Sir Elton John celebrates 'extraordinary' 10th UK No. 1 album
LONDON, April 12: Sir Elton John has achieved an incredible milestone, securing his 10th UK number-one album with 'Who Believes In Angels?, a collaboration with US country star Brandi Carlile. This achievement comes 52 years after the release of his first number-one album.
In an interview with the BBC, Sir Elton expressed his surprise and gratitude, stating, "It seems quite extraordinary that my career has gone on so long. 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."
Who Believes In Angels? was written and recorded in just three weeks in late 2023. The album has garnered critical acclaim, with reviews describing it as "a gutsy, flamboyant tearjerker" and a "late-career high." However, the process of creating the album was not without its challenges. A documentary posted on YouTube revealed the behind-the-scenes tension, showing Sir Elton expressing frustration by slamming down his headphones, shouting at collaborators, and even tearing up song lyrics.
Reflecting on the difficulties, Sir Elton explained, "I was nervous, irritable... I was recovering from a hip replacement, but also working in a new way — writing live in the studio with Brandi, producer Andrew Watt, and lyricist Bernie Taupin. It was an enormous challenge, getting those four people together."
He continued, "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. My nerves and insecurities and doubt led to a few bad behavior moments, which was just about frustrations within myself."
Despite the rough start, once the opening track, The Rose of Laura Nyro, was completed, Sir Elton said, "everything fell into place." Within two and a half weeks, the team had recorded and finished 14 songs.
The album's release was initially delayed due to an eye infection that left Sir Elton with vision difficulties. In a recent interview with The Times, he revealed that the condition has impacted his ability to watch his sons play rugby.
One of the standout tracks from the album, Swing For The Fences, has been widely praised. Written by Brandi Carlile, the song is seen as a powerful call for empowerment and self-expression. "I'm a woman, Elton's a man, and we both have families, and our dreams have come true," Carlile shared with NME. "I wanted to write an anthem for young people out there, inspiring them to embrace a bigger, more elegant, and more fabulous life."
Sir Elton echoed this sentiment, telling 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.'"
In the UK, Who Believes In Angels? sold over 15,000 copies in its first two days, making it the best-seller of the week on vinyl. Sir Elton now shares the record for the most UK number-one albums with ABBA, Queen, Kylie Minogue, and Michael Jackson.
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)
This week's chart also saw the debut of Forever Howlong, the third album by Cambridge indie band Black Country, New Road, which entered at number three. The album, their first without frontman Isaac Wood, marks a shift towards a more soothing, baroque-pop sound.
In the singles chart, Alex Warren's Ordinary maintained its number one position for a fourth week, while Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club held steady at number two. Ed Sheeran made a notable return to the Top 10 with his comeback single, Azizam, which entered at number three. Despite its success, it became the first lead single from an album in Sheeran's career to not debut at number one.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
6 days ago
- Kuwait Times
'One in a billion': French stuntwoman putting fizz into Hollywood
When Sarah Lezito began messing around with motorbikes at 13 she never dreamed that one day she would become the stunt double of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. The French winemaker's daughter has stood in for Scarlett Johansson -- twice -- on "Avengers 2" and "Black Widow" and appeared in a dozen films including "The Batman". The 32-year-old is one of a very rare breed of motorcycle stuntwomen, with a massive social media following that helped bring her from the vineyards of France's Champagne region to Hollywood. AFP caught up with her on her own personal training track amid the otherwise tranquil vineyards near Epernay, the Champagne capital in northeast France. Barely astride her red chrome Kawasaki, she was off down the track performing stunts with disconcerting dexterity, her long brown hair trailing out of her helmet in the wind. "This is kind of my temple," she said after performing a series of gravity-defying tricks including standing with both feet on top of her 200-kilo (440-pound) machine and then flipping herself onto the handlebars. "People think I'm working, but it mostly allows me to release all the pressure," said Lezito, whose lucky charm -- a plastic beaded bracelet -- is wrapped around the throttle of her bike. Sarah Lezito, takes her motorbike Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R out of the truck before training, on her private track near Epernay eastern France. Sarah Lezito, performs a wheelstand while standing on her motorbike. Sarah Lezito, performs a wheelstand on her motorbike. Sarah Lezito, performs a drift by touching the ground with her hand on her motorbike. Sarah Lezito, performs a wheelstand on her motorbike. Sarah Lezito, performs a stoppie on her motorbike. 