Spears, the former being the icon's first charting hit in 24 years and one of the most listened-to songs in Canada on Spotify in 2022.
Of course, both of those singles reworked some John classics with contemporary dance-pop beats and the voices of newer or enduring pop idols, so it's not a stretch to think we might get more of this incorporation of younger sounds on this record. But he said it's going to surprise us, so who knows!
The artist has also launched his own limited-edition jars of Marmite, that sticky and salty dark brown paste some British people fancy putting on their sandwiches. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the jars — now available in the UK at Sainsbury's — are raising money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Watch fan-shot footage of Taupin's induction speech below.
