Elton John Was ‘Not in Great Shape’ While Recording Album with Brandi Carlile

There’s no rest for Sir Elton John.

On Friday, April 4, John, 78, appeared alongside Brandi Carlile, producer Andrew Watt and his frequent collaborator, songwriter Bernie Taupin, for the premiere of Who Believes In Angels? Stories from the Edge Of Creation at the 92nd Street Y in New York. Carlile, 43, and John’s album, Who Believes in Angels?, was released earlier in the day.

During the panel discussion at the event, John told moderator Dave Karger he was “not in good shape” while making the record.

“When you’re in a studio and trying to come to grips with the fact that you want to make a great record, you can’t always predict what’s going to happen,” John said. “We went in with no songs. Four of us. No plan. Just thought, ‘This is the meeting of the minds and the talent. Let’s get on with it.’ But unfortunately, I was not in great shape. I was tired. I was exhausted.”

The five-time Grammy winner continued, “More than anything I had so much doubt about my ability to come through in what we needed to come through. And that led to a lot of aggression and bad behavior. In a way, it was necessary for me to do that because I never had so much doubt and apprehension before I started the project.”

The short film documented the creative process that went into the album’s making. The pair of musicians are also longtime friends.

Working with an Americana songwriter like Carlile was a new experience for John, who made a name for himself in experimental pop music. Despite the pressures of breaking into a new genre, the singer is happy with the final product.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” John said. “Eventually, I got a lyric about Laura Nyro, who was one of my idols. It just fell into place as a song. It was like she was inhabiting me when I was writing it. I just felt once we did that, and then we did ‘Little Richard’s Bible‘ and ‘Swing for the Fences.’ What happened was my bad behavior and my angst brought the energy finally.”

“At the end of the album, when I did this ‘When This Old World Is Done with Me,’ I cried. I think it was all the pent-up emotion that I was carrying, and the pressure that I was feeling to come up with a decent record – a different record from the ones that I have been making. And it all worked out great at the end, thanks to these three people who stood by me.”

At the most controversial point in the short film, John told Carlile, “F–– off Brandi.” Carlile responded to this moment, telling the panel, “Things like that got thrown around and I just thought to myself, ‘This is such a wild experience. And this man, his heart is right on his sleeve and what he thinks comes out of his mouth. No filter.’ ”

She continued, “And the thing that is so powerful about that is so does the music. The music comes out of his brain and through his hands because nothing stops it, because he hasn’t censored himself. That’s why there’s an Elton John. That’s why you have these songs for the last 15 years.”

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The album thematically focuses on the idea of the afterlife in both a literal and figurative sense, with a touch of Carlile’s anecdotal songwriting and requiems for artists’ past.

Who Believes In Angels? was released on Friday, while Who Believes In Angels? Stories from the Edge Of Creation premieres on YouTube at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 5.