How Elton Helped Britney

Have you heard the new Elton John song? Well it's not that new, but it is. Elton, in his series of teaming up with current artists, this time collaborates with none other than Britney Spears. Read ahead on how Elton helped Britney.

Elton and Britney came together to take Elton's classic Tiny Dancer, and morphed into to a new, up tempo song called Hold Me Closer, incorporating that lyric from Tiny Dancer, into the new version. This process echo's what Elton created last year with pop artist Dua Lipa, recreating the Elton smash, Rocketman.

The response and reviews for Hold Me Closer seem positive. But I wonder if the positive response is more about what Elton is really doing, for Britney.

Over the years, we've watched Britney go from a pop, teenage, superstar sensation, to a challenged adult with adult problems. I won't recap her headlines here. But over the years, she struggled with every type of struggle. She had family, marriage, business, money and emotional problems rotating in and out of her life daily, all covered on the daily news. You couldn't escape it.

Now, a million dollar observation: why would the iconic, pristine brand machine of Elton John come within ONE HUNDRED yards of the Britney tabloid life? It can't be for money, or more fame. How many artists as big as Elton would risk tarnishing their brand by working with the controversial Britney Spears?

In my opinion, it's one word: kindness. Elton saw what had happened to her, and flew in for a rescue. What better way to rekindle one's confidence than by offering a job, OF A LIFETIME? A duet with Elton!

Elton tells theguardian.com why he chose to work with Britney:

John had been an admirer since day one. “She just put out incredibly brilliant records,” he says. “She sang and danced so beautifully.” They first met at his Aids foundation Oscars viewing party in 2013, and she was “lovely – adorable”. And they had their respective Las Vegas residencies at the same time, her at Planet Hollywood, him at Caesars Palace. But even though they often stayed in the same apartment block, “we didn’t really see each other”, says John.

John is no stranger to helping musicians experiencing difficulties whether in their personal or professional lives. "Britney was broken. I was broken when I got sober. I was in a terrible place. I’ve been through that broken feeling and it’s horrible. And luckily enough, I’ve been sober for 32 years and it’s the happiest I’ve ever been. Now I’ve got the experience to be able to advise people and help them because I don’t want to see any artists in a dark place. A lot of artists, you’d think they’d have a lot of self-esteem but they don’t, and that’s why we go onstage and we get the applause, and then we come offstage and we’re back to square one.”

By helping Britney come back, Elton was doing what he does best, even better than his singing, he was giving back.

Here are some more interesting collaborations that I found!