Elton John has a fresh set of lyrics from Bernie Taupin, and “can’t wait” to get into the studio and put them to music.
In a new interview with Variety, the legendary musician said his songwriting partner had recently sent him lyrics for seven new songs, describing them as “really, really good.” John added that he was excited to get into the studio with producer Andrew Watt “and just write and see what happens.”
If these songs do mark the start of new album for John, it could be his first solo LP with all new material from Taupin since 2016’s Wonderful Crazy Night. In recent years, John has focused largely on collaborative projects, like 2021’s The Lockdown Sessions, which featured a mix of covers and original material co-written with the various artists John was working with. (Taupin’s only writing credit was on “Cold Heart,” the Dua Lipa collab that reinterpreted and sampled four old John/Taupin songs, including “Rocket Man.”)
More recently, John and Brandi Carlile teamed up for the collaborative LP, Who Believes in Angels?, which was released in April. Taupin did contribute some lyrics to that project, but John said he was looking forward to doing something new and timely with his longtime collaborator.
“The album with Brandi, it’s a timeless record, but it’s not of its time,” he said. “We just wanted to make a record that we loved, with great songs. That was a yesterday record, and it was fantastic. But there is a part of me that wants to do a much more commercial record and do more Bernie Taupin songs that are more of today than yesterday.”
Elsewhere in the interview, John spoke about how much he still enjoys playing the occasional live gig, but how happy he is to no longer be a touring musician. He even quipped that, when filming a cameo for the This Is Spinal Tap sequel, he arrived at the arena in New Orleans and told Furnish, “I’m having hives. I’m backstage, and I don’t want to ever be in a place like this ever again!”
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And while John did open up about his dwindling vision, he said his musical abilities have never been stronger.
“I’m singing better than I’ve ever done before, and I’m playing really well, and I’m enjoying it, and that is helping me a lot,” he said. “Music has been my whole life and has given me so much and takes me on journeys that I never thought I would ever go on — and it’s still doing that. I just like doing the odd thing. It pays the rent very well, and it keeps me musical. I just can’t wait to go into the studio now and write some new songs and go from there.”
