Although John didn’t provide a timeline or hint at potential collaborators, his comment has sparked excitement, especially in light of recent health challenges. Earlier in the interview, Colbert opened by asking, “How are you feeling?” to which John replied, “I’m feeling very, very well. My health is great… never been healthier. I had a little problem with my eyes, but compared to most people, I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

Elton John’s eye health has been a significant topic in recent months. In July, while in the south of France, he suffered a severe eye infection that left him blind in his right eye and struggling with vision in his left. In a November interview with Good Morning America, John elaborated, saying, “It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see… going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for a start.”

Elton John revealed that he’s blind out of his right eye after developing an infection over the summer, which has affected his ability to make new music. https://t.co/NUMi60KkCe pic.twitter.com/ateZa8ujAO

— New York Post (@nypost) November 25, 2024

Despite this, John has remained optimistic. On Instagram in September, he shared that recovery would be a “slow process” but expressed gratitude for his medical team and family. At the premiere of his documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, he even joked about his health, adding, “In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip.”

John’s health news coincides with the release of Never Too Late, now streaming on Disney+. The documentary interweaves footage of John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which concluded in Sweden in 2023, with reflections on his meteoric rise in the 1970s. The film highlights his partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin, his iconic stage collaboration with John Lennon, and personal struggles, including his battles with addiction and his journey towards self-acceptance. This isn’t his first collaboration with Disney+, with the streaming giant releasing Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodgers Stadium back in 2022.

 

 

 

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While the documentary captures John’s transformation into one of music’s greatest showmen, it also showcases his quieter, more personal side, featuring moments with his husband, David Furnish, and their family. During the Colbert interview, John reflected on his early career, advising his younger self to avoid “wasting his life on the most stupid things,” a nod to his sobriety and eventual reinvention.

Although John has stepped away from touring, his announcement of new music offers fans a glimpse of what’s to come. With a legacy spanning over five decades, his ability to remain current and creative is admirable. As John said himself, “I always want to create things,” and his fans are ready to listen.

The largely acoustic rendition of the classic song comes in support of the Teen Cancer America organisation. For whom the band play an annual benefit gig from the Royal Albert Hall spanning over 7 days. This year the band were joined by other such stars as Yungblud, Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher, Wild Things, Madness, Paul Weller and more. Watch The Who roll back the years down below:

The specialist charity (founded by the frontman Roger Daltrey) also operates here in the UK, providing care and engagement with young people affected by cancer, as well as driving their message through Westminster via vital policy work. Spread across Great Britain, their cancer units give help to teenagers in need of treatment in the right environment. Described here as; “places where young people can be themselves, have the comforts of home while going through treatment, and meet others their age facing cancer so they feel less alone. It’s hospital that doesn’t feel like hospital.”

Aside from their generous charitable work, The Who are lining up a two-part American tour next week titled; ‘The Who Hits Back’. Roger Daltrey shared his excitement for their return to the stage, saying; “Pete and I said we’d be back, but we didn’t think we’d have to wait for two years for the privilege. This is making the chance to perform feel even more special this time around. So many livelihoods have been impacted due to COVID, so we are thrilled to get everyone back together – the band, the crew and the fans. We’re gearing up for a great show that hits back in the only way The Who know how. By giving it everything we got.”

Announcements for the tour have followed the band’s guitarist Pete Townshend and Daltrey seeming to agree that another album may not be on the cards. The former explained; “As far as a new record, it does take quite a lot of time to put together the 20 or 30 songs that are needed for both Roger [Daltrey] and I and any producer that we might be working with to cherry-pick the ones that fit the times. But our process is the old-fashioned way, and it does take a lot of time. So I don’t know, but I am optimistic. And I’m certainly full of ideas.”

If you would like to donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust in support of their cause, you can do so here.

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All the way from the legendary Palace Bar in Dublin, Ireland comes this week’s #PlayAtHome performance from James Vincent McMorrow, who gives us a sneak peek at his upcoming album with this performance of “Gone.”

A post shared by A Late Show (@colbertlateshow) on Nov 6, 2020 at 12:01pm PST

Speaking about the performance in an Instagram post, James said; “We set out to create something that felt like more than just a television performance, i wanted people to watch it and feel like they were there in the room with me. It would be really easy right now, with remote shooting, to edit and fix and perfect the thing. By keeping it as a single shot, we were forced to commit, and that brought me deeper into the performance than i would have gotten otherwise.”

James also spoke about performing in The Palace Bar, saying; “We shot in The Palace Bar in Dublin because we wanted to draw light on another part of Irish life that is currently shut down. Getting to speak to the owner about the three generations of his family who’ve run the place, the people who’ve come through over the years, how worried he was for the future of his family and staff… It added another level of weight to what we were doing.”

Gone came out last week and was premiered on BBC Radio 1 Future Sounds With Annie Mac as the Hottest Record in the World. The song explores the idea of the breakdown of relationships, in particular the relationship you have with yourself. James explained how the lyrics of this song shows how he feels about life and all the ups and down such as; “how I hear it, my fear of it, my obsession with it, my belligerent belief that I can control it, my quiet acknowledgment in the middle of the night that i will never control a single thing. And there’s nothing wrong with any of it.”

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‘Gone’ is out now wherever you get your music. It’s a song about disintegration, about belligerence, about refusal to change even when change is the only thing. I wrote it as the start of a conversation with myself, but when you hear it, it’s whatever it means to you. Listen link in bio. Written by me and Moon Willis. Produced by me, Moon Willis and Paul Epworth. Mixed by Manny Marroquin. Mastered by Chris Athens. Artwork by Andrew Archer.

A post shared by James Vincent McMorrow (@jamesvmcmorrow) on Nov 2, 2020 at 11:01am PST

This is the third song James has released this year and will be the first song from his upcoming album, which will be his first in three years. Last month I Should Go came out and has since been remixed and reimagined as an upbeat club song by Grammy nominated DJ and producer Nic Fanciulli and James also shared a stripped down acoustic version.

Gone is out now on all platforms. You can watch James Vincent McMorrow’s performance on Stephen Colbert below.