Song: 鈥淗old Me Closer鈥
Release Date: Aug. 26, 2022
Run Time: 3:22
Label: Mercury Records
Artist(s): Elton John, Britney Spears
Rating: A
Britney Spears is no stranger to a comeback. Her new single with Elton John 鈥 her first release since the end of her conservatorship 鈥 may be her biggest triumph yet, even if it doesn鈥檛 immediately top the charts like some of her past work.
Following Spears鈥 highly publicized personal struggles in the mid-2000s, the 2008 single 鈥淲omanizer鈥 and parent album 鈥淐ircus鈥 reinvigorated Spears' career and became some of the biggest hits of a discography filled with decade-defining work. If Spears could top the charts after 2007, it seemed nothing could truly dampen her star power.
A lot has happened since 2008. The #FreeBritney campaign, as well as Spears鈥 own testimony, has shed light on her experiences of alleged abuse during her 12-year-long conservatorship that began around the time of her first comeback.
As a nearly life-long Britney Spears fan, even I doubted if she would ever return to music after everything she has been through 鈥 and I couldn鈥檛 blame her if she didn鈥檛. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when her collaboration with John was announced.
Full disclosure, I was going to like this song whether I wanted to or not. There just wasn鈥檛 another option. Spears could release audio of her filing her taxes and I would still listen to it. Fortunately, 鈥淗old Me Closer鈥 has a lot to like.
The new single is most similar to John鈥檚 recent collaboration with Dua Lipa with 鈥淐old Heart.鈥 Like that previous release, 鈥淗old Me Closer鈥 pairs the chorus of one of John鈥檚 classic hits with verses from another 鈥 the chorus of 鈥淭iny Dancer鈥 and the verses of 鈥淭he One鈥 鈥 all on top of a club-friendly beat. The track also closes out with a nice piano outro, harking to John鈥檚 legacy as a pianist.
A standout is Spears' vocal performance on the track. Never given due credit as a singer, Spears鈥 voice blends well with John鈥檚 and features her iconic vocal-fry heavy technique and even a 鈥淏aby鈥 ad-lib thrown in for good measure. A favorite moment of mine is her quick pop into falsetto at the 1:50 mark, showcasing her range that has often been underutilized in her past dance tracks.
John seems to be on a sort of victory lap stage of his career: his so-called farewell tour is going on its fourth year, his 2019 biopic 鈥淩ocketman鈥 was a box office success and his recent remixes and collaborations have breathed new life into classic songs and introduced them to new audiences.
Now he extends this time of celebration to Spears and her newfound freedom. An icon in her own right, John can now be added to the list of other all-time greats she has collaborated with over the course of her career: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Steven Tyler, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, to name a few.
Early commercial response to 鈥淗old Me Closer鈥 has been positive. As a fan, I would love for it to be the biggest hit of the year, but even if it isn鈥檛 鈥 John and Spears have joined together after lives and careers filled with turmoil to create a song all about grabbing someone you care for and holding them tight.
It鈥檚 a good message for any dance track, especially with pandemics, isolation and conservatorships fresh on our minds. For any of us who have been lonely but have chosen to live and love again, we can dance into the night with Britney Spears and Elton John holding us closer.