The Lockdown Sessions (Elton John album)
Elton John's lockdown-era collaborative album with diverse guest artists.
The Lockdown Sessions is a collaborative studio album by British musician Elton John, released on 22 October 2021 through EMI in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States. Recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic after John paused his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, the album features collaborations with numerous artists and produced the UK number-one single "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" with Dua Lipa. It was both a critical and commercial success, with John achieving his eighth UK number-one album.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Elton John and various artists
- Released
- 22 October 2021
- Recorded
- 2020–2021
- Genre
- Pop
- Length
- 65:32
- Label
- EMI; Interscope
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
The Lockdown Sessions track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold Heart (Pnau remix) (with Dua Lipa) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Peter Mayes, Nicholas Littlemore, Sam Littlemore | 3:39 |
| 2 | Always Love You (with Young Thug and Nicki Minaj) | John, Andrew Wotman, Ali Tamposi, Louis Bell, Jeffery Lamar Williams, Billy Walsh, Onika Maraj | 4:17 |
| 3 | Learn to Fly (Surfaces featuring Elton John) | Forrest Frank, Colin Padalecki | 3:31 |
| 4 | After All (with Charlie Puth) | John, Puth, Jacob Kasher Hindlin | 3:28 |
| 5 | Chosen Family (with Rina Sawayama) | Sawayama, Jonny Lattimer, Danny L Harle | 4:40 |
| 6 | The Pink Phantom (Gorillaz featuring Elton John and 6lack) | Damon Albarn, Remi Kabaka Jr., Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr. | 4:13 |
| 7 | It's a Sin (with Years & Years) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | 4:44 |
| 8 | Nothing Else Matters (Miley Cyrus featuring Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith) | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich | 6:35 |
| 9 | Orbit (with SG Lewis) | John, Samuel George Lewis, Sophie Frances Cooke | 3:28 |
| 10 | Simple Things (with Brandi Carlile) | John, Wotman, Roman Campolo | 4:11 |
| 11 | Beauty in the Bones (with Jimmie Allen) | Allen, Taylor Bird, Phil Bentley, Bruce Roberts | 3:50 |
| 12 | One of Me (Lil Nas X featuring Elton John) | Montero Hill, John Cunningham, Jasper Sheff, Ilsey Juber | 2:41 |
| 13 | E-Ticket (with Eddie Vedder) | John, Vedder, Wotman | 3:18 |
| 14 | Finish Line (with Stevie Wonder) | John, Wotman, Tamposi, Campolo | 4:24 |
| 15 | Stolen Car (with Stevie Nicks) | John, Wotman, Tamposi | 5:37 |
| 16 | I'm Not Gonna Miss You (with Glen Campbell) | Campbell, Julian Raymond | 2:56 |
| Total length | 65:32 | ||
Christmas edition track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merry Christmas (with Ed Sheeran) | John, Sheeran, Steve Mac | 3:28 |
Track listing from the source article.
Background
The album includes several previously released tracks: "Learn to Fly" from June 2020; "Chosen Family", John's duet with Rina Sawayama on her Sawayama album; Gorillaz' "The Pink Phantom" from Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, featuring John and 6lack; John's cover of Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin" with Years & Years from May 2021; Miley Cyrus' version of "Nothing Else Matters" featuring John alongside Andrew Watt, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith, released in June 2021 from the Metallica tribute album The Metallica Blacklist; and John's collaboration with Lil Nas X "One of Me" from Montero. Other collaborators include Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, Stevie Wonder, Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, Stevie Nicks, and Glen Campbell. John stated that some recording sessions were done remotely via Zoom, while others were under safety regulations with glass screens separating artists. He noted that working with different artists reminded him of his late-1960s session musician work, saying he had "come full circle." Regarding "Learn to Fly" with Surfaces, John tweeted that he loved the song when first sent, and Surfaces described the collaboration as effortless after Zoom studio sessions. A music video for "Learn to Fly" was released on YouTube on 24 June 2020, directed and illustrated by Ivan Dixon and produced by Sean Zwan.
Singles
The lead single "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" with Dua Lipa, combining elements of four earlier Elton John songs, was released on 13 August 2021 and peaked at number one on the UK singles chart on 15 October 2021, John's first UK number one since 2005. The second single "After All" with Charlie Puth was released on 22 September 2021, and the third single "Finish Line" with Stevie Wonder was released on 30 September 2021, debuting at number 73 on the UK Singles Sales Chart on 28 January 2022.
Critical reception
The Lockdown Sessions received generally positive reviews, with AnyDecentMusic? giving it 6.8 out of 10. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the record is best when close to an old-fashioned duet album. Helen Brown of The Independent noted stunning vocal performances from Rina Sawayama on "Chosen Family" and criticized Young Thug's sex rap on "I Will Always Love You." John Aizlewood of Mojo called it probably John's most varied album, praising extremes like Cyrus's "Nothing Else Matters" and the vocal pyrotechnics on "Always Love You." John Murphy of MusicOMH described it as a surprisingly creatively rich endeavor. Gary Ryan of NME said the album feels attuned to 2021's post-genre Spotify world. Kate Hutchinson of The Observer found it fun but disjointed, disliking the trap song "Always Love You." Rich Wilhelm of PopMatters called it an engaging series of snapshots. Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone said it is a glowing testament to John's enduring pop gravitas. Stephen Troussé of Uncut called it a rum selection of Zoom collaborations. Annie Zaleski of Variety said John's open-hearted vocals make it a charming listen.
Commercial performance
In the UK midweek chart update on 25 October 2021, the album was described as in a four-way battle for number one. It became John's eighth number-one album in the UK on 29 October 2021, his first since 2012's Good Morning to the Night, achieving 31,000 chart sales, 84% of which were physical. In the United States, it debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 with 29,000 album-equivalent units, 17,000 of which were pure album copies, and went to number four on the Top Album Sales chart.
More in Band Members & Collaborators
Elsewhere in Elton John
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced