The 3 Elton John Songs Reworked in ‘Hold Me Closer’ With Britney Spears

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Britney Spears has finally made her musical comeback with the release of “Hold Me Closer,” a collaboration with Elton John.

The single, which was seemingly leaked online ahead of release, has finally been released officially. Both John and Spears shared link to the song on their social media channels, though Spears recently deactivated her Instagram account after sharing a teaser for the song.

While a music video has yet to be released, there is an “Official Audio” video released online which shows a rocket flying past pink clouds into the sky.

Long-time fans of John’s music will recognize the sound of the new single “Hold Me Closer” as it’s a mash-up of two of his classic songs.

Elton John and Britney Spears
Elton John and Britney Spears (pictured together in 2013, right) have now released thei new song “Hold Me Closer” which is a mash-up on three of John’s previous songs.
Gareth Cattermole / Gabe Ginsberg / Michael Kovac/Getty Images / FilmMagic

‘Tiny Dancer’

Perhaps the most prevalent tune heard within “Hold Me Closer” is John’s song “Tiny Dancer.” The title of the new single also takes its name from the chorus of the song which was written in the 1970s by John and songwriter Bernie Taupin.

“Tiny Dancer” was the first song featured on the 1971 album Madman Across the Water, but when it was released as a single in 1972, it only reached number 70 in the U.K. and number 41 on the U.S. singles charts. The song has since gone on to go triple platinum in sales in the United States alone.

In 2010, “Tiny Dancer” was selected in Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, coming in at number 397.

This isn’t the first time John has adapted the song, as he collaborated with British artists DJ Ironik and Chipmunk for a remix in 2009.

‘The One’

While the chorus of “Hold Me Closer” is taken from “Tiny Dancer,” much of the verse of the new song is lifted from John’s 1992 song “The One.”

Featuring on his album of the same name, “The One” was another hit written by John with lyrics by his longtime friend and collaborator Taupin. It performed better than the previous entry on release, reaching number 10 and 9 in the U.K. and U.S. charts, respectively, though it also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

“The One” was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1993, but not much has been done with the song since its release compared to John’s other hits.

‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’

The third John and Taupin song featured within “Hold Me Closer” is less prominent than the other two, but is unmistakable once heard.

“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” John’s 1976 collaboration with Kiki Dee, is sprinkled into the chorus of “Hold Me Closer” as the familiar “Woo Hoo” can be heard after the title of the song is sung.

The duet between Dee and John dominated charts around the world reaching the top spot in the U.K., the U.S., France, Australia, Canada and more.

Hold Me Closer cover art
Elton John shared this image of himself and Britney Spears as children to promote their new song “Hold Me Closer,” out now.
Twitter @eltonjohn

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