Watch the moment Elton John, 77, slams down headphones and brands recording session ‘a f***ing nightmare’ in shock clip
SIR Elton John has earned the reputation as a mega diva over the course of his five decades in showbiz.
And the 77-year-old is still prone to a spectacular outburst from time to time.
That famous temper got the better of him as he worked on surprise new album Who Believes In Angels? with rocker Brandi Carlile, super producer Andrew Watt and longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin.
Holed up in Los Angeles‘ legendary Sunset Sound Studios, Elton had a meltdown, throwing down headphones in a huff and branding the recording session a “f***ing nightmare”.
In a trailer for a making of feature, Elton admitted he “doesn’t want to coast” after coming off a hot streak that saw him play acclaimed sets at Glastonbury and Dodgers Stadium.
And it certainly proved a difficult undertaking, even for a man of his talents.
The quartet, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, put together the album in just 20 days at the tail end of 2023.
There were many fraught moments and when Watt asked if Elton was ready to record, he was met with a sharp: “Why do you think I am sitting here?”
Exasperated, Watt, who produced the Grammy-winning Rolling Stones album Hackney Diamonds, responded: “I am just trying to make the song as best as it can be… you are so impatient.”
Narrating the clip, Elton admitted: “The reality is I was exhausted. I had a lot of doubt. I was a nightmare. I was angry, I was tired, I was irritable… I felt I don’t want to do it.
“I felt there were other people involved, I can’t abandon it… finally it all started to flow. I wanted to play better, sing better, write better and challenge myself at the age I am.”
Carlile, who has been a fan of Elton since she was just 11 years old, said: “Elton is prone to bouts of insecurity especially where the stakes are high. I am having a hard time connecting to Elton.
“There were times when I thought why does he want to do this.”
At one stage, Elton threatened to go home, prompting Watt to shout “cut the mics!”
But when the “fog lifted” the music began to flow.
Taupin declared “in the fifty plus years we’ve been doing this we’ve never made a record like this.”
Elton called it “one of the greatest musical experiences of my life”, while Carlile described it as “spectacular”.
There was so much emotion involved in the music that Elton burst out in tears behind the piano at one point and was comforted by his collaborators.