Earlier this year, Elton John and Britney Spears released their highly anticipated collaborative song “Hold Me Closer,” which was Spears’ first new material in six years, as well as her first since becoming free from her conservatorship. The pair returned today with an acoustic version of that hit.
Though the original “Hold Me Closer” was infectious with its exuberant and booming sound, this acoustic, piano-driven rendition sheds light on the emotional intensity of the track, as well as the beauty in both of their voices, especially when they harmonize together. Their chemistry is more palpable than ever.
In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in September, Elton John expressed his previous worry for Spears about the collaboration. “She did it so well and so easily, and I’m sure a lot of people thought, ‘Well, can she still sing?’” he said, “Well, I knew for a start that she could sing because if you go back and look at the old footage, she was the biggest artist in the world and she could sing, she could dance, she could do everything. So I wasn’t worried about that. What I was worried about is if she would be so nervous because she hadn’t done it for a while, but she came through it with flying colors.”
Listen to the acoustic version of “Hold Me Closer” above.
