Elton John has turned a corner and folded the page on a remarkable career as he scores his tenth UK number one album with Wonderful Crazy Night. The legendary musician took to social media to share his surprise, saying he is “blown away” by the victory. Each new honor just adds to the already impressive career of this extraordinary man. Throughout the years, he has released a stunning 15 chart-topping records, today matching legends such as The Beatles and Robbie Williams.
This week, John’s new album “Forever Howlong” debuted at number three on the charts and has quickly become the best-selling album in independent record shops. Within just two days, its release was already topping over 15,000 sales in the UK alone. The album’s first single “Swing For The Fences” is a one-two punch of anthemic rock & roll designed to inspire and resurrect the LGBTQ community. John made clear the importance of this message, particularly when deepening crisis is affecting all LGBTQ+ people.
Even with this success, John had quite a lot of challenges in producing the album. He illustrated the emotional impacts of the process, recounting how “nervous” and “irritable” he felt through it all, in part from the recovery of his own hip replacement surgery. On top of everything, a serious eye infection last year pushed the album back and has left him with ongoing vision issues.
John worked intimately with a creative team that featured Brandi Carlile, producer Andrew Watt, and long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin. Writing live in the studio turned out to be a new and more collaborative approach for the musician himself.
“It was an enormous challenge, getting those four people together,” – Sir Elton John
He acknowledged that his insecurities led to moments of frustration during the creative process:
“I was very nervous [because] I wanted the album to stand a certain way, but you can’t always guarantee it will.” – Sir Elton John
The album has received widespread acclaim for its specific baroque-pop sound and explicit lyrics that underscore the importance of friendship and a sense of camaraderie. As well, John’s solo single, “Azizam,” entered the singles chart at no. 3, giving him a second top 10 debut.
“I think my nerves and my insecurities and my doubt led to a few bad behaviour moments, which was just about frustrations within myself.” – Sir Elton John
Brandi Carlile, who repeated John’s praise of their work, explaining how essential it is and has been to LGBTQ rights.
Reflecting on his extensive career, John stated:
“It seems quite extraordinary that my career has gone on so long.” – Sir Elton John
He expressed his joy in topping the charts once again:
“It always feels good to top a chart, no matter where it is. And with this album, I’m especially thrilled because I think it’s the finest album I’ve done for a long time.” – Sir Elton John
Brandi Carlile echoed John’s sentiments about the importance of their work and its impact on LGBTQ rights.
“I’m a gay woman, Elton’s a gay man and we both have families, and our dreams have come true,” – Brandi Carlile
She emphasized the empowering message behind their single:
“Just like, ‘Go, go! Don’t let anything hold you back!’” – Brandi Carlile
The collaboration aimed to inspire listeners to embrace their identities:
“At the moment when Brandi wrote this lyric, she wanted to say, ‘Listen, fight for yourself. Be proud of yourself who you are, never be ashamed of who you are, and you will win through.’” – Sir Elton John
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