Elton John’s collaborations have spanned generations.
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He’s appeared on tracks with everyone from Aretha Franklin (“Through the Storm”) and Ray Charles (“Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”) to Britney Spears (“Hold Me Closer”) and Dua Lipa (“Cold Heart – PNAU Remix”). Over a long career, John has been predictably unpredictable.
Though songs like “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer,” and “I’m Still Standing” show John’s timeless star power all on his own, his high-profile collaborations have become equally iconic.
Here are three unforgettable moments when Elton John shared the mic.
Some things looking better, baby
Just passing through
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” with George Michael (Single, 1991)
In 1985, Elton John and George Michael first performed this song at Live Aid. It later became a regular feature during Michael’s Cover to Cover Tour in 1991, and when the tour wrapped at London’s Wembley Arena, the two surprised the audience with a duet. Written by John and his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, the song was first released in 1974 and appeared on John’s album Caribou. However, the emotional Wembley version documents two extraordinary vocalists in their prime.
I can’t light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I’m growing tired, and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with Kiki Dee (Single, 1976)
John and Taupin wanted a Motown-inspired duet and originally had Dusty Springfield in mind. Typically, John wrote songs around Taupin’s lyrics. However, producer Gus Dudgeon said John composed the track without words, improvising and repeating the line: Don’t go breaking my heart. They aimed for Marvin Gaye’s famous duets with Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. To match Gaye’s orchestrated sound, John’s keyboardist James Newton Howard wrote a 20-piece string arrangement. It became John’s first No. 1 single in the UK.
Don’t go breaking my heart
I couldn’t if I tried
Oh, honey if I get restless
Baby, you’re not that kind
“That’s What Friends Are For” with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder from Friends (1985)
Dionne Warwick reconnected with Burt Bacharach and recorded this charity single to benefit AIDS research. Stevie Wonder had worked with John on “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” in 1983. Wonder returns here, not just on harmonica but vocals, too. Bacharach co-wrote and produced the single with Carole Bayer Sager. Though Rod Stewart recorded the song first, Warwick’s Grammy-winning version remains the standard. This was a watershed time for star-studded charity singles, alongside fellow chart-toppers “Do They Know Its Christmas?” and “We Are the World.”
And I never thought I’d feel this way
And as far as I’m concerned
I’m glad I got the chance to say
That I do believe I love you
Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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