In 1992, Brandi Marie Carlile was a kid living in a single-wide trailer in rural Washington State, and to her, Elton John was everything. Young Brandi collected everything about him she could get her hands on – records, photos, even an Elton John book she borrowed from a library 33 years ago, and kept(!). “The date is still on here. Boulevard Park Library, May 10, 1992. It’s all time stamped. And they’re gonna have to come and get it!”
Little Brandi is now music superstar Brandi Carlile, but to a young girl coming of age and struggling with her own sexuality, Elton John was a flicker of hope in a confusing world. She loved him, and said so in writing, covering an entire page front to back with “I love Elton John.” “It’s insane,” she said. “I look at it now. I just can’t believe what happened in my life to get me to where I am now. It’s such a strange thing. It makes you wonder, it just makes you wonder. I do love Elton John!”
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As a kid, she never dreamed she’d get to actually meet him one day, but sometimes dreams have a funny way of coming true. Now they’re not only friends, but collaborators. It started a few years back when Carlile wrote to John out of the blue, and asked him to play piano on her new record. Long story short, he said yes, and they grew to be the best of friends – appearing together, performing together, even vacationing together with their families.
And now, they’re about to release an album they made together, recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood. It’s Brandi Carlile’s eighth studio album, and Elton John’s 33rd.
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So, why did they decide to do an entire album together? John said, “She’s someone I wanted to work with for so long because I know how great she is. I know how her voice is, and I knew what she’s capable of, and I wanted to push her more. And I wanted her to push me more. So, I wanted to make a record that was full of energy and great songs. And it turned out really brilliantly.”
There were cameras in the studio to capture all the highs, and a few of the lows. “I didn’t even think of them being there,” John said.
“Yeah, I never saw one,” Carlile said.
It got tense at times (John admits, “I haven’t really seen the footage, but a lotta people say it’s really, really very moving. And all of my behavior is not so moving!”), but for Brandi, it was still the greatest show on Earth. “It really felt like I was watching Mozart or, like, one of the great composers,” she said. “Stream of consciousness through their entire body, create music in a way that I’ve never seen. And I was so close. I had a front-row seat.”
John called it “one of the greatest musical experiences of my life.”
Elton John and Brandi Carlile perform “Swing For The Fences”:
The fact that John got through the recording process at all is remarkable. For the past year, he’s been fighting a severe eye infection that’s left him nearly blind. But he says that, all things considered, he’s doing all right. “Medically, I’m fit as I’ve ever been,” he said. “I have checkups every month. But the eyesight thing is a bit of a bind, because I haven’t been able to watch anything for about seven months. I haven’t been able to read. I haven’t been able to watch television or anything.
“But you know what? I’ve come to the conclusion that if we can’t find a solution to it, and this is what it’s like for the rest of my life, then I’m okay,” he said. “I can still play the piano. I can still sing, which is a gift. My life’s fantastic. It’s still the greatest gift that anyone could have.”
These days, John, who turned 78 this past week, is counting his blessings. But the final track on the album really struck a nerve: “When This Old World Is Done With Me,” co-written by longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin.
He got very emotional in the studio while recording it: “Well, I started singing, and I thought the verse was really beautiful. But then I had no idea what was coming. And when I got to the chorus, I realized what was coming, and I just broke down. And I sobbed, and I sobbed, and I sobbed, because it’s about my death, basically. And when you get to my age, and a certain age, you think about mortality, because I wanna spend so much time with my children and David and my friends, that you want every single moment to count. And so, this was a song about I don’t want to die. I wanna be with my children. I wanna be with David forever. And so, it really got to me.”
David is husband David Furnish. The two were married in 2014. They have two sons, Zachary and Elijah.
Dad might be a global superstar, but there’s no doubt where his heart is. Asked what he is most proud of, John replied, “Yeah, my kids. My husband. That’s it. All I want on my gravestone is, ‘He was a great dad.’ Nothing to do with music. ‘He was a great dad.’ That’s all I care about.”
Their new album will be released this week, and for Carlile, it’s still a little hard to believe: “Yeah, it’s so weird. Is it not? It’s brilliant. Like, it’s a wonderful thing. I hope everybody can take some hope and beauty and mysticism from the fact that this has happened. If it could happen to 11-year-old single-wide mobile home Brandi Carlile, it could really happen to anyone.”
Turns out these two friends don’t just lean on each other; they push each other to new heights. The title track of their album is “Who Believes In Angels?” But maybe Elton John and Brandi Carlile are angels for each other.
Elton John and Brandi Carlile perform “Who Believes In Angels?”:
John said, “God, it was a challenge. But that’s what life’s all about. If you don’t have a challenge at 76, then never give up. Never coast. There are so many artists that coast that don’t make new songs. They just go around and play their hits, like I did. I didn’t wanna do it with this record. I wanted a new start. I want a fresh start.
“And she gave it to me.”
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Elton John and Brandi Carlile
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Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Steven Tyler.
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Elton John, Brandi Carlile
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