The 1976 collaboration that humbled Elton John: “Could not believe it”
Not many people get the chance to become legendary names, let alone get the opportunity to play alongside some of their own personal heroes. Elton John, on the other hand, is the exception to the rule.
Perhaps one of the reasons why John was able to carve out such a stratospheric rise wasn’t just that he had the talent from the get-go, but that he was constantly thinking outside of the box, and anything that seemed unconventional for a so-called rock ‘n’ roll star wasn’t really anything he cared about all that much.
After all, if you think about what the stereotypical rock star should look like, John presents as the antithesis of that image, with a voice and stage presence that also feel atypical of what said rock musicians should embody – however, it’s precisely these elements that ensured John stood out from the crowd, and also why he remains a pivotal figure in mainstream music today.
That said, as with most modern legends, John nurtured his own magic by studying the greats. Honing his craft under the tutelage of many classical composers, as well as absorbing what some of rock ‘n’ roll’s biggest pioneers like Little Richard did when tearing apart the stage, John found his niche by pairing both worlds and providing a space where powerful theatricality and earnest songwriting could coexist.
Of course, doing so took a whole lot more than passion and simple know-how, which is where the invaluable contributions of a certain Bernie Taupin come in, filling those lyrical shoes and giving John the space to breathe life into his compositions and stage performances. With these two joining forces, it didn’t take audiences long to buy into their whole thing, not when they proved that you didn’t have to be constantly running from one side of the stage to the other to make a real, honest impression.
Over his career, John has also had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with many of his own personal heroes, many of whom regard him in the same light, despite some of them coming from opposite ends of the rock spectrum. Often, these are the partnerships that work best, proving that there’s no clear rulebook when it comes to excellence, and especially not when John is involved.
And one who no doubt showed John the way with remaining true to his artistic vision was the soulful maestro himself, Ray Charles. When it came to energy and the visceral atmosphere of a performance, Charles showed John the ropes with singing from the heart and raw, easy energy, proving once again that the concept of a “legend” had no clear-cut definition. Suffice it to say, then, that when John got the chance to collaborate with him, he didn’t have to think twice.
The first time they properly crossed paths was in 1970 when he had the chance to perform a duet of Stevie Wonder with Charles on The Andy Williams Show, which John later recalled as a moment when he had to “raise my game” because he was sitting across from one of his idols, and he “could not believe it”. The second time they collaborated was when they dueted for ‘Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word’, not long before Charles’ death, and John felt a similar sense of awe.
John had heard Charles perform the song before their collaborative version, which he said “blew me away” simply because he couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that someone so significant in his world was on stage performing one of his songs. In the studio, he remembers the experience being “incredible” for all the same reasons, making John – a legend himself – feel infinitely smaller in the presence of such greatness.
