The world embraced Elton John’s previous single “Cold Heart” with Dua Lipa and made it a massive worldwide hit. The stakes were quite high to see which artist would be chosen for a new redo of John’s previous hits, but honestly, no one could have predicted that Britney Spears would be the one.
The American pop icon is less than one year free from the conservatorship that abused her for more than 13 years and is still learning to enjoy her life as a free woman, as she has mentioned multiple times on her Instagram posts. So seeing her working again is an absolute surprise.
“Hold Me Closer” uses lyrics from Elton John’s previous hits “The One” (1992), “Tiny Dancer” (1971) and a small partition of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (1976) along with a stellar chill-club production created by Andrew Watt & Cirkut.
The track has a magical, dreamy energy that could easily turn “Hold Me Closer” into a worldwide number one hit. The thirstiness over Britney Spears’ return adds an extra melancholy and dimension to the lyrics, and the fact that we can listen to her vocals for the first time in a decade as a free woman is an extraordinary moment.
My favourite part is the verse of “Hold Me Closer”, genius to use these magical lyrics from “The One” as the opener. Britney is stealing the show for me on this track, but I appreciate that Elton John has recorded some new vocals for this redo which shows the effort that has gone into this collaboration.
I will be honest. I will be so happy if this hyper-radio-friendly smash around the world. It would show how much people love Britney Spears as a human and an artist. Thank you, Elton John, for making such an intelligent decision with “Hold Me Closer” this track will easily be a highlight in their careers.
Enjoy “Hold Me Closer” below:
