Sir Elton John says he is “blown away” after scoring the 10th UK number one album of his career.
Who Believes In Angels?, a collaboration with US country star Brandi Carlile, has topped the charts 52 years after the star’s first number one.
“It seems quite extraordinary that my career has gone on so long,” Sir Elton told the BBC.
“It always feels good to top a chart, no matter where it is. And with this album, I’m especially thrilled because I think it’s the finest album I’ve done for a long time.”
Written and recorded over three weeks in late 2023, Who Believes In Angels? has received rave reviews from critics, who have called it “a gutsy, flamboyant tearjerker” and a “late-career high“.
But the album had a difficult gestation, which was captured in a warts-and-all documentary posted on YouTube.
Sir Elton was seen slamming down his headphones, shouting at his collaborators, ripping up song lyrics and threatening to quit.
‘Bad behaviour moments’
The star was “nervous” and “irritable”, partly because he was recovering from a hip replacement, he said, but also because he was working in a new way – writing live in the studio with Carlile, producer Andrew Watt and long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin.
“It was an enormous challenge, getting those four people together,” he told the BBC. “And the challenge really was at my feet.
“I was very nervous [because] I wanted the album to stand a certain way, but you can’t always guarantee it will.
“I think my nerves and my insecurities and my doubt led to a few bad behaviour moments, which was just about frustrations within myself.”
Once they had recorded the opening track, The Rose of Laura Nyro, “everything fell into place”, Sir Elton said.
“In two and a half weeks, we recorded 14 songs and finished them.”
The album’s release was delayed last year after an eye infection left the star with vision difficulties. Last week, he told the Times he could no longer watch his sons playing rugby.
With the album finally released, there has been particular praise for the single Swing For The Fences, which Carlile conceived as rallying call for the LGBTQ community.
“I’m a gay woman, Elton’s a gay man and we both have families, and our dreams have come true,” she told the NME.
“I was thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to write an anthem for young gay kids out there that calls them into a bigger, more elegant, more fabulous life? Just like, ‘Go, go! Don’t let anything hold you back!'”
“It’s a tough time out there for LGBTQ+ people,” Sir Elton told BBC News.
“At the moment when Brandi wrote this lyric, she wanted to say, ‘Listen, fight for yourself. Be proud of yourself who you are, never be ashamed of who you are, and you will win through.'”
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In the UK, the album sold more than 15,000 copies in its first two days and was the week’s best-seller on vinyl.
Sir Elton has now drawn level with Abba, Queen, Kylie Minogue and Michael Jackson on the list of artists with the most UK number one albums.
The Beatles and Robbie Williams share the top spot, with 15 number ones apiece.
Elton John’s UK number one albums
- Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973)
- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
- Caribou (1974)
- Elton John’s Greatest Hits (1974)
- Sleeping With The Past (1989)
- The Very Best Of Elton John (1990)
- Good Morning To The Night (with Pnau) (2012)
- Diamonds (2017)
- The Lockdown Sessions (2021)
- Who Believes In Angels? (2025)
The other new entry in this week’s Top 10 came from Cambridge indie band Black Country, New Road, whose third album Forever Howlong debuted at number three.
The band’s first release since the departure of frontman Isaac Wood, it trades itchy, off-centre guitar riffs for a more soothing, baroque-pop sound, with lyrics that focus on friendship and camaraderie.
It was the week’s biggest-seller in independent record shops, according to the Official Charts Company.
In the singles chart, Alex Warren’s Ordinary remained in pole position for a fourth week, with Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club at number two.
Ed Sheeran had the highest new entry at number three with his comeback single Azizam.
The Persian-flavoured track is the star’s 42nd Top 10 hit in the UK – but it’s the first time since the start of his career that the lead single from an album has failed to enter the chart number one.
Credit: BBC