McCartney Times

Two new star-studded albums saluting the music of longtime collaborators Elton John and Bernie Taupin were crafted with a couple of main goals in mind.The albums coincide roughly with the 50th anniversary of when the composer and lyricist met in London through an ad posted in the New Musical Express weekly music magazine. They are designed to reconnect veteran musicians and longtime fans with one of the richest bodies of work in all of pop music, as well as introduce that music to younger performers and listeners.They encompass more than two dozen John-Taupin songs — hits as well as deep cuts — from “Bennie and the Jets,” “Your Song” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” to “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word,” “Candle in the Wind,” “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and “Border Song.”They have been newly reinterpreted by a raft of pop, rock, R&B, urban, country and Americana artists, including Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Don Henley and Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Mary J. Blige, Mumford & Sons, Chris Stapleton, Coldplay, Pink, Demi Lovato and Q-Tip, among others.

Source: Bernie Taupin reflects on 50 years of working with Elton John — and why their songs have endured