The Lockdown Sessions (Elton John album) explained

The Lockdown Sessions
Type:studio
Cover:Elton John - The Lockdown Sessions.png
Alt:Elton John seen wearing sunglasses and a colorful face mask reading "ELTON" in red with stars on it.
Artist:Elton John and various artists
Recorded:2020–2021
Genre:Pop, rock, dance, disco, R&B, hip-hop, country pop, synth-pop, dream pop, soft rock, pop rap, trap, etc.
Length:65:32
Label:
  • EMI
  • Interscope
Producer:
Prev Title:Regimental Sgt. Zippo
Prev Year:2021
Year:2021
Next Title:TBD

The Lockdown Sessions is a collaborative studio album by English musician Elton John, released through EMI in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States on 22 October 2021.[1] It was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, after John was forced to pause his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour due to lockdown.[2] The album includes three singles: "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" with Dua Lipa, "After All" with Charlie Puth, and "Finish Line" with Stevie Wonder. A 2022 reissue of the album includes "Merry Christmas" with Ed Sheeran and "Hold Me Closer" with Britney Spears.

Background

The album features several previously released tracks: "Learn to Fly", released in June 2020; "Chosen Family", John's duet with Rina Sawayama on her Sawayama album;[3] the Gorillaz' track "The Pink Phantom" from their 2020 album , on which John appears as a guest alongside 6lack; John's cover of the Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin" along with Years & Years, released in May 2021;[3] Miley Cyrus' version of "Nothing Else Matters" featuring John alongside various other guests, released in June 2021 from the Metallica tribute album The Metallica Blacklist; and John's collaboration with Lil Nas X "One of Me", from Lil Nas X's debut studio album Montero.

Besides these, the record also features collaborations with other artists including Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, Stevie Wonder, Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, Stevie Nicks, and Glen Campbell.[4] [5] [3]

John explained the project in a statement: "Some of the recording sessions had to be done remotely, via Zoom, which I'd obviously never done before. Some of the sessions were recorded under very stringent safety regulations: working with another artist, but separated by glass screens. But all the tracks I worked on were really interesting and diverse, stuff that was completely different to anything I'm known for, stuff that took me out of my comfort zone into completely new territory. And I realised there was something weirdly familiar about working like this. At the start of my career, in the late 60s, I worked as a session musician. Working with different artists during lockdown reminded me of that. I'd come full circle: I was a session musician again. And it was still a blast."[6]

When the album hit number-one in the UK charts on 29 October 2021, John said "I am so proud of what we have created"[7] and wrote on his social media accounts:

Singles

The lead single, "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" with Dua Lipa, combines elements of John's 1989 song "Sacrifice", his 1972 single "Rocket Man", his 1976 album track "Where's the Shoorah?" and his 1983 single "Kiss the Bride", and was released on 13 August 2021. On 15 October 2021, the single peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. This was John’s first UK number one in 16 years, since 2005's posthumous Tupac Shakur collaboration "Ghetto Gospel".[8]

The album's official second single, "After All", is a collaboration with American singer Charlie Puth. It was released on 22 September 2021.[9] [10] [11]

The album's official third single, "Finish Line", is a collaboration with American singer Stevie Wonder. It was released on 30 September 2021.[12] [13] "Finish Line" failed to chart on the Official UK Top 100, but debuted at number 73 on the Official UK Singles Sales Chart Top 100 on 28 January 2022[14]

Critical reception

The Lockdown Sessions received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 70 based on ten reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.Gary Ryan from NME gave it four out of five stars, saying: "All in all, The Lockdown Sessions all-bets-off stylistic game of spin-the-bottle feels attuned to 2021's post-genre Spotify world, as Elton continues to further his musical universe".[16]

Commercial performance

The album was released on 22 October 2021, and in the OCC's UK midweek chart update on 25 October, the album was described as being in a "four way battle" with Duran Duran, Lana Del Rey and Biffy Clyro for the number-one position.[17] It later became John's eighth number-one album in the UK on 29 October 2021, his first number-one album since 2012's Good Morning to the Night.[18]

