https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns...vamp-pop-coversElton John's 'Revamp': Which Pop Stars Soar While Covering the Rocket Man?
Even though Sir Elton John will retire from touring after his upcoming international farewell run, the legendary musician is bestowing some of all his all-time greatest hits to some of today’s biggest acts.
The new LP, Revamp: The Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, is a 13-track tribute album featuring artists ranging from Lady Gaga to Queens of the Stone Age to Mary J. Blige.
Here’s our thoughts on each cover, in order of the track listing.
“Bennie and the Jets,” P!nk and Logic
The first voice you hear on Revamp is none other than Sir Elton himself. The 2018 reimagining of the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road staple kicks off with a snippet of John billowing the iconic line, “She’s got electric boots/A mohair suit/You know I read it in a magazaaaayne/Oh, ho/B-b-b-ennie and the Jets.” For all intents and purposes, P!nk is exactly the right person to take it from here. She has the range and her persona fits the glam rock aesthetic of the song. What really doesn’t work here, however, is a mid-song rap from Logic. The magic of “Bennie and the Jets” gets really lost in this overstuffed cover that starts the album off on a very WTF note.
“We Fall in Love Sometimes,” Coldplay
Exactly what you’d expect from a Coldplay cover of a very Coldplay-friendly track. It’s sad and sweet and…sounds just like every Coldplay song of that ilk. It doesn’t quite pack the emotional wallop of John’s 1975 tune (or even Jeff Buckley’s) but it’s definitely a vast improvement over that “Bennie and the Jets” opener. It doesn’t take any big chances, but it’s wildly listenable.
“I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues,” Alessia Cara
It’s not hard to imagine this track as an audition song on The Voice and it would definitely get all four judges to turn around. Again, not nearly as strong as John’s thundering 1983 soft rock smash, but best case scenario, the pop star introduces his catalog to a new generation.
“Candle in the Wind,” Ed Sheeran
A surprisingly, almost inappropriately, peppy take on a song that pays tribute to two departed icons (in 1974 and 1997, respectively), Ed Sheeran goes a bit more guitar-guy-at-the-party route than 'somber reflection of lives lost.'
“Tiny Dancer,” Florence + the Machine
Okay, now this one makes perfect sense. Florence Welch already gives off some serious Almost Famous vibes and her pitch-perfect cover of the 1972 ballad would sound just as fitting if you’re singing along to it in 2018 in a tour bus.
“Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” Mumford & Sons
Just like Coldplay’s track, Mumford & Sons' take on John’s 1974 heartbreaker sounds pretty much exactly how you’d expect it to. Then again, there’s a surprising lack of mandolins and banjos and most things Mumford, so maybe it’s a little bit more of a risk-taker than you might expect.
“Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word,” Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige could cover the Wiggles and make it sounds compelling as all hell, so, c’mon, of course she totally nails this R&B reimagining of the 1976 adult contemporary weeper. Blige simultaneously makes it all her own (this would legitimately do well as a single) and keeps the spirit of the original completely in tact.
“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” Q-Tip featuring Demi Lovato
Let’s be real: Elton John and Kiki Dee’s 1976 duet is as cheesy as it gets. (Good cheesy, of course.) The only thing more surprising than Q-Tip and Demi Lovato taking the reigns of this song is how decidedly how non-cheesy their version is and how much of it actually works. Who would have guessed these two would make such sweet music together? Here for it, honestly.
“Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” The Killers
Of all the artists on Revamp, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers surprisingly sounds the closest to classic Elton John. It’s especially noticeable in the band’s take on the 1972 soft rock opus. The Killers pretty effortlessly tackle the song, which is arguably the loveliest non-single John and Taupin ever crafted.
“Daniel,” Sam Smith
You want a sad song done right? You go to Sam Smith. Unlike Ed Sheeran’s baffling cover of a sad song, Smith smartly taps into his sorrowful sound. It’s not much of a departure from the 1973 heartbreaker, but hey, if it ain’t broke....
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me,” Miley Cyrus
The bad thing about Miley Cyrus grabbing headlines for her antics is how much it can overshadow what an obscenely talented singer she is. Cyrus thrives when she’s belting out the bigger ballads (there’s a reason why “Wrecking Ball” lives on well past that music video) and this 1974 single is as meaty as they get. Cyrus definitely doesn’t throw away her shot here with her own pop/country version.
“Your Song,” Lady Gaga
Was there any doubt? If anyone makes the most sense covering the theatrics and the soul of Elton John’s voice and Bernie Taupin’s songwriting, it’s Gaga. A strong contender to take the crown away from the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack version of the 1970 pop ballad as the best cover, Lady Gaga does what she does best here. It’s big and booming and beautiful -- and you’re made of stone if it doesn’t give you serious goose bumps.
