Just in time for the holidays, Elton John has released a brand-new music video for his classic 1973 yuletide tune “Step into Christmas,” starring British actress/model Cara Delevingne.
Videos by American Songwriter
The clip features Delevingne recreating Elton’s performance in the original “Step into Christmas” video, with a humorous storyline added imagining the chaos that might have happened behind the scenes during the shoot. Delevingne appears wearing the same flamboyant outfit Elton donned during the original video, and a wig that echoes the receding hairline John had back in 1973.
Actors also portray the members of Elton’s backing band—guitarist Davey Johnstone, drummer Nigel Olsson, and bassist Dee Murray—and lyricist Bernie Taupin.
The updated clip also features segments from Elton’s original “Step into Christmas” video shown side by side with the new footage of Delevingne and the other actors.
The behind-the-scenes portions depict members of the video production team arguing over whether the clip adequately reflects the Christmas theme, and attempting to hire a real reindeer for the shoot. It also shows the crew tackling a crazed fan who tries to crash the proceedings and wrangle a turkey onto the set.
Comments from Elton and Cara About the New Video
According to a press release, John and Delevingne have been friends for years. In addition, Cara is a lifelong fan of Elton’s who got to fulfill a dream by portraying the pop-rock icon in the clip.
John revealed in a statement that plans for the video came about following a conversation that he and Delevingne had at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival.
“[W]e talked about how much we’d love to work together if the right idea came up,” Elton shared. “She’s hilarious to spend time with; we both have quite a self-deprecating sense of humor. When someone suggested the idea of her playing me in a riff on the 1973 ‘Step into Christmas’ video, I just thought it was the perfect opportunity. Thank God Cara thought the same because it came out great.”
Meanwhile, Delevingne noted, “Elton has always been an idol of mine, to say his music has had a deeply profound effect on me is an understatement. To be asked by him to PLAY him in this recreation was a dream that I didn’t know I had until it happened. Honestly, I wish I could pretend to be Elton every day.”
She added, “I hope that Elton may one day return the favor and agree to play me in my not-yet-developed, written, pitched, or funded biopic. Fingers crossed.”
More About “Step into Christmas”
“Step into Christmas” was a non-album single that Elton released in November 1973. The song topped the Billboard Christmas singles chart in December of that year. In John’s home country, the track initially peaked at No. 24 on the U.K. singles tally, later reaching No. 8 on the chart in 2019.
The song has been certified gold by the RIAA for amassing more than 500,000 sales and streams units in the U.S. In the U.K., the single was certified triple platinum for 1.8 million equivalent sales and streams.
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