Elton John Breaks Down In Tears While Recording New Song About Mortality

Elton John has always poured his heart and soul into his music, but working on his new album Who Believes in Angels? with Brandi Carlile was a deeply emotional experience — one that left the 78-year-old legend in tears.

On the SmartLess podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Elton opened up about the moment he realized one of the album’s tracks was about his own mortality. The song, titled When This Old World Is Done with Me, hit him hard when he first read Bernie Taupin’s lyrics. And so I’m writing the verse, like, ‘Oh, this is really pretty,’ and then I get to the chorus, and, of course, it’s about my death,” he stated.

The song’s heavy theme made Elton confront his own thoughts on aging. He joked about being “near 100” and admitted, “When you get when you get to my age, which is near 100, you think, ‘How much time have I got left?’ And you’ve got children, you’ve got a wonderful husband — you just think about mortality.” 

The rawness of the song overwhelmed him, and he broke down crying for 45 minutes—all caught on camera.

Elton and Brandi’s collaboration was documented in Who Believes in Angels? Stories from the Edge of Creation, a short film that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album. In the same interview, Brandi shared how she’d watch Elton compose melodies, trying to memorize the ones that moved her. She even secretly recorded him while he worked on When This Old World Is Done with Me to capture the magic before it disappeared. When she saw him begin to tremble, she knew the song had struck a nerve.

…“I thought, ‘Oh, he’s going to really go,’” Brandi recalled. And he did. Elton joked that after his emotional outburst, Brandi came over and cheekily said, “Don’t worry. You’ve got at least another six months.”

But the experience wasn’t all heavy moments. Elton expressed deep gratitude for Brandi’s influence, crediting her with inspiring him to make what he believes is his best album in 40 years. “I’ve done so much in my life. And there’s so much more to do,” he said. “And she’s inspired me to go ahead with this record, and I think this is the best record I’ve made in forty year,” he stated.