The Lockdown Sessions achieved 31,000 chart sales in the UK, 84% of which were physical (CD and vinyl) sales in the first week. It was John's second number one in the UK in less than a month – "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" with Dua Lipa reached number one on the UK Singles Chart earlier in the month.[19] In the United States, the album debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 29,000 album-equivalent units, 17,000 of that sum were pure album copies, it went straight to number four on the U.S. Top Album Sales chart.[20] [21]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2021)Peak
position
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[22] 58
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[23] 30

Year-end charts

Chart (2021)Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 191
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 68
UK Albums (OCC)[26] 39
Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[27] 29
French Albums (SNEP)[28] 169
US Billboard 200[29] 185

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
Various22 October 2021Vinyl[30] [31] [32]
JapanCDUniversal Music Japan[33]
Brazil3 December 2021CDUniversal Music Brasil[34]

Individual tracks

"Learn to Fly"

When talking about the collaboration, Elton John tweeted: "When the guys first sent me the song, I just loved it. It was an honour to lend my vocals and some piano."[35] In a statement, Surfaces said: "After a series of Zoom studio sessions, we were able to record together from quarantine. Working with Elton felt like the idea of winning a Grammy. He was so passionate and driven and we couldn’t have wished for a more effortless collaboration."[36] A music video to accompany the release of "Learn to Fly" was released onto YouTube on June 24, 2020.[37] It was made in collaboration with director and illustrator Ivan Dixon, who also provided the visuals for "Bloom", and was produced by Sean Zwan from Studio Showoff.[38]

