British singer-songwriter Elton John addresses a crowd in the courtyard of the Elysee Palace in ... [+]
Elton John has stated that he will soon be done touring for good, as his ongoing Farewell Yellow Brick Road trek is slated to conclude in 2023. While he may be preparing to step away from the road, he has increased his release schedule, sharing quite a bit of new music in the past few years. Much of his recent output has seen the legend collaborating with a healthy mix of up-and-coming and established pop stars of the day, and this week, he scores a very important win with his latest duet.
John returns to the Hot 100, Billboard’s weekly ranking of the most-consumed songs in the U.S., with the tune “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” which blasts onto the list at No. 81. The cut is thus far a standalone track, and it has now become not just another win for all involved, but the first in a long, long time for the piano player.
“Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” marks John’s first visit to the Hot 100 in more than two decades—21 years, to be exact, according to Billboard. The last time he found himself on the all-genre tally was back in 2000 when his song "Someday Out of the Blue" barely broke onto the tally, starting at No. 99 on the 100-rung list.
Throughout his decades-long career, John has now appeared on the Hot 100 with 68 different songs, 27 of which reached the top 10, with nine of those rising all the way to the No. 1 spot. Lipa, who is credited as a fellow lead artist on the cut, earns her seventeenth placement on the list.
“Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” is an odd mashup, as it melds lyrics from John’s previous singles "Rocket Man,” “Sacrifice,” "Kiss the Bride" and "Where's the Shoorah?” into something new, with Lipa picking up some vocal duties while Pnau, an Australian dance trio, handles production. This new smash marks the first time Lipa and John have worked together, while the Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner released a collaborative album with Pnau titled Good Morning to the Night that went to No. 1 in the U.K. less than a decade ago.
In just the past two years, John has released a number of singles with a slew of talents, ranging from dance to rock to pop. Earlier in 2021, he partnered with Years & Years for “It’s a Sin,” itself a cover of a Pet Shop Boys track, as well as Rina Swayama for a reworking of her song “Chosen Family.” In 2020, he dropped “Learn to Fly” with Surfaces and “Ordinary Man” with Ozzy Osbourne.
