Elton John opens up, dresses up, in James Corden's latest carpool karaoke
The premise of James Corden's carpool karaoke ride with Elton John, released online Sunday night, is that he needs somebody to help him drive to work in the Los Angeles rain, because L.A. drivers are a mess when there's any precipitation. So naturally, once John was in the car, Corden drove with his hands off the wheel, belting out Elton John's greatest hits, sometimes dressed up in silly costumes. But he did get John to talk about what it's like to be Elton John, including not having a cellphone (though he does have an iPad).
Sir Elton and Corden started out with "Your Song," which John and Bernie Taupin wrote in 1970. After John put music to Taupin's lyrics, he told Corden, "we both realized that this was a huge step forward in our songwriting. We never looked back from that song." Corden noted that John has had "some amazing looks over the years," and John said that he dressed up in part because he was told he's not a very good dancer. Also, "I was never a lead vocalist, not like Bowie or Jagger — I was stuck at a piano," he said. "And I wasn't, you know, a sex symbol, and so I had fun with my outfits. And I just went for it." And he's not done. John told Corden that when he hears a young artist that inspires him, he vows to push on. Which he can do, because he has the energy of a 20-year-old, the 68-year-old John said. "Once you stop, you die." Watch the singing and talking below. Peter Weber
The Week
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