'Doing wheelies in a field' The woman now popularly known as the "world stunt champion" (although there is no recognised world championship) began her acrobatics career young on the family holding near Epernay. "I fell into stunts by watching videos," she told AFP. "No one in my family was in the motor sports world. My father only had an agricultural quad, not at all made for sports, but I started trying to do wheelies with it in a field." Then she began posting her stunt videos on YouTube. But she seemed destined to follow her family into wine and viticulture until she posted a video of a medley of tricks one day in March 2013 called "One out of Billion Girls". "It was thanks to this video that they noticed me," she said. The "they" being the team from the Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers 2". A few months later, she abandoned her winemaking studies to fly to South Korea to perform Johansson's stunts in the movie. Because she "adapted quickly" to stunt work, Lezito decided to go professional, appearing in several major movies, including "Inferno", "Millennium" and "The Batman" with Zoe Kravitz. "I met all the actresses I've doubled for," she said. Sarah Lezito, performs a wheelstand on her motorbike. Sarah Lezito, performs a drift while sitting on the tank of her motorbike. Sarah Lezito, stands on her motorbike. Sarah Lezito, stands next to her motorbike. Sarah Lezito, performs a burnout on her motorbike. 30 million followers She has had her moments on some of the movies, although she insists she has never felt fear on those she does "at home" for social media. "I had to ride through flames for 'Bad Girl', a film which was never released. On paper, it was very simple, but I didn't have a helmet," she recalled. And in the summer of 2023 while filming David Fincher's "The Killer" in Paris, starring Michael Fassbender, Lezito had a severe fall. "I flew off the motorcycle, I wasn't going very fast but fast enough to land on my head and the helmet cracked." She ended up in the emergency room with a head injury. It "made her think", she told AFP, and she "decided to take a break" and put her Hollywood career on hold. Lezito now devotes herself to her social media channels, posting videos of her stunts to her more than 30 million followers -- including 9.5 million on Instagram, some two million more than MotoGP star Marc Marquez. Her garage doubles as a studio, with her YouTube trophies and gifts from her fans displayed on the walls. But it is also where she gets her hands dirty repairing her fleet of roughly 10 motorcycles. "As long as I enjoy sitting on the motorcycle, I'll keep doing this," she said. - AFP
Kuwait Times
22-05-2025
- Kuwait Times
Beloved UK gardener's dog lends a paw at top flower show
The English love their gardens and they love their dogs. Now the two passions have been married at the Chelsea Flower Show thanks to the talents of the nation's beloved gardener Monty Don. Don has designed a unique garden for the show to delight both man's best friend and his master (or mistress). The lawn is for dogs to run and play, and roll and rest, set with a wooden bench and comfortable cushions. Even before some 140,000 visitors were expected at the five-day show organized by the Royal Horticultural Society, there was due to be a special visit from the country's top canine-lovers, King Charles III and Queen Camilla, on Monday. The green-fingered Monty Don, 69, has become a national celebrity, beguiling television audiences for the past 22 years presenting the popular BBC program 'Gardeners' World'. Each week the self-taught horticulturist shares his knowledge, gentle words of wisdom and tips and tricks to keep UK gardens blooming through each season. Padding faithfully at his side have been his dogs, including golden retriever Ned, delighting audiences with his antics as Don walks the 8,000 square metros (two acres) of his garden in Longmeadow, close to the Welsh border. Gardener Monty Don poses with his dog Ned, a Golden Retriever, in his dog-friendly garden, during the preview day at the RHS Chelsea Flower show, in London, on May 19, 2025. Sweet potatoes sprouting among flowers, talking trees powered by AI and drought resistant crops, the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show is facing the future focusing on innovation and climate change adaptation. - AFP Designer Tom Massey and Architect Je Ahn pose in their Avanade Intelligent Garden, which is equipped with sensors that track tree health, soil conditions, air quality, and weather patterns. English actor Joanna Lumley and Floral artist Ricky Paul pose with The Chelsea Punk, a mohican made from pampas grass, during the preview day. A visitor looks at a floral display. Britain's Queen Camilla (second right) speaks with Chelsea Pensioners members, at the London Square Chelsea Pensioners Garden. Britain's King Charles III (third right) and Britain's Queen Camilla (center) speak with British broadcaster and gardening expert Monty Don (second left), at the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden during their visit of the preview day at the RHS Chelsea Flower show, in London, on May 19, 2025.