Elton John and Brandi Carlile today unveil their new original song “Never Too Late (From The Film “Elton John: Never Too Late”)’. A collaboration between these longtime friends and artistic kindred spirits, ‘Never Too Late’ is an original composition inspired by, and written specifically for, the forthcoming Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late.
The eponymous song ‘Never Too Late (From The Film “Elton John: Never Too Late”)’ was co-written by Elton and eleven time GRAMMY winning US superstar Brandi Carlile in the summer of 2023, as Elton adjusted to life off the road after completing his record breaking ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour. Over dinner the friends discussed life, family, future and fledgling projects to collaborate on. As the evening wore on Elton and documentary co-director David Furnish screened Brandi an unfinished and as-yet-untitled early cut of their forthcoming documentary. The emotional impact on Brandi was profound. It inspired her to start writing a new song in the third person, taking influence and guidance from Bernie Taupin in the way his deeply observational and personal lyrics have perfectly channeled Elton’s voice and journey over the years. Upon hearing the finished ‘Never Too Late’, filmmakers David Furnish and R.J. Cutler were so moved by the sentiment of the lyrics and melody they adopted the lyrics as the documentary’s title and the closing credits’ music.
Speaking further about the process, Brandi and Elton elaborated more on the writing behind this track:
Brandi says, “I found the early cut of the documentary that went on to become ‘Elton John: Never Too Late’ so moving. It was amazing to see historic footage of Elton and the trajectory of his life. But as fantastic and as beautiful as everything was that we were all witnessing as fans, his life was also lonely and difficult at times. And I thought that the documentary illustrated an important sentiment, because he might not have ever found his serenity and his peace, but he did find it, and he found it later in life. And it is never too late – too late to find the love of your life, or to start a family, or to change your mind about anything.”
Elton says “When Brandi told me she was so inspired by the early cut of the documentary that she wanted us to co-write a new song for it, I was thrilled. I’ve known for a long time how great she was but still, reading her lyrics and co-writing with her on the music was deeply moving. Especially given how personal it is to see, seeing my life on the screen, she just perfectly captured the essence of the documentary and why I stopped touring to spend more time with my family. I’m constantly astonished by her craft; she can channel my voice in a way only Bernie has managed to do before. I know Bernie helped guide Brandi on that. The standards of her musicianship, her songwriting, her passion for what she does are sensational. She truly is one of the greatest there is.”
Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz
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