Notes and References

  1. Elton John Recruits Eddie Vedder, Dua Lipa, Stevie Wonder for All-Star 'Lockdown Sessions' Album. Rolling Stone. Greene. Andy . 1 September 2021. 1 September 2021.
  2. Web site: Elton John announces collaborations album 'The Lockdown Sessions' The singer's collaborative LP features tracks with Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Gorillaz, Young Thug, Dua Lipa, Andrew Watt, Stevie Wonder and more. Lavin. Will. NME. 1 September 2021. 23 September 2021.
  3. Elton John Teams Up With Lil Nas X, Dua Lipa & More for New Collaborations Album. Billboard. Daw. Stephen. 1 September 2021. 2 September 2021.
  4. Web site: Elton John The Lockdown Sessions. Apple Music. 21 October 2021. 22 October 2021.
  5. Web site: Elton John Stirs a Quarantine Stew With Famous Duet Partners on 'The Lockdown Sessions': Album Review . Variety. Zaleski. Annie. 22 October 2021. 22 October 2021.
  6. Web site: Elton John announces new album made with A-list guests in lockdown. The Guardian. Beaumont-Thomas. Ben. 1 September 2021. 1 September 2021.
  7. Web site: Elton John "thrilled" as Lockdown Sessions album enters at Number 1. 31 October 2021. www.officialcharts.com. en.
  8. Web site: Beaumont-Thomas. Ben. 15 October 2021. Elton John scores first No 1 single in 16 years, ending 15-week Ed Sheeran run. 15 October 2021. The Guardian.
  9. Web site: Skinner. Tom. 22 September 2021. Listen to Elton John and Charlie Puth's new collaboration 'After All'. 23 September 2021. NME.
  10. Web site: Rapp. Allison. 22 September 2021. Hear Elton John's New Single With Charlie Puth, 'After All'. 23 September 2021. Ultimate Classic Rock.
  11. Blistein. John. 22 September 2021. Elton John and Charlie Puth Link Up for a Vintage Power Ballad, 'After All'. 23 September 2021. Rolling Stone.
  12. Kreps. Daniel. 30 September 2021. Elton John and Stevie Wonder Reunite on New Song 'Finish Line'. 9 October 2021. Rolling Stone.
  13. Web site: Furdyk. Brent. 1 October 2021. Elton John Teams Up With Stevie Wonder For New Collab 'Finish Line'. https://web.archive.org/web/20211001205150/https://etcanada.com/news/824649/elton-john-teams-up-with-stevie-wonder-for-new-collab-finish-line/. dead. 1 October 2021. 9 October 2021. Entertainment Tonight Canada.
  14. Web site: Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 - 28 January 2022 - 03 February 2022. Official Charts. 28 January 2022.
  15. Web site: Critic reviews for The Lockdown Sessions. 24 October 2021. Metacritic.
  16. Web site: Ryan. Gary. 21 October 2021. Elton John – The Lockdown Sessions review: the Rocketman remains in orbit. 24 October 2021. NME. en-GB.
  17. Web site: Copsey. Rob. Elton John, Duran Duran, Lana Del Rey and Biffy Clyro locked in four-way battle for Number 1 on Official Albums Chart. 26 October 2021. Official Charts Company.
  18. Web site: Elton John full Official Chart History Official Charts Company. 26 October 2021. Official Charts Company. 23 January 1971 .
  19. Web site: Elton John "thrilled" as Lockdown Sessions album enters at Number 1. 31 October 2021. Official Charts Company. en.
  20. Web site: 2021-11-01. Elton John scores top-10 album with 'The Lockdown Sessions'; launches his own line of eyewear. 2022-01-26. Lakes Media Network. en-US.
  21. Web site: Elton John scores top-10 album with 'The Lockdown Sessions'; launches his own line of eyewear. 2022-01-26. 93.3 The Drive. en.
  22. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2021/10/27 公開. Billboard Japan. ja. 27 October 2021.
  23. Web site: 2021 43-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). Lithuanian. AGATA. 29 October 2021. 29 October 2021.
  24. Web site: Rapports Annuels 2021. Ultratop. 14 January 2022.
  25. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2021. hitparade.ch. 26 December 2021. de.
  26. Web site: The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021. Official Charts Company. Griffiths. George. 4 January 2022. 4 January 2022.
  27. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2022. Billboard. 2 December 2022.
  28. Web site: 2022: La production musicale française toujours au top. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. fr. 6 January 2023. 8 January 2023.
  29. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022. Billboard. 2 December 2022.
  30. Web site: The Lockdown Sessions by Elton John on Apple Music. Apple Music. United Kingdom. live. https://archive.today/20210915024522/https://music.apple.com/gb/album/the-lockdown-sessions/1583227776. 15 September 2021. 15 September 2021.
  31. Physical releases for The Lockdown Sessions:
    • Web site: The Lockdown Sessions Blue Glitter Cassette. Elton John Official Store. live. https://archive.today/20210915041532/https://store.eltonjohn.com/*/The-Lockdown-Sessions/The-Lockdown-Sessions-Blue-Glitter-Cassette/743718TA000. 15 September 2021. 15 September 2021.
    • Web site: The Lockdown Sessions CD. Elton John Official Store. live. https://archive.today/20210915041824/https://store.eltonjohn.com/*/The-Lockdown-Sessions/The-Lockdown-Sessions-CD/743418TA000. 15 September 2021. 15 September 2021.
  32. Web site: The Lockdown Sessions Vinyl. 26 October 2021. Elton John. en. 26 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211026164535/https://store.eltonjohn.com/*/The-Lockdown-Sessions/The-Lockdown-Sessions-Vinyl/743I1D1J000. dead.
  33. Web site: The Lockdown Sessions [SHM-CD][Japan Bonus Track]]. CD Japan. February 11, 2022. ja-JP.
  34. Web site: CD Elton John - The Lockdown Sessions. Universal Music Store. dead. https://archive.today/20210915044654/https://www.umusicstore.com/cd-elton-john-the-lockdown-sessions-cd-elton-john-the-lockdown-sessions-2201/p. 15 September 2021. 15 September 2021. pt-BR.
  35. For Surfaces, Working With Elton John on 'Learn to Fly' Was 'Like Winning a Grammy'. Billboard. June 18, 2020. July 8, 2020.
  36. Watch the Video For Surfaces and Elton John's Sunny Collab 'Learn to Fly'. Billboard. June 25, 2020. July 8, 2020.
  37. Web site: Surfaces, Elton John - Learn To Fly (Official Music Video). YouTube. July 8, 2020.
  38. Web site: Watch The Cheery Video For 'Learn To Fly' From Surfaces And Elton John. udiscovermusic.com. June 26, 2020. July 8, 2020.