--AFP photos Simple And since he has always gardened with a dog by his side, Don said it was natural that he would lean on Ned for inspiration when he was asked to design a dog-friendly garden for the Chelsea Flower Show. Ned was let loose a few weeks ago at a plot packed with plants so the designers could copy the routes he took as he followed his nose and tracked interesting smells. 'We had imagined that Ned would create sweeps and curves through the planting. However, every time he ran off, he returned to Monty via the same route, and as such we have changed the design accordingly,' said landscape gardener Jamie Butterworth. At the Chelsea garden, there's a frisbee on the lawn, and a little stream where dogs can wade to cool off after a boisterous game of fetch. They can flop on the bench, or head for some calm in a little house. 'I wanted it to be a very simple garden,' Don said. 'There's no message, there's no hidden back story. It is what it is. What you see is what you get.' On Sunday, a fox even snuck in for a snooze. It is the first time Don has been asked to design a garden for the prestigious show, run by the Royal Horticulture Society since 1913. Tousled lawn The lawn is replete with dandelions, daisies and clover - a far cry from the neatly cropped grass usually favored by the Brits. Don aimed to keep things simple with hazelnut trees, hyacinths and spring flowers. Brick pathways inspired by his garden at Longmeadow are inscribed with the names of dogs, including Camilla's beloved terriers Bluebell and Beth, who were adopted from a dog shelter. Beth died from a tumor in November, and the royal family announced the passing on social media. Camilla even had the dogs' silhouettes embroidered in gold thread on her coronation dress in May 2023. Monty Don's garden won't be judged among 30 others as part of the competition at the Chelsea Flower Show. But he knows he will be judged by public opinion, and confessed to feeling nervous. After the show, Ned's garden will be donated to London's Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to continue delighting four-legged friends. - AFP
Kuwait Times
20-05-2025
- Kuwait Times
Gary Lineker to leave BBC after antisemitism row
LONDON: Former England football captain Gary Lineker will leave the BBC at the end of the season, it was announced on Monday, days after he shared a social media post that contained antisemitic imagery. The corporation's highest-paid presenter had been due to front coverage of the 2026 World Cup and next season's FA Cup. But this Sunday's Match of the Day, on the last day of the Premier League season, will be his final show. 'Gary Lineker will leave his presenting role following the conclusion of Match of the Day for the 2024/25 season,' the BBC said in a statement. 'He will not be part of the BBC's coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season's FA Cup coverage.' Last week Lineker shared an Instagram story about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat, historically used as an antisemitic insult. He removed the post and apologised unreservedly, saying he would 'never knowingly share anything antisemitic'. In a fresh statement on Monday, Lineker restated that he did not know about the post's antisemitic connotations. 'I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am,' he said. 'Steping back now feels like the responsible course of action.' He added: 'Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember—both on the pitch and in the studio. 'I care deeply about the game, and about the work I've done with the BBC over many years. As I've said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic—it goes against everything I stand for.' 'Defining voice' Tim Davie, BBC director-general, said: 'Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season.' Davie defined Lineker as a 'defining voice in football coverage for the BBC for over two decades,' thanking him for his contribution. Lineker had already planned to end his 26-year stay as host of popular Premier League highlights programme Match of the Day at the end of the season. The 64-year-old earned £1.35 million ($1.8 million) a year from the publicly funded broadcaster and he was one of their most recognisable faces. But his outspoken views on social media have previously caused headaches for BBC bosses due to the corporation's rules on impartiality. In March 2023, Lineker was briefly taken off air after comparing the language used to launch a British government asylum policy to the rhetoric of Nazi-era Germany. Lineker was reinstated just over a week later—after a revolt by several of his colleagues in solidarity—but the BBC launched an independent review of its social media guidelines as a result of the incident. He was also among 500 other high-profile figures who signed an open letter in February urging the BBC to rebroadcast a documentary, Gaza: 'How To Survive A Warzone,' to BBC iPlayer. Before becoming a major figure in the British media industry, Lineker was a global football star, winning the World Cup Golden Boot for England in 1986. After a playing career at Leicester, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham and Japan's Nagoya Grampus Eight, he retired in 1994. Lineker became a pundit for the BBC before taking over as the lead presenter for its football coverage in 1999. The former England striker is the co-founder of Goalhanger Podcasts, makers of the popular The Rest Is History series and various spin-offs. – AFP