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” Queens of the Stone Age
Oh, hell yes. Queens of the Stone Age turn their usual 11 a few notches down for their stunningly awesome and slightly subdued take on the 1973 glam rock favorite. Lead singer Josh Homme really hits those “hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighs” and ends the album on an unexpectedly moving note.
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https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertain...usic/494815002/How Bernie Taupin, Elton John's closest collaborator, fell in love with country music
Cindy Watts
Sir Elton John is retiring from touring, but not before embarking on a massive world tour! A previous version of this video misidentified one of his Tony-winning musicals. USA TODAY
In the 1960s, Bernie Taupin was a little boy growing up in Northern England in the post-war era.
American servicemen were stationed a few miles from his house on a British base to provide consultation to the Royal Air Force.
Taupin made friends with the Americans who hosted air force socials and eagerly shared their country music with him. Taupin was awestruck.
“The British were very reserved, and the American guys were all cigarettes and gum,” he said. “They came loaded with these records.”
The Americans introduced Taupin to the music of The Louvin Brothers and Lefty Frizzell. He was entranced, then gravitated to Johnny Horton and Johnny Cash.
But it was Marty Robbins who changed his life.
“Once I heard Marty Robbins, I knew I wanted to be a songwriter,” Taupin said. “When I heard ‘El Paso,’ I was like, ‘You can tell stories? This can be cinematic? You can make songs out of stories?’ It’s what these guys were doing. I didn’t know what you did to write songs. I knew nothing about bridges and choruses, but I gave it a shot and it worked out.”
Decades later, Taupin, 67, is a celebrated songwriter known as Elton John’s closest collaborator.
Together, they wrote most of his songs, including John’s biggest hits “Rocket Man,” “Bennie & the Jets,” “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues,” “Candle in the Wind,” “Tiny Dancer,” and more.
Taupin, though deeply influenced by country songwriting, never worked extensively in country music. But with the Friday release of “Restoration: The Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin,” many of country music’s most noted voices changed the tune of Taupin’s career.
A pop version dubbed “Revamp: The Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin” features different songs than the country project and was released the same day.
The 13-song country collection features Chris Stapleton on “I Want Love,” Little Big Town on “Rocket Man,” Miranda Lambert on “My Father’s Gun,” Dierks Bentley on “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” and Don Henley and Vince Gill on “Sacrifice.”
Dolly Parton and Rhonda Vincent put a bluegrass spin on “Please,” and Roseanne Cash and Emmylou Harris sing “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore.”
“I’ve always said, any time you get to put your words in the mouth of Emmylou Harris, was a good day to be alive,” Taupin said during an interview, seated on the couch in a Nashville studio. “When I heard her sing it, it was a tearjerker.”
Given Taupin's love for country music, John agreed his collaborator should be in charge of selecting the artists for “Restoration” and suggesting songs for them to record. In a statement to The Tennessean, John said Taupin’s selections are “terrific.”
“Willie Nelson recording one of my songs is a dream come true,” John said. “Chris Stapleton, who is another singer that I just adore so much, probably the finest country singer to come out for a long time (is) doing ‘I Want Love.’ You see a lot of songs on the country album … that aren’t hits, but are really great songs,"
John continued: "There’s a great version of ‘Take It To the Pilot’ by Brothers Osborne. Kacey Musgraves, who I love so much, has done ‘Roy Rogers.’ I’m glad people have discovered a couple of them … and done versions of them.”
Stapleton was the only singer John personally called to ask to sing on "Restoration." Stapleton told Amazon Music it was “one of the strangest phone calls you’re gonna get, if you ever get that phone call.”
“Not strange, wonderfully strange,” Stapleton said. “In the last few years of surreal moments, that was a surreal one for sure. He wanted us to do this particular song … what are you going to say if Elton John calls you up and asks you do to something like that other than ‘Yes, absolutely,’ and ‘I’ll do my best, Sir Elton.”
Taupin was convinced Stapleton would reimagine the little-known ballad, and said he couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
“I’m glad to say, his version of that almost sounds like the song is his,” Taupin said. “It’s just an incredible vocal. That’s the wonderful thing about this project for me. It would have been easy for these people to go in and knock it out. Everyone who agreed to do it, they spent time on it. It’s a pretty humbling experience to see this magnitude of artists on both of these projects because no one said no.”
Henley was the first person to commit to a song for “Restoration,” and Taupin said he couldn’t imagine completing the album without Gill.
He got the idea to pair the men together and when Gill said he’d be “honored,” the songwriter recalled the moment by placing his hand over his heart.
Gill was unfamiliar with “Sacrifice,” but relished the chance to work through it with Henley.
“Little by little, we played what made the most sense,” Gill recalled of the collaboration.
The recording happened before Gill joined Henley in the Eagles.
“It was pretty inspiring to be creative with Don and watch it unfold and his ideas and my ideas and little by little, we made it make some sense," Gill said. "Everybody wants the chance to recreate something that was great. And those guys wrote 50 years of great songs.”
