Elton John and Brandi Carlile 'Swing For The Fences'

03-05-2025

(ICLG) Elton John and Brandi Carlile release their brand new song "Swing For The Fences." This life-affirming, joyous track is the latest offering from Elton and Brandi's recently announced collaborative studio album Who Believes In Angels?, set for release on April 4th via Interscope Records. Pre-order the album here.

"Swing For The Fences" is both a euphoric slice of rock 'n' roll, and a defiant and proud anthem. Speaking on the track, Brandi says: "Swing For The Fences' was a little gem I took into the studio with me: I'm a gay woman, Elton's a gay man and we both have families, and our dreams have come true. 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!'."

Elton adds: "When we recorded 'Swing For The Fences', it was the moment that crystallised where the album was going. It was hard to get to that point, but we knew we had to rise to the occasion and we all just felt this massive sense of joy and euphoria. After our initial difficulties, all the uncertainties started to dissipate when this song came together. It just sounded great."

The concept for Who Believes In Angels? was devised by close friends and regular collaborators Elton John, eleven time GRAMMY winning US superstar Brandi Carlile and multiple GRAMMY Award winning producer and songwriter Andrew Watt. They set out to create a genuinely collaborative studio album between Elton and Brandi. The album would mix Elton-led songs and Brandi-led songs, with long term collaborator Bernie Taupin and Brandi both contributing lyrics, and producer and co-writer Andrew Watt acting as the producer, mediator and creative conduit. Entering Los Angeles' Sunset Sound Studios in October 2023 with a completely blank slate, they pushed each other out of their comfort zones to write and record an album completely from scratch in just 20 days. They would be backed by a world class band of musicians comprising of Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Pino Palladino (Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan and David Gilmour) and Josh Klinghoffer (Pearl Jam, Beck).