Elton hasn’t spent his downtime doing nothing.
While they’re both unquestionably legends of rock, the tones of Elton John and Metallica are rather dissonant when compared to one another. Elton’s vibe was always pop and soft rock, while Metallica is, well, metal. But hey, there’s no rule forbidding genre crossover in music, and when you can’t tour due to a global pandemic, you gotta find other ways to pass the time, which is exactly what Elton did.
During an interview on Apple Music’s Rocket Hour, John let slip that he had been engaged in collaboration with a few big names in the music biz. “I’ve just done something with Metallica,” he said. “During this lockdown period, I’ve been working with Gorillaz and people like that. I haven’t been doing any Elton stuff, but I’ve been doing great stuff with other people.”
Elton didn’t say anything else on the matter beyond that, but fans have already made a few quality deductions. A couple of months ago, during an interview on Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp, Miley Cyrus announced that she was working on a cover of a classic Metallica track, Nothing Else Matters, and that Elton had been enlisted to man the piano. This was all part of a full Metallica cover album that’s slated to feature performances by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and pianist Yo-Yo Ma.
WHOA: @eltonofficial confirms he has 'just done something with @Metallica'https://t.co/RLl6cw5Fam
— Loudwire (@Loudwire) March 29, 2021
“I’m so excited about this collaboration,” she said. “[Ozzy Osbourne producer/guitarist] Andrew Watt produced it, and I’m really stoked. I mean, having Elton John and Metallica and me – I love it when ingredients don’t quite fit, you know? Or it seems like a concoction that no-one would ever put together, and you’ve got to have someone wild enough like Watt that will take that risk.”
Whether or not this is what Elton was referring to isn’t known for sure, but it’s definitely a safe bet. I can’t say I’ve ever been overtly expecting a cover of Metallica tracks by Miley Cyrus and Elton John, but I’m sure not opposed to the idea.
