Elton John launched into an expletive-filled tantrum during the recording of his new album “Who Believes in Angels” with Brandi Carlile.
On Wednesday, the 77-year-old music icon released the trailer for the short film “Who Believes In Angels? Stories On The Edge Of Creation,” which gives fans a candid look behind the scenes of how the album came together over just 20 days. In the video, the singer was seen in a studio as he clashed with record producer Andrew Watt, one of his four collaborators on the project, including Carlile and John’s longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin.
“Are you ready to record?” Watt asked John, to which the “Rocket Man” hitmaker snapped, “I’m sitting here, aren’t I?”
As the clip continued, John was seen growing increasingly frustrated. In a voiceover, the five-time Grammy Award winner, who had recently concluded his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour with a performance at the Glastonbury Festival, admitted, “Reality is, I was exhausted. I had a lot of doubt…. and I was a nightmare.”
“Angry. I was tired. I was irritable,” he added.
At one point in the video, Watt told John, “Dude, I’m just trying to make the song as best as it can be. You’re so impatient.”
“F—ing nightmare!” John exclaimed while slamming his headphones down onto his keyboard.
He recalled in a voiceover that there was “tension in the studio.”
Carlile, 43, who earlier said that she had “idolized” John since she was 11, explained that she began having her own doubts about the collaboration.
“Elton is prone to moments of insecurity,” she said. “Especially where the stakes are high.”
“I’m having a hard time connecting to Elton,” “The Story” singer admitted. “There were times I thought, ‘Why does he want to do this? Why? Why is he going from Glastonbury to making an album with me?’”
“And I thought, ‘I don’t wanna do it,'” Elton said in a voiceover as he was then seen ripping up sheet music while sitting at a keyboard.
“I’m done,” he told Watt, who protested, “No, man. Elton.”
“Cut the mics,” Watt told the production crew, who were filming the behind-the-scenes footage.
Elton went on to say that he felt he couldn’t give up on the album at that point because “other people were involved.”
As the video continued, tensions within the studio began to ease as Elton found his groove.
“The fog started to lift,” Elton said. “And once we got going – Jesus!”
“Finally it all started to flow,” he added.
The mood of the four appeared to lighten as they fell into sync while collaborating on songs.
“It wasn’t easy, which is a place where such great music came from,” Carlile noted.
The clip cut to a beaming Watt, who told John, “You know what you just did? Kicked some f—ing a–!”
“Pretty damn good,” John said with a smile.
In a voiceover, John opened up about how he wanted to push himself creatively with the album.
“I wanted to play better. Sing better. Write better and challenge myself at the age I am,” he said.
“In 50 plus years, we’ve never made a record like this,” said Taupin, who has worked with Elton since 1976.
“Brandi really pushed me. Pushed me, pushed me,” John said.
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Earlier in the video, John explained why he sought out a collaboration with Carlile, who has received 11 Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards and an Academy Award nomination.
“When I met her, I fell in love with her, and I just thought she had the most amazing voice. I knew I would find her inspiring, and I knew she would find me inspiring,” he recalled.
Carlile later celebrated how the project turned out. “We made an album that I think is spectacular for all the ages,” she said. “My life has been taking me to this album the whole time.”
John gushed that “Who Believes in Angels?” was “immaculate.”
“This came out the way I wanted it to come out,” he said while breaking down in tears at the keyboard as Carlile gave him a comforting hug.
“This [has] never happened to me in my whole career,” John added.
“Who Believes in Angels” is set to be released on April 4.
