Given that we are anticipating his forthcoming release with Britney Spears, let’s take a look at some of the other duets he has done over the years with some big names. Here is a list of songs that were UK Top 75 singles over the years. Due to the extensive back catalogue of releases I’ve chosen not to include album tracks or singles which failed to chart in the UK.

 

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with Kiki Dee (1976)

I Saw Her Standing There with John Lennon & The Muscle Shoals Horns (1981)

Act Of War with Millie Jackson (1985)

Slow Rivers with Cliff Richard (1986)

Flames Of Paradise with Jennifer Rush (1987)

Through The Storm with Aretha Franklin (1989)

Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me with George Michael (1991)

Runaway Train with Eric Clapton (1992)

True Love with Kiki Dee (1993)

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with RuPaul (1993)

Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing with Marcella Detroit (1994)

Live Like Horses with Luciano Pavarotti (1996)

Written In The Stars with LeAnn Rimes (1999)

Your Song with Alessandro Safina (2002)

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word with Blue (2002)

Ghetto Gospel with 2Pac (2005)

Tiny Dancer (Hold Me Closer) with Ironik & Chipmunk (2009)

Sad with Pnau (2012)

Face To Face with Gary Barlow (2014)

It’s A Sin with Years & Years (2021)

Cold Heart with Dua Lipa (2021)

Merry Christmas with Ed Sheeran (2021)

Sausage Rolls For Everyone with LadBaby & Ed Sheeran (2021)

 

If you want to give a shoutout to an Elton John duet that didn’t make the UK Top 75 singles chart, please share below in this thread! :)

 

If I get some time later on I’ll try and make a Spotify playlist (unless someone else wishes to during the day).

 

Went for a few - the original Kiki Dee release, 2Pac, George Michael, Dua Lipa and Ed!

I'll look at the list in more detail later, but that 2012 PNAU one is SO good. As is the album it's lifted from. :wub:

Most of these are terrible. Ghetto Gospel my favourite by miles.

Spotify playlist added.

I voted for:

 

Elton and Kiki

Elton and George

Elton and Blue

Elton and 2PAC

Elton and Ironik

and Elton and Dua obviously.

I went for both Kiki Dee ones, 'True Love' is obviously the lesser remembered but it's a great song. Also 'Ghetto Gospel', 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' and shamelessly 'Merry Christmas' :)

Don't go breaking my heart easily.

 

I do love the LeAnne Rhimes one too and have a soft spot for the Blue one as I LOVED the One Love album

01. Ghetto Gospel

02. Cold Heart

03. It's A Sin

04. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

05. Don't Go Breaking My Heart

I voted for all 4 of the ones that currently have over 10 votes and no others because I am a boring mainstream hoe apparently (not helping that I haven't heard most of the others).

 

Ghetto Gospel >>> Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me > Cold Heart > Don't Go Breaking My Heart (w/ Kiki)

 

I do quite like 'Merry Christmas' too so that completes my top 5 of the ones I've heard.

Face To Face is a brilliant, uplifting track and easily my favourite, I'm sure that's an unpopular answer :lol:

 

I also liked Cold Heart, Merry Christmas, and the Blue duet.

Voted for Don't Go Breaking My Heart (w/Kiki), Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Ghetto Gospel, It's A Sin (although I was more into the Y&Y solo cover overall) and Cold Heart.

 

It's significant how many on this list are borrowings from his own back catalogue remixed or re-released in some form. That's not to say Elton hasn't clearly been successful at perfecting that and some of them have been superb, but it makes me nervous for how another re-tread of Tiny Dancer is going to sound, as much as I want Britney to do well.

Just to show how versatile he is with the varying voices and personalities he’s worked with over the many decades he has recorded music, here’s an unreleased (and sadly potato quality) version of Stan with Eminem from the Grammys in 2001;

 

 

I’d be happy to watch clips of any other noteworthy live performances he made with other big stars too.

Top 6 would be:

 

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with Kiki Dee (1976)

Cold Heart with Dua Lipa (2021)

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word with Blue (2002)

Tiny Dancer (Hold Me Closer) with Ironik & Chipmunk (2009)

Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me with George Michael (1991)

Ghetto Gospel with 2Pac (2005)

Did Elton not do a Killers xmas song with Neil Tennant?

I like all of these.

So how does this compare then now it’s been released? Is it up there with his best? :o

 

Elton's team have become expert at making money from old rope over the last 10 years - and I applaud them for it. Some really terrible collabs, but it's kept his music alive. I do however really like 'Hold Me Closer'.

Sad. The Pnau tracks are the best cos they do something new and exciting with the material. I still love Kiki dee though.

 

There's also the uncredited duets like Whatever Gets You Thru The Night with John Lennon, Bad Blood with Neil Sedaka which were huge in America. And his version of Lennon's Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds featured John Lennon himself, and they had a hit with I Saw Her Standing There recorded live, the Beatles song.

2Pac & Blue