One of the unforeseen benefits of pandemic lockdown is that creative people had get a bit innovative in how they collaborate with other artists.

Elton John and Dua Lipa put the technology to work and came up with Cold Heart.

Although the track feels fresh, you’ll already be very familiar with it. PNAU are the team behind the production, and they’ve spliced together four of Elton’s songs and somehow made it all sound like new.

The tracks featured in Cold Heart are Kiss The Bride (1983), Rocketman (1972), Where’s the Shoorah? (1976), and Sacrifice (1989).

“The last 18 months have been hard, but being off the road has meant that I’ve actually had time to get back to my roots as a session player and collaborate with some wonderful artists…” explained Elton. “And having the opportunity to spend time with Dua, albeit remotely, has been incredible. She’s given me so much energy. She’s a truly wonderful artist, and person, absolutely bursting with creativity and ideas. The energy she brought to ‘Cold Heart’ just blew my mind.”

“Ever since we first ‘met’ online, we totally clicked…” added Dua Lipa. “Elton is such an inspirational artist and also has the naughtiest sense of humour – a perfect combination. It has been an absolute honour and privilege to collaborate on this track with him. It’s so very special, with some of my very favourite Elton John classic songs combined – I loved being part of such a creative and joyous experience. Can’t wait to hear it everywhere this summer.”

“Setting a stage for the two greatest performers in the world today Sir Elton John and Dua Lipa, we knew we had to go in deep,
take them into our world, the psychedelic lazer black lit club…” said PNAU. “Where all of us can meet on the dance floor, forget the outside and lose ourselves in the healing waters of music and love eternal.”

The video for the track has been created by animator and director Raman Djafari. The video features animated versions of Elton and Dua stepping into a dynamic and euphoric world before separating as their planets drift apart.

Insights from Elton’s Memoir – Me

One of the big revelations of the memoir is Elton’s brush with death following treatment for prostate cancer – The Guardian reveals that the singer was close to death after contracting an infection. Elton was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017 and opted for surgery rather than chemotherapy.

But the real gift from the book’s PR push was the interview coordinated by Alexis Petridis in which celebrities submitted questions to Sir Elton.

“Writing a song like that’s a bit like having a wank, really…” explains Elton, responding to a question from Bob Dylan about Tiny Dancer. “You want the climax to be good, but you don’t want it to be over too quickly – you want to work your way up to it. Bernie’s lyric took such a long time to get to the chorus, I thought – Fuck, the chorus had better be something special when it finally arrives. And it’s ‘here I come’, literally.”

“Eminem bought me and David matching cock rings when we got married…” says Elton, responding to a question from Eminem about whether or not his wedding gift had been used. “That was his gift. It’s very him, as is this question. I call him up every couple of months, and every time he picks up the phone he says the same thing: Hello, you old cunt, how are you? Justin Timberlake says the same thing, actually.”

Elton John receives highest honour from The Queen

Recognising his achievements and a career that spans more than five decades and record sales of over 300 million, Sir Elton has been awarded the Companion of Honour.

Also notable is Sir Elton’s charity work – he’s supported 23 different charities, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

As a Companion of Honour, Sir Elton becomes one of only 64 people – apart from the monarch – who can hold the honour at any one time.

Life after Marriage for Elton and David

Having begun their relationship in 1993, Elton John and David Furnish were among the first couples in the UK to enter into a Civil Partnership when that option became available to same-sex couples in 2005.

In 2014, when the UK embraced marriage equality, Elton and David were married on the anniversary of the date of their Civil Partnership.

The couple have two sons – Zachary and Elijah.

Elton says that he’s written his autobiography for his sons – he wanted to create document that they could read after he’s gone, a book that would tell the unvarnished truth.

“I want them to know that their dad was being honest…” Elton told the BBC. “And he made something of his life after a few hiccups along the way.”

It was Elton’s sons that also prompted him to give up touring.

“My kids were only going to grow up once…” writes in his memoir. “Music was the most wonderful thing, but it still didn’t sound as good as Zachary chatting about what had happened at football practice.”

Let’s take a look at their Instagram to see the family moments that Elton and David are sharing with the world.

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