"It’s about my death": Elton John reveals why he "broke down for 45 minutes" while recording his latest album

Elton John is all set to drop a new album, Who Believes In Angels?, in collaboration with Brandi Carlile. The album is scheduled to be released on April 4, 2025, and will consist of 10 songs.

On March 25, the SmartLess podcast uploaded a new episode featuring Elton John and Brandi Carlile. The podcast is hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, and speaking about his new album during the discussion, Elton John opened up on the last track, When This Old World Is Done With Me. He said:

"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."

The 78-year-old added:

"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 SmartLess episode with Elton John will be available to all viewers on March 31.

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Brandi Carlile on Elton John's emotional album moment

Brandi Carlile shared her thoughts on John's emotional moment, saying:

"I want everybody to see it because it’s really human, like deeply flawed and embarrassing. And the kind of s*it that you do when you forget that there is a camera on is what’s really interesting."

In an interview on The Graham Norton Show, Elton John further details about his emotional outburst while recording When This Old World Is Done With Me. He said:

"Bernie Taupin gave me a lyric called When This Old World Is Done With Me, and I'm writing the verse quite quickly, and I think this is a really lovely verse, and I get to the chorus, and I find that it's about my death and my demise."

He continued:

"By the time I got to the chorus and suddenly realized I started singing it, I lost it for 45 minutes. It was a very very heavy moment for me."

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Complete tracklist of "Who Believes In Angels?" album

The complete tracklist of the new album, Who Believes In Angels?, includes:

• The Rose of Laura Nyro
• Little Richard's Bible
• Swing for the Fences
• Never Too Late
• You Without Me
• Who Believes in Angels?
• The River Man
• A Little Light
• Someone to Belong To
• When This Old World Is Done With Me

Three singles from Elton John and Brandi Carlile's upcoming album, Who Believes in Angels?, have been released. These are: Never Too Late, Who Believes in Angels?, and Swing for the Fences.

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Elton John is a five-time Grammy winner and has also received the Grammy Legend Award in 1999. His song, Never Too Late, was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.