Elton John in 2017

Sir Elton John

 Photo: Tony Woolliscroft/Getty Images

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Elton John Reportedly Reworking Classic 'Lion King' Soundtrack

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Estimates hint that licensing fees and royalties for the new song versions could net the GRAMMY winner as much as $13 million
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Nov 30, 2017 - 5:58 pm

In preparation for the forthcoming Disney live-action remake of The Lion King, Elton John is reworking several of his GRAMMY-winning and -nominated songs from the soundtrack to the original, animated version of the story, first released in 1994.

Two songs John wrote for the original film, "Circle Of Life" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight," earned him a total of five nominations at the 37th GRAMMY Awards, with both songs earning nods for Song Of The Year and Best Song Written For A Motion Picture Or Television, and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" taking home the GRAMMY for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Multi-GRAMMY winner and current nominee Beyoncé and current nominee Donald Glover were announced earlier this month to be voicing the lead roles of Nala and Simba, respectively, and the New York Daily News confirmed this week that Beyoncé has been working closely with John on orchestrating new versions of the beloved songs.

Disney's live-action remake of The Lion King is expected to hit theaters everywhere in summer 2019.

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Elton John, 2018

Elton John

Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images

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Elton John: 7 Of His Best Songs From The Screen & Stage

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From "Friends" to "Can You Feel The Love Tonight," take a look back at seven of the GRAMMY legend's most beloved film and stage compositions
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Apr 12, 2018 - 5:43 pm

On April 10, the Recording Academy celebrated the career and legacy of one of music's most enduring voices with the two-hour concert special "Elton John: I'm Still Standing — A GRAMMY Salute."

The Lyrical Longevity Of Elton John, "Border Song"

With moving tribute performance by some of the biggest names in music, including Ed Sheeran, Alessia Cara, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Sam Smith, SZA, and many more, the program was a unique retrospective on the GRAMMY-winner's illustrious career.

Along with penning some of the most beloved pop and rock hits of all time, John has garnered wide acclaim as a prolific composer for film and musical theater. Writing for all manner of live-action and animated films, as well as internationally-touring theater productions, he has been responsible for some of the most recognized musical numbers of a generation. Take a look back at seven of his most iconic pieces written for the stage and screen.

"Friends": Friends (Film)

The official soundtrack to the 1971 teen-romance drama Friends was John's earliest foray into composing for film, and also just the fourth album he released in his long career. Though critics at the time panned the film for its (in their opinion) lurid portrayal of the sexual awakening of two runaway youths set against the backdrop of the idyllic countryside of southern France, the title song from the soundtrack managed to climb into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The soundtrack also earned John his fourth career GRAMMY nomination — Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special — at the 14th GRAMMY Awards.

"Electricity": Billy Elliot (Musical Theater)

Producers for the 2005 stage adaptation of the dramatic film Billy Elliott tapped John to compose new musical numbers that chart the title character's journey of self-discovery as he puts down his boxing gloves in favor of ballet slippers during the 1984–1985 English coal miners' strike. The stage musical received near-universal acclaim in the U.K. upon its opening. John's recording of "Electricity," written as Billy Elliott's climatic final solo number of the play, was released as a single and peaked at No. 4 on the U.K. Singles chart.

"Written In The Stars" feat. LeAnn Rimes: Aida (Musical Theater)

Elton John And Tim Rice's Aida was a 1999 concept album centering around music the duo had written to soundtrack the forthcoming stage musical adaptation of the classic Giuseppe Verdi opera Aida. The album's lead single "Written In The Stars," featuring LeAnn Rimes, climbed into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album itself won John and Rice the GRAMMY for Best Music Show Album at the 43rd GRAMMY Awards. It was John's fifth overall win of his career, and also the same year he was recognized with the prestigious GRAMMY Legend award.

"Friends Never Say Goodbye": The Road To El Dorado (Film)

The soundtrack to the 2000 animated family comedy The Road To El Dorado was another notable collaboration between John and Rice, this time with the added support of Hans Zimmer.  The song "Friends Never Say Goodbye" perfectly captures the lighthearted sentiment of this buddy film, and actually featured uncredited backing vocals by none other than the Backstreet Boys, whose names had to be left of the official track credits for unknown reasons. Nevertheless, John made sure to thank the band the liner notes for the soundtrack, and their voices can be clearly heard in swelling harmony on the song's chorus.

"The Muse": The Muse (Film)

The music for writer/director Albert Brooks' comedic existential-crisis film The Muse marked a departure of sorts for John in terms of film composing, in that all but one of the songs he wrote for the movie were solely instrumental.  The title song "The Muse" constitutes the only vocal track on the complete film score, and was co-written by John's longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin. The album release of the score also contains a notable remix of "The Muse" orchestrated by GRAMMY-winning producer/songwriter Jermaine Dupri.

"Hello Hello": Gnomeo & Juliet (Film)

The Beatles-esque "Hello Hello," from the official score to the 2011 animated family comedy Gnomeo & Juliet, is the opening track for the album release of the film's soundtrack, and one of just two new compositions that John contributed to the film – his other seven offerings being new renditions from his classic songbook, such as "Rocket Man," "Tiny Dancer" and "Bennie And The Jets." The version of the song used in the film itself is actually a duet sung with Lady Gaga; however, the official audio release of the film's soundtrack features on John himself.

"Can You Feel The Love Tonight": The Lion King (Film & Musical Theater)

Handing out the honors for "best-known" and "best-loved" soundtrack among the works written by an artist whose creative output is as vast as Elton John's is difficult, but in the case of the official score for The Lion King — both the 1994 animated film and 1997 stage musical adaptation — the decision to pick a favorite is easily made. Once again collaborating with frequent writing partner, Tim Rice, John composed a hugely acclaimed soundtrack that generated a total of five GRAMMY nominations at the 37th GRAMMY Awards, with "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" ultimately taking home GRAMMY gold for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Donald Glover in 2018

Donald Glover

Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images

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Watch The Season 2 Trailer For Donald Glover's 'Atlanta'

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The GRAMMY nominee also reveals a very unlikely source of inspiration for season 2 of the hit series
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Jan 8, 2018 - 6:02 pm

GRAMMY nominee and current Album Of The Year contender Donald Glover's comedy-drama television brainchild "Atlanta" is back for its second season, and today the FX network officially unveiled the show's first new trailer.

According to Spin, Glover — who made history last year when the first season of "Atlanta" helped him become the first black director to win the Emmy for Outstanding Directing in the award show's 69-year run — recently revealed that season two of "Atlanta," titled "Robbin' Season," was structurally inspired by the 1992 children's cartoon direct-to-video movie Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Summer Vacation. This marks a departure of sorts from the episodic structure of the first season, which included several one-off non sequitur episodes, and intentionally eschewed an obvious over-arching narrative.

"Tiny Toons Summer Vacation was broken up into a bunch of episodes, but if you watched them all together they were a movie," Glover's brother and "Atlanta" co-writer Stephen Glover explained. "It's a whole story, but told in a bunch of little parts."

"Atlanta: Robbin' Season" will premiere on FX on March 1.

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Ed Sheeran and Elton John at the 55th GRAMMY Awards, 2013

Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran

Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

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Ed Sheeran's GRAMMY Duet With Elton John: "GRAMMYs Greatest Stories"

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The pop singer/songwriter fondly recalls his first-ever GRAMMY performance, with a hand from his mentor; tune in to "GRAMMYs Greatest Stories" Nov. 24 at 9 p.m. on CBS.
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Nov 22, 2017 - 9:00 am

Ed Sheeran's three trips to the GRAMMY stage as a performer have each been especially memorable in their own ways. He's sung a duet with Elton John, run a victory lap with his smash-hit "Thinking Out Loud" and, most recently, given a rousing one-man band performance of "Shape Of You."

The Story Of Ed Sheeran's First GRAMMY Performance

The former, Sheeran's first appearance as a performer at the 55th GRAMMY Awards in 2013, came by way of a special request from his mentor John, who envisioned a special duet of Sheeran's Song Of The Year-nominated "The A Team."

"I help manage him, and I believe so much in this guy," John recalls telling the showrunners of Sheeran's talent. "[I said,] 'He's gonna be a huge star. What if I do a duet with 'The A Team'? … And that's how we got Ed onto the GRAMMYs."

Watch Sheeran and other artists discuss the most memorable performances in GRAMMY history on the TV special "GRAMMYs Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special," airing Friday, Nov. 24 from 9–11 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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Eminem performs in 2011

Eminem

Photo:  Lester Cohen/Getty Images

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Eminem Drops New Single "Walk On Water" Amid Crazy Viral Marketing Campaign

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GRAMMY winner's new collaborative single addresses his struggle to exceed expectations and stay relevant in a changing musical landscape
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Nov 10, 2017 - 10:30 am

After reintroducing himself to the world via a controversial and highly publicized freestyle cypher during the BET Hip-Hop Awards in October, rapper Eminem has been grabbing headlines everywhere for the unorthodox viral marketing campaign behind his latest album, Revival, which Mashable has labeled as "one of the most elaborate marketing schemes we've seen in a long time."

For The Record: Eminem's "Lose Yourself"

Utilizing a series of bogus websites, digital advertisements and even a special call-in hotline number, Eminem and his team have concocted a giant ad campaign for a fake pharmaceutical called Revival, employing snide references to past song lyrics and utilizing the backbeat from Dr. Dre and Eminem's "I Need A Doctor" as the on-hold music for the fraudulent hotline. Earlier this week, he posted a photo of a fake prescription teasing the song's title.

Now, this morning, Eminem has dropped the lead single from his forthcoming album, "Walk On Water," featuring the incomparable Beyoncé singing an airy gospel-tinged hook. 

The song has a stripped-down feel, built around an ambient piano melody and very sparse percussion. Em spits verse after verse over sound effects of him ripping up pages of lyrics and occasional sighs that hint at waves of frustration and self-doubt. The absence of drums builds the tracks tension quite effectively, and altogether there's a sense of firebrand preaching — Em is here to testify.

Building toward the track's conclusion, the GRAMMY winner expounds at length on the difficulty of facing the industry's expectations piled high on his return to the spotlight, touching on his concerns over whether this new music will satisfy fans or tarnish his legacy. Raising his head high and summing it all up at the track's conclusion, Em seems to remember who he is and what he's done, flipping the track's sound with a series of record scratches and a triumphant coda: "As long as I got a mic/I'm god-like/You and me are not alike /B****, I wrote Stan!"

"Walk On Water" is available now for streaming on your DSP of choice.

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